Almost Healthy Banana Chocolate Chip Cookies
Yep, almost healthy. These banana chocolate chip cookies have a lot going for them like oats, chickpea flour, and wheat germ, but they are still most definitely a delicious cookie. This family recipe is great for those times when you want dessert, but feel like making it work for you for a change.
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The Family That Bakes Together…
Years ago, before I even started Bakes & Blunders, I decided to gather my family’s recipes and put them into one fun cookbook. It’s taken me so long because my family loves food. Like, really loves food.
This recipe for banana chocolate chip cookies is one of those gems I’ve been working on for my family’s cookbook. It’s an old recipe that is the perfect combination of edible comfort without the guilt.
Explain Almost Healthy
You know how “healthy” cookie recipes don’t actually taste like a cookie most of the time? That’s because they’ve got a bit too much “healthy” and not enough “cookie” going on. They’re great, but sometimes you want the balance to favor the “cookie”.
That’s why I’m calling these Almost Healthy Banana Chocolate Chip Cookies. First and foremost, they are cookies, but you also get a few bonus points. The oats, chickpea flour, wheat germ, banana, and peanut butter add some extra fiber, protein, and vitamins to an otherwise unhealthy dessert.
Baking Banana Chocolate Chip Cookies
This cookie dough is wet. It was not my favorite to work with, but it’s not that awful either. Since I love to freeze cookie dough, I figured I’d play around with chilling, bake times and temperatures.
After chilling and scooping the dough, I experimented with a few variables. I Here’s what I did:
- No chill, 375℉ for 10 minutes
- Chilled, 10 minutes, 350℉ 10- 12 minutes
- Frozen, 325℉ 17- 20 minutes
All three of these produced delicious cookies. The dough doesn’t spread much, so you always end up with a nice thick cookie. Since the bottoms do brown quickly, I suggest baking on silicone mats. I found it helped a bit to bake on the top third of the oven too.
Top Tips for Cookies
- Use cookie scoops for perfectly portioned cookies.
- Top your drop cookies with any chunky ingredients (like chocolate, nuts, ect.) that are inside the dough.
- Store cookie dough for up to 3 months in the freezer.
Related Reading: 8 Cookie Tips & Tricks You Need to Know
Inspiration Strikes
As I was whipping up this cookie dough, I came up with some other ideas to jazz up these banana chocolate chip cookies. While I have not tried any of these, they all sound amazing and should be delicious.
- Substitute half of the all purpose flour with wheat flour for an even healthier cookie.
- Use chopped dried fruit instead of chocolate chips.
- Swap Nutella for the peanut butter.
- Mix in peanut butter chips as well.
- Add toasted walnuts to the dough.
How Do They Taste?
Delicious! But besides that, they have a texture similar to an oatmeal cookie, but not quite as rough. The peanut butter flavor is present, but not overpowering at all. Just like a friendly reminder that it’s there. Primarily, you get a delicious combo of banana and chocolate in every bite.
I don’t think these cookies are necessarily for everyone. My husband was not a fan, but he’s also very picky about his cookies. However, Ben was a big fan and super happy to help me experiment.
Happy Baking
I hope you get a chance to test out these almost healthy banana chocolate chip cookies. The balance of health and indulgence lets you enjoy these small cookies without feeling like you made a bad choice.
If you decide to try out one of my flavor ideas, please let me know in a comment below! They all sound yummy, so I’m not sure which one to try first. As always, happy baking!
Banana Chocolate Chip Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 ¼ cups sifted all- purpose flour (5.75 oz)
- ¼ cup sifted soy or garbanzo bean/ chickpea flour (1 oz)
- 1 tsp salt
- ½ tsp baking soda
- ½ tsp nutmeg
- ¾ tsp cinnamon
- 1 ¼ cup quick oats (4 oz)
- ¼ cup wheat germ (1 oz)
- ½ cup unsalted butter softened (4 oz)
- ¼ cup peanut butter (2.25 oz)
- ¾ cup sugar (5 oz)
- 1 egg
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 1 cup mashed bananas about 2 large bananas (8 oz)
- 1 cup chocolate chips (6 oz)
Instructions
- Sift flours, salt, baking soda, and spices together and whisk to combine. Stir in the oats and wheat germ. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, beat butter, peanut butter, and sugar together until creamy, about 1- 2 minutes.
- Scrape the bowl down and add the egg and vanilla. Beat on low to combine. Beat in bananas until smooth and well incorporated.
- Gradually stir in the dry ingredients. Once just barely combined, stir in the chocolate chips. Refrigerate the dough for 45- 60 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 375°. Line baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats.
- Drop by tablespoonfuls, or use a small cookie scoop, onto the prepared baking sheets about 2 inches apart.
- Bake for 10- 12 minutes, or until the cookies are lightly golden brown around the edges. Cool on the pan for 5 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack.
Notes
- If you don’t have soy flour or chickpea flour, you can always just use more all -purpose flour.
- If the bottoms of your cookies are browning too quickly, place your rack in the top third of your oven.
- Freezing Instructions: Scoop chilled dough onto a small tray lined with wax paper. Freeze the cookie balls for 1 hr, then transfer to a freezer bag and keep in the freezer for up to 3 months. Bake frozen cookie balls at 325℉ for 17- 20 minutes. Cool on the pan for 5 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack.
My Favorite Products For This Recipe
Colleen
Hi there! I’m Colleen, a novice baker with a passion for learning and improving my bakes… and blunders. On Bakes and Blunders, you can find all sorts of tasty recipes that range in difficulty, but most importantly, I’ll try to explain the reason behind important steps. If you know why a recipe works, you can tweak and adapt it to suit your unique tastes, and you’ll be able to reliably produce some very delicious treats. If you love baking and want to expand and grow your skills, or if you are a casual baker and just need some pointers, my blog is right up your alley! Join me on my baking journey and we’ll learn how to make more impressive recipes together.
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