The Banana Oat Cookies I Bake Every Week, No Flour or Added Sugar

These are the cookies that sit in the jar on my counter almost every week. Ripe bananas hold the oats together and bring the sweetness, so there's no flour, no butter and no added sugar. A little peanut butter makes them rich, cinnamon makes the kitchen smell like fall, and raisins and walnuts give every bite something to chew on. They take about 10 minutes to stir together and 15 to bake. My granddaughter helps me scoop them, and half are usually gone before they've cooled. They are soft and chewy rather than crisp, more like a little oatmeal cake than a biscuit.

Servings: 12 · Prep: 10 min · Cook: 15 min

Ingredients

• 2 large (about 1 cup / 225 g mashed) ripe bananas, with brown spots
• 2 tbsp (32 g) smooth peanut butter (no sugar added)
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 1/2 cups (135 g) rolled oats
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1 pinch salt
• 1/3 cup (50 g) raisins
• 1/4 cup (30 g) walnuts, chopped

Method

1. Heat the oven to 350°F (175°C) and line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. In a bowl, mash the bananas with a fork until smooth with only a few small lumps. Stir in the peanut butter and vanilla until well blended.
3. Add the oats, cinnamon, baking powder and salt, and mix well with a spoon. Fold in the raisins and walnuts.
4. Let the dough rest for 5 minutes. The oats soak up the banana and the mixture becomes thick enough to scoop. If it still looks loose, add another 2 tbsp of oats.
5. Scoop heaped tablespoons of dough onto the baking sheet, about 2 inches (5 cm) apart. These cookies do not spread, so press each one with the back of a wet spoon into a round about 1/2 inch (1.5 cm) thick.
6. Bake for 14 to 16 minutes, until the edges and bottoms are golden and the tops feel set when lightly touched.
7. Let the cookies cool on the sheet for 10 minutes before moving them, because they are fragile while hot. Then cool completely on a rack. You should get about 12 cookies.

Tips and variations

• For a firmer cookie, grind 1/2 cup (45 g) of the oats into oat flour before mixing.
• Swap the raisins for chopped dried apricots, dried cranberries or unsweetened coconut.
• Almond butter or tahini work instead of peanut butter.
• Store in an airtight container for 3 days, or in the fridge for up to a week. They also freeze well for a month.

Keep a few spotty bananas on hand and you'll always be 25 minutes away from a jar of homemade cookies. Happy baking!