Cookies are great. You can enjoy them as a sweet snack during the day or even as a replacement for a small breakfast. If you are not using too much sugar for your cookies, they can be a reasonably »healthy« snack/meal. These vegan Banana Oats Walnut Cookies are definitely healthier than other cookies… something that is easy to say if you look at most other cookie recipes out there ;P
We have a saying in Germany »Die Dosierung macht das Gift« – means »the dosage makes a poison«. If you are not eating too many large chocolate chip cookies at once, for example, it’s not really important if they are loaded with sugar. A bit of sugar here and there does not hurt nobody. Well… almost nobody ;P On the other hand – you should not eat too many »healthy« cookies at once either. Too much is too much…
Well… you always have the option to do sports if you like sweet stuff. An extra walk with the dog or some action in the gym are definitely good when going overboard with sweets. Well – sports and other activities are always good. No matter what you eat ;P
If you are not into sports that much (like me) you might want to keep an eye on the things you eat. That’s why I love cookies like these here. Less added sugar (which could easily be replaced with xylitol, for example), more natural sweetness from the bananas, oat flour instead of regular flour, high-quality fats from the nuts… it’s a very good mix. I think we can all agree on that ;)
If you are baking cookies without the usual ingredients such as sugar, flour, and eggs, they often have a different texture compared to regular cookies. Classic cookies like chocolate chip cookies, for example, are normally soft on the inside and crunchy on the outside. Due to the added butter (or other fats) regular cookie dough tends to spread a lot. The added sugar gives the cookies a nice texture and color. Large, flat, crispy (but also soft) cookies. So good! ;)
Anyway. I have several healthier cookie recipes here on the blog already – in case you want to check them you just have to click/tap on the pictures, and you will be forwarded to the corresponding recipe.
These cookies here are a bit different. They are chunky and quite compact and moist tbh. The bananas are largely to blame here ;P Less fat and less sugar results in chunky cookies. This means you should shape the cookies before you bake them – there is no melting, spreading or anything. They keep the shape you give them ;) This also means, there is no danger of cookies that stick together when baked…
The cookies will be soft on the inside and crispy on the outside right after baking – however, the longer the cookies sit at room temperature, the softer they get on the outside. Reason for that – again the bananas ;) They add a lot of moisture to the cookies and will soften the cookies over time. This does not change the flavor of the cookies but not everybody likes when cookies get soft after a few hours. You can counteract this a little by shaping flatter cookies or leaving them in the oven a little longer. This will result in dryer cookies. However, you have to be careful not to »overbake« the cookies. The transition from »oh yeah, they look great« to »well, less time in the oven next time« can happen very quickly ;P
INGREDIENTS / ZUTATEN
(about 11 cookies)
12.3 oz. (350g) very ripe bananas
1/4 cup (50g) muscovado sugar*
1/4 cup (70g) hazelnut butter*
8.8 oz. (250g) oat flour (finely ground oats)
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1 pinch of salt
1.8 oz. (50g) walnuts, chopped (plus some more)
(etwa 11 Cookies)
350g sehr reife Bananen, zerdrückt
50g Mascobado Zucker*
70g Haselnussmus*
250g Haferflockenmehl (bzw. fein gemahlene Haferflocken)
1 TL Backpulver
1 TL Zimt
1 Prise Salz
50g Walnüsse, gehackt (plus etwas mehr)
DIRECTIONS / ZUBEREITUNG
1. Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C). Line a baking sheet with baking parchment and set aside.
2. Add the bananas to a large bowl and mash with a fork until only small chunks remain. Add the sugar and hazelnut butter and mix until well combined.
3. If you use rolled oats add them to a mixer/food processor and mix until you get a fine flour – some larger pieces are ok. Add the baking powder, cinnamon, and salt and mix to combine. Add the dry ingredients to the bowl with the banana mixture and fold in. Next, add the chopped walnuts and fold in as well.
4. Use a large cookie scoop and place dough portions with some space in between on the prepared baking sheet. Flatten the dough portions slightly – the cookies are not spreading a lot. Sprinkle with some additional chopped nuts (optional) and bake for 16-17 minutes. The edges should have browned slightly. Take out and let cool down on a wire rack. If you were not able to bake all cookies at once, repeat with the remaining dough.
1. Den Ofen auf 180°C (350°F) Ober-/Unterhitze vorheizen. Ein Backblech mit Backpapier auslegen und zur Seite stellen.
2. Die Bananen in eine große Schüssel geben und mit einer Gabel zerdrücken, bis nur noch kleine Stückchen zu sehen sind. Den Zucker und das Haselnussmus dazugeben und alles gut verrühren.
3. Wer Haferflocken verwendet, sollte sie vorab in einem Mixer zu feinem Mehl verarbeiten – einige größere Stücke sind in Ordnung. Backpulver, Zimt und Salz dazugeben und alles gut vermengen. Die Mischung in die Schüssel mit den Bananen dazugeben und alles verrühren. Die gehackten Walnüsse unterheben.
4. Mit einem großen Cookie Scoop (Eisportionierer) Teigportionen mit etwas Abstand zueinander auf das vorbereitete Blech setzen – den Teig dabei leicht flach drücken, da er kaum verläuft. Den Teig nach Belieben noch mit ein paar gehackten Nüssen bestreuen und dann für etwa 16-17 Minuten backen. Die Ränder der Cookies sollten etwas Farbe bekommen haben. Aus dem Ofen nehmen und auf einem Kuchengitter abkühlen lassen. Wer nicht alle Kekse auf ein Blech bekommen hat, sollte den Vorgang jetzt mit dem verbliebenen Teig wiederholen.
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Here is a version of the recipe you can print easily.
Print
Banana Oats Walnut Cookies (vegan)
- Prep Time: 00:15
- Cook Time: 00:17
- Total Time: 00:45
- Yield: 11 1x
- Category: Cookies
- Cuisine: International
- Diet: Vegan
Description
Simple and easy-to-prepare vegan cookies everybody loves – Banana Oats Walnut Cookies. If you like banana bread these cookies might be perfect for you.
Ingredients
12.3 oz. (350g) very ripe bananas
1/4 cup (50g) muscovado sugar*
1/4 cup (70g) hazelnut butter*
8.8 oz. (250g) oat flour (finely ground oats)
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1 pinch of salt
1.8 oz. (50g) walnuts, chopped (plus some more)
Instructions
1. Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C). Line a baking sheet with baking parchment and set aside.
2. Add the bananas to a large bowl and mash with a fork until only small chunks remain. Add the sugar and hazelnut butter and mix until well combined.
3. If you use rolled oats add them to a mixer/food processor and mix until you get a fine flour – some larger pieces are ok. Add the baking powder, cinnamon, and salt and mix to combine. Add the dry ingredients to the bowl with the banana mixture and fold in. Next, add the chopped walnuts and fold in as well.
4. Use a large cookie scoop and place dough portions with some space in between on the prepared baking sheet. Flatten the dough portions slightly – the cookies are not spreading a lot. Sprinkle with some additional chopped nuts (optional) and bake for 16-17 minutes. The edges should have browned slightly. Take out and let cool down on a wire rack. If you were not able to bake all cookies at once, repeat with the remaining dough.
Notes
Let’s get baking!
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I love my job, but in between I love to bake and try new things in the kitchen. A lot of my friends and colleagues encourage me to bake - for a very simple reason: they get the leftovers - and it seems they like it most of the time ;) 
This recipe looks really good — but one question — do you weigh the bananas before or after they are peeled? Thanks for all your wonderful recipes, particularly the low sugar ones!
Hi. The weight is without the peel.
Cheers
Marc