Banana Bread Breakfast Cookies with Dark Chocolate
Easy to make, healthy and freezer-friendly, these banana bread breakfast cookies will be a hit with both kids and adults alike! Packed with oats, honey, walnuts and dark chocolate, they’re a fantastic breakfast or snack. Dairy free, gluten free and vegetarian.
These banana bread breakfast cookies?
Not only are they pretty darn tasty, freezer-friendly and super easy to make, but they’re sure to become a go-to staple with both kiddos and adults alike.
Filled with all sorts of goodness like ground up oats, whole oats, walnuts, plenty of banana and honey, they’re satisfying yet just decadent enough to feel like a treat.
Thanks to the perfect amount of melt-y dark chocolate (or regular!) chips.
Because chocolate makes everything better. Am I right or am I right?
Tips & Tricks For These Banana Breakfast Cookies
- First things first. Don’t skip the mix-ins! Not only do they make these cookies taste even better, but you need the mix-ins for the batter to work “correctly” (for lack of a better word).
- I like to make these cookies on the larger side for more staying power, but you could certainly make them smaller (I would just check a bit earlier when baking to see if they are done).
- They taste best warm. Either straight from the oven or just warmed up a touch in the microwave. So just do it, okay??
Additional Portable Breakfast Recipes You Might Enjoy:
- Blueberry Almond Butter Chia Pudding
- Strawberry Chia Pudding
- Chocolate Overnight Oats
- Chocolate Breakfast Cookies
- Berry Vanilla Overnight Oats
- Morning Glory Overnight Oats
Did you make this recipe? Rate and review it down below! I’d love to hear from you.

Banana Bread Breakfast Cookies with Dark Chocolate
Easy to make, healthy and freezer-friendly, these banana bread breakfast cookies will be a hit with both kids and adults alike! Packed with oats, honey, walnuts and dark chocolate, they’re a fantastic breakfast or snack. Dairy free, gluten free and vegetarian.
Ingredients
For the base:
- 2 ½ cups old-fashioned rolled oats, divided*
- ¼ cup chopped raw walnuts
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ⅛ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
- ⅔ cup well mashed banana (about 2 medium very ripe bananas)
- 1 large egg, lightly beaten
- ¼ cup honey
- 1 ½ tablespoons grapeseed oil (or another neutral oil)
- 1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract
For the mix-ins:
- ½ cup chopped raw walnuts
- ½ cup chopped dark chocolate or chocolate chips**
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
- Add 1 ½ cups of the rolled oats and the ¼ cup chopped walnuts to the bowl of a food processor. Process until finely ground. Transfer to a large bowl.
- To the bowl, add the remaining 1 cup oats, the cinnamon, nutmeg, baking powder and salt. Mix until well combined.
- In a medium bowl, add the mashed banana, egg, honey, oil and vanilla. Whisk until well combined. Add the wet ingredients to the bowl with the dry and mix until incorporated.
- Fold in the mix-ins (the additional walnuts and chocolate). The dough will be on the wet side!
- Scoop about ¼ cup of dough and drop onto the prepared baking sheet (I highly recommend a large / muffin-sized cookie scoop here). Gently flatten the cookies (to about 2 ½ to 3 inches wide).
- Bake for about 14 to 16 minutes, until lightly golden brown and set. Remove from the oven and let cool completely directly on the baking sheet.
Notes
*While these cookies are naturally gluten-free, be sure to use certified gluten free oats if needed for your diet.
**To keep these dairy free - be sure to use dairy free chocolate or chocolate chips.
As noted in the instructions, a cookie scoop is your best friend for this recipe (especially since the batter is on the wet side). This is the muffin-sized scoop that I have, love and use for these cookies (not sponsored or an affiliate link - just sharing with you!).
