These Healthy Cookies are AMAZING! They are soft, chewy and naturally sweetened. They are made with simple ingredients and they really hit the spot when you are craving a sweet treat, but want something a little bit lighter. They are vegan, gluten-free, high fibre and come together in one bowl with no flour, no eggs and no refined sugar needed.
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They healthy chocolate chips cookies are not crisp like traditional cookies. The texture is more like a soft baked oat cookie, with a chewy middle and lightly golden edges. But, they are amazing! My 7 year old asked me to make more as he was still eating his first one.
These healthy cookies are quick to make, simple to customise and a great way to use up ripe bananas. The ingredients are naturally more wholesome than a standard cookie recipe, but dark chocolate chips make them feel like a proper treat without the recipe becoming overly indulgent.
Another benefit is that the recipe is very forgiving. You can use peanut butter, almond butter, cashew butter or a nut-free alternative. You can also swap the chocolate chips for raisins, chopped nuts, seeds or dried fruit depending on what you have in the cupboard.
Looking for more healthy dessert recipes? Why not try our 10 minute Healthy Mango Cheesecake, creamy Cookie Dough Yogurt Bowl or our delicious Ninja Creami Chocolate Peanut Butter Ice Cream?
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Ingredients and Substitutions
A full ingredients list, along with US Customary and Metric measurements, can be found in the recipe card at the end of this post.
- Banana - The bananas should be ripe or very ripe. Bananas with brown spots on the skin are ideal because they are softer, easier to mash and naturally sweeter. If the bananas are not ripe enough, the cookies may taste less sweet and the mixture may not bind as well.
- Nut butter - Nut butter helps hold the cookies together and adds healthy fats. Peanut butter gives the strongest flavour and works well with banana and chocolate. Almond butter creates a slightly milder cookie. Cashew butter gives a softer, creamier flavour. For a nut-free version, sunflower seed butter is usually the best replacement.
- Maple syrup - This adds a little extra sweetness. You do not need much because the banana already sweetens the cookies. If your bananas are very ripe, you can reduce the maple syrup slightly. You can use honey instead.
- Vanilla - Use extract and not essence.
- Oats - Rolled oats create a chewier texture, while quick oats make the cookies softer and more uniform. Both work, but the final texture will be slightly different.
- Salt - Helps bring out the sweetness.
- Cinnamon - Adds a lovely warmth to the healthy cookies. You could use ground ginger.
- Chocolate chips - You can use dark, milk or white chocolate chips.
Healthy Chocolate Chip Cookie Variations
Nut-free - Replace the nut butter with sunflower seed butter or tahini. Sunflower seed butter gives the closest texture to peanut butter and works well with banana and chocolate. Tahini also works, but it has a stronger, slightly bitter flavour, so you may want to add a little extra maple syrup.
Higher-protein - Add 1 to 2 tablespoons of protein powder to the mixture. Vanilla protein powder works especially well. Because protein powder can absorb moisture, you may need to add a splash of milk if the mixture becomes too thick.
Chocolate - For a chocolate healthy cookie, add 1 tablespoon of cocoa powder to the mixture. This gives the cookies a deeper chocolate flavour. If adding cocoa powder, you may want to add an extra teaspoon of maple syrup because cocoa can make the mixture taste less sweet.
Fruit - Replace the chocolate chips with dried cranberries, raisins or chopped dried cherries. Fresh fruit is not the best option because they add too much moisture and can make the cookies too soft.
Seeds - Add pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, chia seeds or ground flaxseed. A tablespoon of chia or flaxseed works well, but avoid adding too much or the cookies may become dry.
Coconut - Replace around 20g of the oats with desiccated coconut.
How To Make Healthy Cookies
Prep: Preheat your oven to 190°C/170°C(fan)/375°F/Gas 5. Line a large baking tray with baking paper.
- Step 1: In a large bowl, mash the bananas until smooth.
- Step 2: Add the nut butter, maple syrup and vanilla. Mix well to combine everything.
- Step 3: Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients.
- Step 4: Mix everything together until well combined.
- Step 5: Scoop out spoonfuls of the mixture (about 45g/1.5oz each) and put onto the lined baking tray. Flatten them down.
- Step 6: Bake for 12 minutes, until golden brown.
- Step 7: Transfer to a wire rack and allow to cool.
Healthy Cookies Storage
Store - Keep in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days. Because they contain fresh banana, they are more moist than traditional cookies and will not keep as long at room temperature.
For longer storage, keep them in the fridge for up to 5 days. The texture will become slightly firmer when chilled, but they will still stay soft and chewy. You can eat them straight from the fridge or let them sit at room temperature for a few minutes before serving.
Freeze - These cookies also freeze well. Once completely cooled, place them in a freezer-safe container or bag and freeze for up to 3 months. If stacking the cookies, place baking paper between the layers to stop them from sticking together.
To defrost, leave them at room temperature until softened. You can also warm them in the microwave for a few seconds if you prefer them slightly warm and softer.
Freezing The Dough
You can freeze the dough, but it is best to shape the cookies first. Scoop and flatten the cookies, then place them on a tray and freeze until solid. Once frozen, transfer them to a freezer-safe bag or container.
