Thick and chewy banana oatmeal cookies with chocolate chips - the best oatmeal cookies!
I am very particular about oatmeal cookies. I only like them if they have a really chewy texture; and I am not too fond of cakey oatmeal cookies. Luckily, I found a great recipe that, with some of my changes, delivered exactly what I was looking for! Not only did I get my thick and chewy banana oatmeal cookies, they also turned out to be low fat. I use only 2 tablespoons of oil for 30 cookies, with banana and yogurt substituting for the rest of the fat. As though that was not good enough, I also added in some chocolate chips!
So, please meet these most wonderful, very thick and chewy banana oatmeal cookies with chocolate chips! They are so thick, they look super tall when I stack them up, one on top of the other:
How to properly measure flour using measuring cups
The proper way to measure flour using measuring cups (as opposed to weighing the flour using the scale) is to aerate it first. This is done using one of the two methods:
- Sift the flour using a strainer. Sifted flour is lighter than unsifted flour.
or
- Aerate the flour by fluffing it up and whisking it well. Then spooning the flour into the measuring cup, carefully removing any excess flour with a knife. If you just stick that measuring cup in the bag of flour and scoop some out, you will get a lot more flour than what the recipe calls for. Do aerate the flour, or you will end up with dry cookie dough!
Recipe notes
- What makes these cookies so chewy and thick? First of all, I am using old-fashioned (or rolled) oats, and NOT quick or instant oats. Using old-fashioned oats will always produce a chewier texture, while if you use quick or instant oats, your oatmeal cookies will be too soft, almost cake-lake, and flat.
- I am also using banana and yogurt to substitute for what otherwise would have to be butter or oil, and that also adds some chewiness and creates this nice sticky texture. The cookies taste like there is a touch of honey in them!
- It's also important to chill the cookie dough for about an hour before you bake the cookies, as that will also help the cookies to remain thick as they bake.
Stuffed with chocolate chips, these banana oatmeal cookies are quickly becoming my new favorite! Overall, this is a very successful cookie recipe, and I am very happy with it! If you like thick and chewy oatmeal cookies - this is the recipe for you!
Other cookie recipes
Banana oatmeal cookies with chocolate chips
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups flour , sifted or aerated (see important note below!)
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 banana , ripe
- 1 egg
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- ¾ cup brown sugar
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- ¼ cup plain yogurt
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 ¾ cups old-fashioned oats
- 1 cup chocolate chips
Instructions
Important note about properly measuring flour using measuring cups:
- The proper way to measure flour using measuring cups is to aerate it first. This is done either by sifting flour, or aerating it by fluffing it up and whisking it well, then spooning it into the measuring cup, then carefully removing any excess flour with a knife. If you just stick that measuring cup in the bag of flour and scoop some out, you will get a lot more flour than what the recipe calls for. Do aerate the flour, or you will end up with dry dough! 🙂
How to make banana oatmeal chocolate cookies:
- Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees F. In a large bowl, combine together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt.
- In a separate bowl, mash the banana. Add the egg, oil, brown and granulated sugars, yogurt, and vanilla and whisk to combine.
- Add the banana-egg mixture to the flour mixture and stir until just combined. Fold in the oats, then fold in the chocolate chips.
- Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Take a tablespoon of dough, form a ball and drop the cookie dough ball on the prepared baking sheet. Repeat, spacing the cookie dough balls about 2 inches apart. At this point, I would refrigerate baking sheets with cookie dough balls for about an hour to chill the dough. This will ensure that cookies, when baked, will not flatten out, and that they will remain tall, so that we end up with thick and chewy cookies!