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 9 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 285Total Fat: 14gSaturated Fat: 4gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 9gCholesterol: 22mgSodium: 99mgCarbohydrates: 36gFiber: 4gSugar: 16gProtein: 6g
Nutrition data shown is an estimate provided by an online calculator and is for informational purposes only. It should not be considered a substitute for a medical professional’s advice.
How do I make these freezer friendly? Do I bake them first and then freeze? Or freeze the dough instead? Thanks in advance for your help!
Hey Michelle! I always just bake as directed, let cool and then freeze. You can thaw overnight in the fridge or in the microwave. Hope you enjoy!
This recipe looks amazing! Any suggestions for an egg-substitute to avoid an egg allergy?
Thanks Steve! I would probably try a flax egg – I think it should work fine here! Please let me know if you give it a try 🙂
Could these be made with steel cut oats? Steel cut oats make a difference to type 1 diabetics.
Hey Steve – No, they definitely wouldn’t work here as they have such a different texture / cook time, etc. I’d suggest trying to find a recipe that uses those specifically!
I have tried a lot of no sugar added cookies and these are by far my favorite! Thanks for a great recipe!
I’m so happy to hear it Alex! Thanks so much for taking the time to let me know 🙂
Firstly i fell in love with the name and look of these delicious cookies and then your hilarious mail man story, did you offer him a cookie too?! 😉 p.s. A warm cookie is always the best! x
haha no but I so should have! Thanks Samantha!
I definitely need to make these cookies ASAP! I need to get on the cookies-for-breakfast thing, and these sound perfect.
Haha, I totally just laughed out loud at you calling your dog a hyena looking for crumbs… I can 100% relate! My pup likes to get as close as possible to the food without me yelling at her.
haha yes! She knows exactly how close she can get without me getting mad at her! 🙂
That story is so funny! I took pictures of food in my living room by the window with my kids and their friends playing video games about 3 feet away. You should’ve seen the looks I got and my kids were like “what? that’s weird?” haha These cookies look like the best breakfast EVER! Making them soon. 🙂
haha I definitely know those looks!! Thanks Marcie!
I have similar issues, the best light in my house is the front porch so anyone walking past the house must think I am barking mad! Oh well 😉 These cookies have banana in them so I know I will love them!
Hahaha, I totally laughed at this because the same thing happens to me. I shoot on our patio so not too many people are back there, but everyone gawks when they drive by and the trash men are always so confused. One of my neighbors finally called up to me the other day to ask what I’m always taking pictures of – he’s an old man, and totally didn’t get it when I told him I was a food blogger! Hahaha. Anyways – these COOKIES! I love them so much, and cookies for breakfast is definitely my kind of breakfast.
haha I love it!! I have yet to have anyone ask – they all look like they want to, but never do!!
Hahaha, that is hilarious! I stand on a chair also and always hope that nobody catches me! I used to take my photos outside and would always stop when the neighbors came home! Breakfast and cookies in the same phrase is one of my favorite things! Banana bread is another of my favorite things so these are perfect!
Oh that’s so funny! I probably would do the same thing if I took them outside!!
You know how I love breakfast food, I will be trying these soon! Love the banana bread flavor!
Since I am a morning person, breakfast is a big thing for me. These look fantastic, Ashley.
Oooh these look sooo good! What a nice treat for breakfast and easy to grab on the go. A bonus! Guess what is on my grocery list – bananas 🙂
Thanks Kristen!! I like it! 🙂
Haha – I often wonder what people driving/walking by must think when they see me taking pics by the window and whatnot. And yes to breakfast cookies! I need to make room for that in my rotation – I’m starting to crave a little variety lately. I love how plump these cookies are and so chock full of oats, which I love! I am a huge banana fan and I’m glad you shared a recipe with us even if you’re not a fan of it. ; )
haha I’m sorta coming around – but not totally! I’ll still only eat it in baked goodies!! 🙂
I love banana bread in any form and these cookies are absolutely no exception! So yum 🙂
I was literally laughing out loud reading this post— mostly because I’ve TOTALLY been there! We have a huge window in the front of our apartment where I take pics, and I’ve totally caught people giving me strange looks! Now about these COOKIES. Gahh they look incredible! Love those ingredients you used… and I think I actually have them all on hand to make soon!
haha thankfully I don’t think my neighbors have ever come to the door while photographing! Just the delivery guys!
