Banana Everything Cookies
Updated March 10, 2025
Christopher Testani for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Samantha Seneviratne.
- Total Time
- 12 minutes
- Cook Time
- 10 to 12 minutes
- Rating
- Comments
- Read comments
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Ingredients
Nonstick cooking oil spray
1 very ripe medium banana
⅓ cup canola oil
⅔ cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
¾ cup plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour, or as needed
½ teaspoon baking soda
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 cups quick-cooking (not instant) oatmeal or rolled oats
½ cup chopped walnuts
½ cup chocolate chips (vegan, if desired)
Nutritional analysis per serving
27 grams carbs; 1 milligram cholesterol; 185 calories; 3 grams monosaturated fat; 3 grams polyunsaturated fat; 1 gram saturated fat; 8 grams fat; 3 grams fiber; 97 milligrams sodium; 3 grams protein; 9 grams sugar
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
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Preparation
- Step 1
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly spray two baking sheets with oil. In a mixing bowl, mash banana well. Add oil, sugar and vanilla, and mix with a strong fork. Add flour, baking soda, salt and cinnamon, and mix until just moistened.
- Step 2
Add oatmeal, walnuts and chocolate chips. Using your hands or a sturdy spoon, mix well, making sure oats are well moistened. (If dough is very slippery, add one or two extra tablespoons flour.)
- Step 3
Using clean, wet hands, re-wetting as needed, roll dough into balls slightly smaller than a golf ball, about 1 ⅓ inches in diameter. Flatten slightly and place 2 inches apart on a baking sheet. Bake until lightly browned, 10 to 12 minutes. Remove from heat and allow to cool for 2 minutes, then transfer to a rack to cool completely. Store in an airtight container.
Private Notes
Comments
Jocelyn, it is a tad unfair to call a recipe that you substantially change the ingredients to “overrated”. I have never understood why cooks do this. Changing key ingredients make this YOUR recipe - therefore your recipe is overrated.
Got just 1 old, ripe banana on the counter? Here's the recipe you're looking for. And there's a bonus: it uses only 1 bowl! Delicious and quick.
Quarantine Modifications: - No flour -> Use blender to create flour out of oatmeal. Add shredded coconut in a pinch if your dough is too wet; let the dough hydrate in the fridge for 10 minutes. - No walnuts/chips -> Use another unsalted nut, chop up a nut based snack bar (ie, Kind) or something entirely different (ie, pretzels or raisins) - No bananas -> Use applesauce or a peeled, cooked, and mashed potato. - No vanilla/cinnamon -> Leave it out or use a similar spice (ie, marsala, nutmeg)
Instead of a fork, use a potato masher. Even works on frozen bananas. Keep a bowl of water handy, you really do need to rewet your hands. Very Yummy!
I've been making these cookies for months and here are my edits for my best batch yet: - add more banana, more like 1 large banana or 1.5 med - use only 1/2 cup of BROWN sugar - only add 3/4 cup of whole wheat flour - use Penzey's cake spice instead of cinnamon (my favorite baking hack) - add 3/4 cup of dark chocolate chips - add 1/2 cup of unsweetened toasted coconut flakes (in addition to chopped walnuts) - instead of flour add ground flax seed to thicken
Made exactly as directed, with walnuts. So easy to throw together! I loved this recipe and could eat them all day long. My 87 year old mother though, not a fan. Too much texture for her!