You can bake them from frozen, adding 2 to 3 extra minutes to the baking time. The texture may be slightly softer in the middle, but they still bake well.
Dannii's Top Tips
- Once baked, the cookies will be quite soft when warm. They firm up as they cool, so it is best to let them sit on the tray for a few minutes before moving them to a wire rack.
- The exact number of cookies you get will depend on the size of your bananas and how large you make each cookie. Using 45g/1.5oz of mixture per cookie should give you around 10 to 12 cookies.
- If your bananas are especially large, the mixture may be wetter. Add a small handful of extra oats if needed. If your bananas are small or your nut butter is very thick, the mixture may feel too dry. Add a small splash of milk or a little extra mashed banana to loosen it.
- Use a smooth, runny nut butter if possible. Thick, dry nut butter can make the mixture harder to stir and may give the cookies a drier texture.
- Flatten the cookies before baking. They will not spread much in the oven, so this step is important.
- Do not overbake them. The cookies only need around 12 minutes. They should look lightly golden and set, but not dry. They firm up as they cool.
- If making them for kids, you can make smaller cookies. Reduce the baking time slightly and check them after 9 to 10 minutes. Making them smaller will make them lower in calories per cookie too.
- Adding too many extra mix-ins can also make the cookies fall apart. Keep additional ingredients to a small handful unless you are adjusting the base mixture.
Frequently Asked Questions
These cookies are meant to be soft, but if they are too soft to pick up, the mixture may have been too wet or the cookies may need longer to cool. Next time, add a few extra oats to the mixture or bake them for 1 to 2 minutes longer.
They may have been moved before they had time to cool, or the mixture may not have had enough oats to bind it together. Let them rest on the tray after baking, and make sure the mixture feels sticky and holds together before baking.
No, they do not spread much. This is why it is important to flatten them before baking. Shape them how you want them to look once baked.
More Cookie Recipes
If you've tried this healthy cookie recipe, let us know how you got on in the comments below.
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Recipe
Healthy Cookies {Vegan, GF, High Fibre}
Ingredients
- 2 Bananas
- 100 g (0.33 cup) Peanut butter
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla extract
- 3 tablespoon Maple syrup
- 1 pinch Sea salt
- 190 g (2 cups) Oats - (use certified gluten free oats to ensure this recipe is gluten free)
- 0.5 teaspoon Cinnamon
- 40 g (0.25 cup) Dark chocolate chips
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 190°C/170°C(fan)/375°F/Gas 5. Line a large baking tray with baking paper.
- In a large mixing bowl, mash 2 Bananas until smooth.
- Add 100 g Peanut butter, 3 tablespoon Maple syrup and 1 teaspoon Vanilla extract. Mix well to combine everything.
- Add 190 g Oats,0.5 teaspoon Cinnamon, 1 pinch Sea salt and 40 g Dark chocolate chips to the bowl.
- Mix everything together until well combined.
- Scoop out spoonfuls of the mixture (about 45g/1.5oz each) and put onto the lined baking tray. Flatten them down.
- Bake for 12 minutes, until golden brown.
Recipe Tips
- Once baked, the cookies will be quite soft when warm. They firm up as they cool, so it is best to let them sit on the tray for a few minutes before moving them to a wire rack.
- The exact number of cookies you get will depend on the size of your bananas and how large you make each cookie. Using 45g/1.5oz of mixture per cookie should give you around 10 to 12 cookies.
- If your bananas are especially large, the mixture may be wetter. Add a small handful of extra oats if needed. If your bananas are small or your nut butter is very thick, the mixture may feel too dry. Add a small splash of milk or a little extra mashed banana to loosen it.
- Use a smooth, runny nut butter if possible. Thick, dry nut butter can make the mixture harder to stir and may give the cookies a drier texture.
- Flatten the cookies before baking. They will not spread much in the oven, so this step is important.
- Do not overbake them. The cookies only need around 12 minutes. They should look lightly golden and set, but not dry. They firm up as they cool.
- If making them for children, you can make smaller cookies. Reduce the baking time slightly and check them after 9 to 10 minutes. Making them smaller will make them lower in calories per cookie too.
- Adding too many extra mix-ins can also make the cookies fall apart. Keep additional ingredients to a small handful unless you are adjusting the base mixture.
Nutritional Information
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The nutritional information provided is approximate and is calculated using online tools. Information can vary depending on various factors, but we have endeavoured to be as accurate as possible.
As all appliances vary, cooking times are a guide. Please note that by changing the serving size, the cooking time may also need to be altered.
Lauren says
These are a firm favourite in our house, my little boy loves them .
Super easy to make, great recipe with lots of variations you can make. Freeze really well and bake great from frozen.
HELEN CROFT says
Made this with sunflower seed butter (None of us like peanut butter) as suggested and with GF oats... huge success they are now on my sunday cook session for my daughter.
Lisa Beaman says
Great recipe. These came out delicious! I substituted honey for maple syrup but will definitely try with syrup. The cook time was perfect!
Bex says
These taste really good and don’t fall apart, which is always my worry with anything with oats. Will definitely be making them again!