Thin & Crispy Banana Oatmeal Cookies
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If you can imagine a cross between oatmeal cookies and banana bread, this is it.
These banana oatmeal cookies are everything you love about banana bread, reimagined as crispy, golden-brown cookies. Thin and lightly spiced, they’ve got the perfect balance of crunch and a chewy center, with just a hint of warmth from cinnamon and nutmeg. The mashed banana adds natural sweetness and moisture, while the oats bring a hearty texture that keeps you coming back for more. Ideal for a coffee break or an after-dinner treat, they’re a new twist on classic comfort flavors—and if you love the texture that oats add to cookies, my oatmeal brown sugar cookies with raisins and oatmeal chocolate chip cookies are worth a try, too.
“Delicious for dessert or as an afternoon snack!!! Crispy on the outside and lovely and soft on the inside. Very good way to use up ripe bananas if you don’t want banana loaf.”
What You’ll Need To Make Banana Oatmeal Cookies
- All-Purpose Flour: The foundation of the cookie, creating structure and adding a subtle chew to each one. To ensure accuracy, measure the flour by spooning it into the measuring cup and leveling it off.
- Old-Fashioned Oats: Also known as rolled oats. Add texture and hearty flavor, giving the cookies a crispy edge and chewy center. I’d stick with old-fashioned oats; instant or quick oats would break down too much and impact that ideal crispy-chewy texture.
- Cinnamon & Nutmeg: Provide warmth and a cozy depth that complements the banana.
- Baking Soda: Ensures the cookies spread and crisp up during baking.
- Butter: Adds richness and a crispy texture to the edges of the cookies.
- Granulated Sugar & Light Brown Sugar: Together, these sugars create a balanced sweetness and help the cookies achieve a crispy, caramelized finish. When measuring brown sugar, always pack it tightly to eliminate air pockets.
- Egg: Binds the ingredients and adds a bit of chew to the cookies’ centers.
- Mashed Bananas: Brings natural sweetness, moisture, and a hint of banana flavor for a soft, chewy interior.
- Vanilla Extract: Rounds out the flavors with a classic hint of sweetness.
- Jump to the printable recipe for precise measurements
Step-By-Step Instructions
Begin by combining the flour, oats, baking soda, salt, and spices in a large mixing bowl. Stir or whisk to combine and set aside.
In a large bowl, combine the butter, granulated sugar, and brown sugar.
Beat until light and fluffy, a few minutes.
Add the mashed banana, egg, and vanilla.
Mix to combine.
Add the dry ingredients.
Mix on low speed to combine. The batter will be wetter than most cookie doughs.
Scoop the dough onto a parchment-lined baking sheet, spacing the dough balls evenly apart.
Bake for about 15 minutes, or until golden.
Let the cookies cool for a few minutes on the baking sheet, then transfer to a rack to cool completely.
Make-Ahead, Freezing & Storage INformation
The cookie dough can be frozen for up to three months. Roll the dough into balls, let set on a baking sheet in the freezer, then place in a sealable bag and press out as much air as possible. Bake as needed directly from the freezer. (Allow 1 to 2 minutes longer in the oven.) To Freeze After Baking: Let the cookies cool completely and store in an airtight container separating layers with parchment paper or aluminum foil. To thaw, remove the cookies from the container and let them come to room temperature.
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Thin & Crispy Banana Oatmeal Cookies
If you can imagine a cross between oatmeal cookies and banana bread, this is it.
Ingredients
- 1½ cups all-purpose flour, spooned into measuring cup and leveled-off
- 3 cups old-fashioned oats
- 1½ teaspoons cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon nutmeg
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 scant teaspoon salt
- 2 sticks (1 cup) unsalted butter, softened but still cool
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- ¾ cup light brown sugar, packed
- 1 large egg
- ⅔ cup mashed bananas, from 2 overripe bananas
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- Space two oven racks so that the oven is divided into thirds. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, oats, cinnamon, nutmeg, baking soda and salt. Set aside.
- In the bowl of an electric mixer, cream the butter, granulated sugar and brown sugar until light and fluffy, a few minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and add the egg, mashed bananas and vanilla extract; beat until combined. Add the flour and oats mixture and mix on low speed until well combined. Do not overmix. The batter will be wetter than most cookie doughs; that's okay.
- Scoop large balls of dough (about 1½ tablespoons) onto the prepared baking sheet, spacing at least 3 inches apart, as they spread quite a bit (I use a small ice cream scooper with a wire scraper). Bake for 14 to 17 minutes, rotating the pans from top to bottom and front to back midway through, until golden brown. Cool on the baking sheet for a few minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Repeat with remaining cookie dough.
