These vegan and gluten-free One Bowl Banana Oatmeal Breakfast Cookies make it okay to have dessert first! Full of healthy fats and fiber, eat one to start the morning or curb your afternoon hunger. Either store them in the fridge/freezer or warm them up to taste just like banana bread.
Last week will forever live in infamy as the Great Battle of the AC. I fought valiantly, at times even desperately, and in the end I won. Thank God, because I don’t know where I would have slept if I lost. It’s getting hotter by the minute here.
Did I mention that I keep my coconut oil in the fridge so that it’s not perpetually melted? It might have been smart to store my bananas in there, too. Instead I watched them develop age spots all week. I’ve made a little equation to illustrate the process for you:
1 hot kitchen + 2 ripening bananas = 10 One Bowl Banana Oatmeal Breakfast Cookies
If it seems like I dumbed it down, I haven’t. That’s really all there is to it, give or take 5 other ingredients and a baking sheet. I can already see the consternation on your face when I tell you the recipe is simple. It’s true, though. I made this at 8 AM, before any coffee entered my system, so it has to be easy.
It’s certainly easier than making my AC work the way it should.
Whenever I have overripe bananas, my mind jumps straight to the classic banana bread. Soft and moist. Stuffed with chocolate chips and peanut butter if you’re doing it right. I’ve had my fill of classics in the form of literature for the last few weeks, though. It was time for something different. Also time for breakfast, as my stomach gently (read: urgently) reminded me.
With a fresh jar of peanut butter and a nearly empty bag of oats, I sent up a short prayer and started mashing. Baking is a science, I know, but it was too early for anything other than measuring what I used as I added it to the bowl. Either I got lucky or you can call me the magic baker because these filled the kitchen with the smell of warm banana bread. They’re deliciously soft, with just the right amount of chew from the rolled oats. You don’t even need any sweetener since the bananas provide all the natural sweetening you need.
My favorite way to enjoy them is on top of a bowl of vanilla yogurt with a cup of coffee in the morning. Although I prefer to keep these flavored simply, you can add anything you like. Try a splash of vanilla, drizzle of honey, or handful of chopped nuts/seeds. The peanut butter can be swapped for any nut/seed butter you like best. I’m thinking sunflower seed butter or tahini for a nut-free version.
However you decide to make them, I know you’ll love them. As will your friends, who will undoubtedly be coming over for breakfast dates once they spy one of these in your fridge.
If you try this recipe, I’d love your feedback. Leave a comment below, save it on Pinterest, or tag #lensesandlentils on Instagram so that I can see your creations!
- 2 overripe bananas
- ½ cup nut/seed butter (I used creamy peanut butter)
- 2 cups rolled oats
- 2 tbsp ground flax seed
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- ½ tsp coarse kosher salt
- Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
- Mash the bananas in a bowl, then whisk in the nut butter. Add in the remaining ingredients, stirring until just combined.
- Scoop out 10 cookies onto the prepared baking sheet. Flatten each slightly, since they will bake in whatever shape you put them in the oven.
- Bake for 12-14 minutes. They'll still feel soft. Let them cool on the pan for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to finish cooling.
- Store in a container in the fridge for 1 week or in the freezer for 1 month. If you need to layer them, then put a piece of parchment paper in between the cookies.
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