Healthy Chocolate Oatmeal Cookies
Remember the chocolate oatmeal cookies you used to eat as a kid? Sometime back, I decided to play around in the kitchen a bit. These Chocolate Oatmeal Cookies are what I came up with as a much healthier version.
Made with peanut butter, bananas, applesauce, and oats, these delicious cookies are loaded with fiber and other healthy nutrients. Believe it or not, they are much lower in fat too.
They go perfectly with a glass of almond milk or some herbal tea or coffee. I vote for curling up with a great book and enjoying them.
You’ll love these vegan cookies because they’re…
- Healthy
- Chocolatey
- Easy to make
- Oil-free
- Perfectly sweet
Of course, the main ingredient is oats, and that’s about all the traditional recipe had going for it, but that’s not the case with these cookies.
Those older cookies were laden with butter, white sugar, and milk. But, these are dairy-free, gluten-free, and oil-free!
How to make chocolate oatmeal cookies
The recipe card at the bottom of the page has the full list of ingredients with measurements and instructions.
These healthy cookies are so easy to make, even the kids can help with them.
Begin by heating the oven to 350°F, and then line a baking sheet with parchment paper to prevent sticking and to make clean up a breeze.
Next, mash 2 ripe bananas in a large bowl mixing bowl with a potato masher or fork.
Once the bananas are mashed well, add the applesauce, peanut butter (or PB2 for lower fat), brown sugar (or another sweetener), cocoa powder, salt, and vanilla extract, and mix well.
Making your own applesauce
Often I get messages from people who live in countries other than the United States saying that they don’t have apple sauce where they live and asking if they can make their own. The answer is YES!
Making your own applesauce is actually the best way to ensure you are familiar with all the ingredients. To make two cups of applesauce, simply:
- Core, peel, and slice four apples
- Steam the slices in a covered pot with enough water to nearly cover the apples for 5-7 minutes or until tender.
- Turn the apples into a sauce by pureeing with an immersion blender or a high-speed blender.
You will only need 1/4 cup of the applesauce for this recipe, so you can save the rest to snack on or add to other recipes like my Banana Oatmeal Pancakes.
Next, in the recipe, add the old-fashioned oats to the mixing bowl with the rest of the ingredients and stir until well combined.
Then, drop rounded spoonfuls of the batter onto a prepared baking sheet and gently press with a fork to flatten a bit. I use the fork to help round up the edges a bit as well.
Bake for 15-20 minutes then remove from the oven and allow to cool. Serve and enjoy!
These cookies are loaded with chocolatey flavor and will bring back childhood memories!
*Originally published November 2017.
Your chocolate oatmeal cookie questions answered:
- Q: Are these cookies gluten-free? Yes, oats and all other ingredients are naturally gluten-free. Just make sure when purchasing the oats that they are guaranteed not to have gluten from contamination of other products in the producer’s facility.
- Q: Can I use date paste or another sweetener? Yes, date paste at a ratio of 1:1 or other sweeteners should work just fine in this recipe.
- Q: Are the cookies hard or gooey? These chocolate oatmeal cookies are soft and chewy and absolutely delicious.
- Q: Can I make them without peanut butter? Absolutely. The peanut butter can be left out. If the batter needs a little more moisture, just add an additional tablespoon of applesauce.
- Q: What if I can’t find applesauce? No problem. I’ve included instructions for how to make your own applesauce in the recipe above.
More plant-based desserts
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Vegan Chocolate Peanut Butter Cookies
Ingredients
- 2 whole bananas very ripe
- 1/4 cup apple sauce
- 2 cups old fashioned oats
- 1/4 cup natural peanut butter or prepared PB2
- 1/2 cup brown sugar or date paste or other sweetener, more if you like very sweet
- 1/4 cup cocoa powder
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Begin by heating the oven to 350°F, and then line a baking sheet with parchment paper to prevent sticking and to make clean up a breeze.
- Next, mash 2 ripe bananas in a large bowl mixing bowl with a potato masher or fork.
- Once the bananas are mashed well, add the applesauce, peanut butter (or PB2 for lower fat), brown sugar (or another sweetener), cocoa powder, salt, and vanilla extract, and mix well.
