Healthy Banana Monster Cookies
Yields: 15 cookies
 
These chewy oatmeal cookies are full of fun flavors! Sweet banana, creamy peanut butter, and lots of rich chocolate from the chocolate chips and M&Ms. They’re so good that you won’t want to share! Leftovers will keep for at least one week if stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator, and they also freeze well.
  1. In a medium bowl, whisk together the oats, flour, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt. In a separate bowl, stir together the mashed banana, peanut butter, and vanilla. Stir in the maple syrup. Add in the flour mixture, stirring just until incorporated. Fold in the 1 ½ tablespoons of miniature chocolate chips and 1 ½ tablespoons of miniature M&Ms. Let the cookie dough rest for 10 minutes.
  2. Preheat the oven to 325°F, and line a baking sheet with a silicone baking mat or parchment paper.
  3. Using a spoon and spatula, drop the cookie dough into 15 rounded scoops onto the prepared sheet, and flatten to the desired thickness and width using a spatula. Gently press the remaining miniature chocolate chips and M&Ms into the tops. Bake at 325°F for 10-12 minutes. Cool on the pan for 10 minutes before turning out onto a wire rack.
Notes: It’s extremely important to measure both the oats and flour correctly using this method or a kitchen scale. (← That’s the inexpensive one I own and love!) Too much of either will dry out the cookies and leave them cakey instead of chewy.

Instant oats are also known as quick-cooking or minute oats. They come in large canisters, just like old-fashioned oats. They are not the ones in the small flavored packets of oatmeal. To make your own, add the same amount of old-fashioned oats to a food processor, and pulse 10-12 times or until the oats are about ¼ to ⅛ of their original size.

For the gluten-free flour, I recommend the following blend: ½ cup (60g) millet flour, 2 tablespoons (15g) tapioca flour, 2 tablespoons (15g) brown rice flour, and ½ teaspoon xanthan gum. Most store-bought gluten-free flour blends (like this one!) will also work, if measured like this.

For the best results, use the ripest and spottiest bananas you can find! (See my blog post and photo above for more information!)

I used my homemade easy blender peanut butter (recipe here). If using store-bought peanut butter, make sure it’s the natural drippy-style kind with the only ingredients as peanuts and salt.

For a vegan version, I found these vegan-friendly “M&Ms” while searching online. I haven’t personally tried them, but they look like they’d work really well!

For a clean eating version, substitute additional miniature chocolate chips in place of the miniature M&Ms.

For answers to all other questions regarding substitutions and tips, see my Oatmeal Cookie FAQ Page.

{gluten-free, clean eating option, vegan option, low fat}
Recipe by Amy's Healthy Baking at https://amyshealthybaking.com/blog/2018/04/15/banana-monster-cookies/