I’ve never been a huge fan of oatmeal raisin cookies (don’t get me wrong, I like them…I like any cookie), but banana oatmeal chocolate chip cookies? Those I can get behind 100%. I recently conducted an experiment with these banana oatmeal chocolate chip cookies to see if I could reduce the sugar content by 50%. With bananas being such a great source of natural sweetness, I knew the ingredient could sustain the flavor, but what about the other roles that granulated sugar play in baking? As a reminder:
You can read all about the outcomes of the experiment in this post, but you will be happy to know both measurements work. I offer both below. You can also see the variables I chose based on my personal preferences.
Planning and prep
There are a few boxes that need to be checked before baking these cookies. First of all, you need to be sure you have some very ripe bananas on hand. They don’t need to be overripe, just yellow with some brown spots.
Secondly, be sure your egg is at room temperature. Set it out of your refrigerator 30 minutes to 1 hour before baking. Given that this recipe also calls for coconut oil, this step is important. A cold egg will not work well with coconut oil. They both need to be at room temperature.
Lastly, allot the time to chill the dough. I recommend at least 1 hour and up to 3 hours. The cookies will also need to be cooled completely (about 1 hour) and they will taste even better, and will firm up, in the refrigerator overnight.
Banana Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies {Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free}
Equipment
- Baking sheets
- Stand mixer or hand beater
Ingredients
- 1 cup brown rice flour
- 1 cup coconut sugar or 1/2 cup. See note
- ½ cup almond flour
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon sea salt
- 1 large egg room temperature
- 1 cup mashed banana from about 2 large. Equals 230g to 255g on digital scale
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ cup coconut oil softened to room temperature
- 1 ½ cups gluten-free rolled oats
- 1 cup chocolate chips
Instructions
- In a large mixing bowl or bowl of a stand mixer, combine the brown rice flour, coconut sugar, almond flour, baking powder, baking soda, and sea salt. Stir until blended.
- In a separate mixing bowl, whisk together the egg, mashed banana, and vanilla extract until creamy.
- To the large bowl with the flour mixture, beat in the coconut oil until crumbly. While still beating on medium speed, add the egg and banana mixture, then add the oats. Fold in the chocolate chips. Chill the dough in the refrigerator for 1 to 3 hours.
- Once chilled, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Use a cookie scoop or spoon to gather 1½ tablespoons of dough, rolling it into balls. Place the balls of dough on the baking sheet at least 2 inches apart. Use your fingers to slightly flatten. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes until golden brown. They might look undercooked in the middle, but the cookies will continue to firm as they cool. Allow the cookies to cool on the baking sheet, at least 1 hour. Store in the refrigerator.