- I've included instructions for how to make your own applesauce above for those that might not have access to it in their area.
- Next, in the recipe, add the old-fashioned oats to the mixing bowl with the rest of the ingredients and stir until well combined.
- Then, drop rounded spoonfuls of the batter onto a prepared baking sheet then gently press with a fork to flatten a bit. I use the fork to help round up the edges a bit as well.
- Bake for 15-20 minutes then remove from the oven and allow to cool. Serve and enjoy!
Equipment
Video
Notes
Your questions answered:
- Q: Are these cookies gluten-free? Yes, oats and all other ingredients are naturally gluten-free. Just make sure when purchasing the oats that they are guaranteed not to have gluten from contamination of other products in the producer’s facility.
- Q: Can I use date paste or another sweetener? Yes, date paste at a ratio of 1:1 or other sweeteners should work just fine in this recipe.
- Q: Are the cookies hard or gooey? These chocolate oatmeal cookies are soft and chewy and absolutely delicious.
- Q: Can I make them without peanut butter? Absolutely. The peanut butter can be left out. If the batter needs a little more moisture, just add an additional tablespoon of applesauce.
- Q: What if I can’t find applesauce? No problem. I’ve included instructions for how to make your own applesauce in the recipe above.
Nutrition
Disclaimer
To obtain the most accurate representation of the nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator. You are solely responsible for ensuring that any nutritional information provided is accurate, complete, and useful.
About Terri Edwards
Hi guys! I am the content creator behind EatPlant-Based and a licensed Food for Life instructor with the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine. I am passionate about sharing healthy recipes and tips to empower others to get healthy. I’m so glad you’re here! Read More…
Didn’t see bananas in the ingredient list – how much banana? thanks.
Thanks for letting me know. Somehow that was deleted before publishing, but I’ve corrected it now. The recipe takes 2 bananas. Enjoy!
Hi there, I am excited about this recipe. I wanted to let you know that you have applesauce listed for ingredients and bananas listed in the directions. Thank you for sharing your recipes!!!!
Ha!This recipe takes 2 very ripe bananas. I’ve fixed that in the list now. Thanks for the heads-up!
Great, thanks. Glad to help.
I do not see banana in the ingredients on recipe. How many do you use?
I see it added now, thank you, cannot wait to make!
How many bananas?
This recipe calls for 2 very ripe bananas.
Terri, if I were to leave the peanut butter out, would I need to replace it with anything or do you think the recipe would be fine without it? We’re Esselstyn diet/lifestyle here so no nuts. I love your recipes!
Bunny, to replace the peanut butter, I would try some date paste. They should still turn out very good. Hope you enjoy them!
In the time it took me to register with Gravatar you fixed the banana issue. Well done. Will try these soon.
Bananas vary in size, so unless the recipe lists the quantity in a specific amount, I avoid these recipes.
2 medium bananas = 2/3 cups mashed bananas.
I would like to use dates instead of the sugar and agave. I’d puree then with the fruit. How many medjul dates would you use?
Sherri, the rule of thumb for replacing sweetener with date paste is 1 cup sugar = 1 cup date paste. For the agave, I think I would start out with the same ratio. This site has some great tips. https://www.healwithfood.org/substitute/using-dates-as-substitute-for-sugar-conversion-ratio.php
Im allergic to bananas. What else could I use as a substitute that wouldnt alter the taste to much? Thanks in advance.
I think it would be okay to sub out the bananas for another 1/3 cup of apple sauce.
Love anything oatmeal these are great
These cookies were soo delicious. I did use quick oats in the recipe. They remind me of the no bake cookies which are delicious but full of unhealthy ingredients. Ty Terri for this recipe! 👍
Hi Sheri- They remind me of the no bake cookies too. I’m so glad these are healthy. So glad that you liked them!
Just tried making these and I LOVE THEM!!! I did not have date paste so I took the pitted dates I had and put them in a food processor and it worked great. I also added walnuts and pecans because I love cookies with nuts. The only thing I was wondering is the batch is more than I will eat in a couple of weeks or even a month so can these be frozen and if so for how long. Has anyone tried this and is it safe?