- Freezer-Friendly Instructions: The Cookie Dough can be Frozen for up to 3 Months: Roll the dough into balls, let set on a baking sheet in the freezer, then place in a sealable bag and press out as much air as possible. Bake as needed directly from the freezer. (Allow 1 to 2 minutes longer in the oven.) To Freeze After Baking: Let the cookies cool completely and store in an airtight container separating layers with parchment paper or aluminum foil. Before serving, remove the cookies from the container and let them come to room temperature.
Nutrition Information
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- Serving size: 1 cookie
- Calories: 128
- Fat: 5g
- Saturated fat: 3g
- Carbohydrates: 19g
- Sugar: 8g
- Fiber: 1g
- Protein: 2g
- Sodium: 83mg
- Cholesterol: 15mg
This website is written and produced for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and the nutritional data on this site has not been evaluated or approved by a nutritionist or the Food and Drug Administration. Nutritional information is offered as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. The data is calculated through an online nutritional calculator, Edamam.com. Although I do my best to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates only. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and the way ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe. Furthermore, different online calculators provide different results depending on their own nutrition fact sources and algorithms. To obtain the most accurate nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator.
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Making these today! What if i don’t have UNsalted butter?
Hi Joy, While it varies by brand, most salted butter has approximately 1/4 tsp. salt per stick, so you can use the salted butter and reduce the salt in the recipe as needed. Hope that helps!
This is just what I have been looking for!
I had one very ripe banana, so cut the recipe in half and adding a little more flour to compensate for the whole egg. I do not have a cookie dough scoop so used a soup spoon, which required 3 minutes more of baking. Next time I’ll use an eating teaspoon.
I shared with my daughter-in-law. She says, “A great breakfast cookie!”
I will definitely make these again, using the full recipe!!!
Suggestions: Please put the baking time — 15 minutes — on the printed recipe. Also how big the scoops of dough area. The picture is not a good gauge.
These turned out beautifully. I used the metric measurements, old fashioned oats, a mix of salted and unsalted butter and used a tablespoon of cinnamon, by mistake. They are great and I have shared the recipe.
I have made these on many occasions and they turn out well, my family loves them. I do use the regular old fashioned oats and not the quick oats. I think they absorb the liquid better. I also use butter and not margarine or butter substitute. I always use what the recipe calls for, otherwise I’m not making that recipe I’m making my own recipe and if it’s not what I expected then it’s my fault. I made these once without the banana, forgot to put it in. Came out really good, crispy oatmeal cookie.
Theses were great! I almost didn’t make them due to some comments but they turned out perfectly for me. A flavourful and filling cookie 🙂 Thanks for the recipe.
These were so easy to make with my daughter. I made them a little thicker than the picture but they were still crunchy but soft and so delicious! Love that I have another recipe for ripe bananas!
First let me say that I am not a baker, I’m an experienced cook and bake occasionally. But I did have overripe bananas and wanted something different to do with them than making banana bread.
I followed the instructions exactly, except I did not have parchment paper, but they came off the pan very easily. They are delicious and I will definitely make them again. It may have been my oven, but they were more fluffy than flat and crispy. They were delicious anyway, but I was looking forward to a really thin crispy cookie, that’s the only reason I gave it 4 stars.
I’m not sure why others have a problem with the batter being runny, I did not have that issue at all, but I do use a stand mixer. I hope this helps, and thanks for the great recipe.
This is a great recipe; tasty and easy to make; used 14 minutes to cook time – came out crisp around edges and soft and chewy in the middle – yum! Only had dark brown sugar which worked well; also I upped the cinnamon to 2 tsp, nutmeg to 1/2 tsp and vanilla to 1.5 tsp – wanted more flavor; going to add a 3rd banana next time and maybe leave in for 1 minute more to allow for extra moisture. Also, don’t have a good free standing electric mixer so rubbed the butter into dry ingredients first, then use a small handheld electric mixer/beater for about 2-3 mins – worked great. thank you will definitely make this again….
Had same issues as others with flat batter. I’m not a novice cook, so not sure what happened. I found them not tasty at all, very bland, and will probably throw them away. Such a waste of ingredients.
Hello, I made these cookies last week,and they came out perfect. I followed your recipe exactly, my dough and finished cookie looked exactly like your photos. I did add some walnuts to half the dough, but they were still good, moist and tender.