My neighbors in back of me have seen me in some pretty weird photo positions, too! And these cookies? YUM! You had me at banana bread!
Oh yum yum YUM! I LOVE banana bread so having it for breakfast would be a dream 😀 AND they’re healthy, amazing! 😀
I don’t think dark chocolate gets enough love in cookies so I’m super happy to see it included with these beautiful tasty cookies you made! Plus I love cookies for breakfast! 😉
Yum! That’s a hilarious story too. I feel like I find myself in awkward (but funny.. At least to me) situations all the time
hilarious! these cookies look fabulous 🙂
So the other day I was in the back of my house doing photoshoots while simultaneously trying to keep my dogs from snatching the food right off the plate when I heard someone knocking on my door. I typically don’t answer it when I’m home alone because I don’t want to deal with solicitors and such, but then all of a sudden I look out my back door [which Im shooting by] and a freaking ROOSTER is running in my back yard. Then I hear a yell, a thump, and suddenly a man is in my backyard trying to catch the freaking thing. He finally does, looks up, and sees me standing by my back window with a camera around my neck, chopsticks behind my ears, a bowl of mongolian beef in one hand and raw broccoli in the other. It was hilarious.
Anyway, that was a really long story, but I just wanted to let you know that you aren’t alone. I’m pretty sure my neighbors think I’m an epic weirdo 😉
These cookies look fabulous!
haha oh my goodness! That’s too funny!! At least we can all be weirdos together right??
Easy peasy and super delicious looking!! I love it!
Any day you can eat cookies for breakfast is a really great day. 🙂 These look amazing!
My photo shoot scenario is so similar! The only differences being that to add to the scene I am usually in my pajamas and my mail carrier is petrified of Pax, who barks like a crazed lunatic (throwing himself against the door window to warn me of postal invasions. 🙂 It’s a miracle packages still get delivered to my house. The mail carrier usually leaves them some distance from the door and backs away quickly! I am excited to try these amazing breakfast cookies. Question: I know you said not to skip mix-ins but do you think I could sub raisins for the nuts in equal proportions?
haha oh I’m totally usually in old yoga type clothes!! I love it!
Yes definitely! As long as you use equal proportions any mix-ins will do the trick!
Haha – Ashley – I so understand the puzzled postman! I don’t have my set-up visible from outside – but once my plumber walked by my guest room/work area and did a double take! 🙂
BTW – speaking of double takes – this recipe definitely had me doing one – I adore breakfast cookies and I so LOVE that you made banana bread into a portable, easy to eat cookie!!!
Happy Monday!
What oil would you recommend instead of grape seed? Or could I substitute applesauce instead?
Hey Melissa! I’d stick with the oil here (for the fat). Anything really will work! Vegetable, olive oil, melted coconut oil – whatever you have on hand!
your copies sound so perfectly breakfast treat like. do you think i can substitute butter for the oil? or coconut oil without it being so heavy? thank you.
Thanks Leah! Yes, absolutely. Just make sure you melt the coconut oil first and then measure out the amount for the recipe (and melted butter would work too!).
Lol! I’m pretty sure most of my neighbors back in FL thought I was a weirdo, because you could see me standing on stuff and weirdly contorting my body to take pictures through our window upstairs. I never paid them any attention though. Because your right, one must learn to laugh at themselves. And be comfortable looking like a freak of nature. 😉 anyways, yay for breakfast cookies! They make everything better! Love the banana bread flavor here and YESSS to lots of add-ins! Breakfast cookie heaven! Cheers, girlie!
I am so on board with dessert for breakfast! I bet the spices in this make them smell amazing when cooking too.