Peanut Butter Banana Oatmeal Cookies

It’s a lot of -free, there, I know, but these really are tasty! With peanut butter, dates, banana, and chocolate, you really can’t go wrong. The base is just rolled oats with no flour needed.

These can optionally be made without oil, but they are a bit nicer with that little addition. You can leave it out if preferred (see notes below). Everything is done in one bowl if you don’t mind a little workout mashing the fruit by hand! Otherwise, use a food processor.

We really like this little banana oat cookies as an afternoon snack and keep them in a container in the refrigerator. They can be stored at room temp but taste great chilled, and last longer, in the fridge.

See below for nut-free subs and more.

Ingredients

• Rolled Oats: or use quick cook – both work well here. I haven’t tried with other flakes.
• Bananas: the riper, the better, as there’s no sugar added here.
• Dates: soft, if possible, or soak in hot water for half an hour beforehand.
• Peanut Butter: natural without oil or sugar added.
• Coconut Oil: just a bit for improved flavour and texture.
• Chocolate: chopped dark chocolate, or use chips if preferred.
• Cinnamon: pairs well with the fruit and peanut butter, but it can be left out.
• Nuts: I used chopped peanuts here, but other nuts work just as well, or sunflower seeds.
• Baking Powder and Sea Salt (see below re: added salt).

Step by Step

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Notes and Substitutions

To make these nut-free, sub sunflower seed butter for the peanut and use seeds instead of nuts in the dough.

For oil-free cookies, simply omit the coconut oil. It makes the cookies better but they’ll still work fine without.

I would typically use a food processor for the wet ingredients to puree, but couldn’t bring mine when we last moved. A bowl and fork works just as well but takes a bit longer. If using a food processor but you want to keep the dishes down, puree the banana etc. and then remove the blade and stir in the dry ingredients by hand into the bowl of the mixer.

There is no substitution for the banana and dates. I haven’t tried making these with quinoa flakes, for example, and I’m not sure how they’d turn out. Use certified GF oats if necessary.

If your peanut butter is quite salty, either halve the added salt or omit, depending on your personal preference.

The baking time isn’t an error. They do need a bit longer than usual to bake due to the high fruit content.

These inspired the base for these peanut butter banana popsicles.

More Fruit Sweetened Snacks

Chocolate Chip Coconut Banana Bread
Oatmeal Breakfast Cookies
Morning Glory Carrot Muffins
Fudgy Breakfast Brownies

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This post was first published in March 2015. It has been updated with new photos, improved instruction, and some slight changes to the recipe as of January 2022.