- Bake for 12 minutes until cookies are slightly golden brown. Let the oatmeal cookies cool on the baking sheets for 5 minutes, then transfer to wire racks to cool completely.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition Disclaimer:
The nutritional information on this website is only an estimate and is provided for convenience and as a courtesy only. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed. It should not be used as a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
Christy Eaton
Just made these, pretty tasty, now to have self control to not eat it all right now! I put half old fashioned, half grinded oats, but I think next time I will make it with only old fashioned 🙂
Amber
These look amazing. You don't happen to have a calorie count on these do you? 🙂
Julia
I don't 🙁 but I know a lot of people use this site: http://caloriecount.about.com/
erin
do you know if/how these freeze? I'd like to make a bunch at once...?
Julia
These should freeze well, unbaked, raw. I've frozen these short-term (right before baking) so that they turn out taller. So, freezing these while unbaked and keeping them in an air-tight container or plastic bag should work just fine, I am pretty sure.
Areen
Can i use quick oats rather than old fashioned?
Julia
Yes, you can - I did! It's just the cookies will be too soft, almost cake-lake, and flat if you use quick or instant oats, but still very delicious and eatable - I ate them all! With old-fashioned oats, you'll get a taller, crunchier cookie.
Cassie
These look amazing! Can't wait to try them.
Any ideas on substitue for the yogurt? We have a dairy allergy and I'd like to not have to go to a specialty store to get soy/almond yogurt. Would extra banana work well? Or maybe applesauce?
Julia
Applesauce will work great - applesauce oatmeal cookies are always delicious! Extra banana might work too but it will have to be really-really ripe - black on the outside and falling apart on the inside. 🙂 If you don't have such banana, just use applesauce to be safe. 🙂
Kaity
Thank you so much for sharing this!
They are delicious. I used a 90% dark chocolate bar instead of chocolate chips, but 'cause of a time crunch I didn't get to have the one hour rest period in the fridge, so they have the tendency to easily fall apart. I'm sure this step makes the world of a difference. I will absolutely make again, but making sure I put them in the fridge first.!
Julia
Hi Kaity - thanks for stopping by! 🙂 Glad you liked the cookies! Yes, cooling the cookies ensures they don't flatten out much. Did you use old-fashioned oats too? I made these with both types of oats, and the results were quite different in both cases, texture-wise. Quick oats made a flatter softer cookie. Old-fashioned oats resulted in the cookies you see in the photos! 🙂
Lori
I love these cookies and so did my kids! I actually forgot to add the oil and they were still wonderful.
Julia
Lori, glad you and your kids loved the cookies! 🙂 Interesting about not using oil - I need to try that too and see what the texture is like.
Cindy
They look good...but I am pretty sure the photo is enhanced with a touch of melted chocolate. I have never seen a chocolate chip that melty in any cookie.
Julia
Cindy, I heated them up in a microwave because I didn't have time to take photos of them right after I've baked them (which is when they look their best because the chocolate is naturally melty when they are fresh out of the oven).
Dasha
I'm so sorry, but this was such a bad recipe. I pride myself in baking well, but I simply couldn't eat it. There wasn't a single comment here that mentioned how well they turned out; rather how great they look. Well... they didn't taste good at all. 🙁
Julia
Dasha, that's one of my most favorite recipes ever! Sorry to hear they did not turn out for you. Were you using old oats maybe? Did you measure your flour correctly or did you overpack it?
Kelli
I made these today and they turned out amazing! I didn't have old-fashioned oats so I used quick oats and they worked just as good. This recipe is definitely a keeper, thanks so much!
Julia
Kelli, so glad to hear that you liked them! I did make these with quick oats as well, and they turned out just fine too, just a bit flatter, but still good! 🙂
fiorella
this recipe has no oats?
Julia
Yes, it does have oats. The recipe uses old-fashion oats - it's the second ingredient from the bottom.
Nina
This looks very yummy and very healthy!!! 🙂 What can we use as substitute for Kosher salt? Is table salt ok? 🙂
Julia
You can substitute 1/4 teaspoon of table salt for 1/2 teaspoon of kosher salt in this recipe. Because of the differences in texture and volume, table salt is more salty than kosher salt, so just make sure to use LESS of table salt than what the recipe calls for here.