Most banana cookies end up soft and cakey, but these chewy banana oatmeal walnut cookies are thick, nutty and chewy from the crisp edges straight to the middle. Using melted butter and just an egg yolk keeps the moisture balanced so the oats stay dense instead of puffing up (unless that’s what you want?!). You don’t even need an electric mixer for these, everything comes together in minutes with a whisk and spatula. If you love oaty cookies, you will also want to make my Dark Chocolate Oatmeal Cookies, and my Banana Pecan Cinnamon Rolls are another great bake for using up ripe bananas. :)
Why you’ll love these banana walnut oatmeal cookies
- Perfectly chewy: Using an egg yolk instead of a whole egg keeps the dough dense rather than cakey.
- No mixer needed: Everything mixes quickly in one bowl with just a whisk and a spatula.
- Quick bake time: The cookies bake in just 10 minutes with zero dough chilling required!
Ingredients
- All-purpose flour
- Rolled oats
- Ground cinnamon
- Ground nutmeg
- Baking soda
- Fine sea salt
- Unsalted butter, melted and cooled
- Brown sugar
- Granulated sugar
- Egg yolk, room temperature
- Ripe banana, mashed
- Vanilla extract
- Chopped walnuts, toasted
- Chocolate chips
*These are the main ingredients. The full list of ingredients and measurements can be found at the bottom of this post!*
Most banana cookies turn out fluffy because banana adds a lot of water to the dough. When you add a whole egg on top of that, the water in the egg white creates steam in the oven, puffing the dough up into a fluffy cookie (just my like my Soft Banana Cookies). And sometimes that’s what you want! But not for this recipe:
I use a single egg yolk here instead. The yolk adds pure fat and richness without any extra water, which keeps the dough heavy and produces that bendy, chewy centre. :)
Don’t skip toasting your chopped walnuts in a dry skillet before stirring them into the dough. Heating them for 3-5 minutes brings out their natural oils! Raw walnuts stay soft and can taste slightly bitter, so this quick step makes a huge difference in the final flavour.
Equipment
- Kitchen scale (I like to weigh out most of my ingredients for accuracy, I also think it’s more efficient when measuring things out over measuring cups!)
- Large and small mixing bowls
- Measuring cups and spoons
- Whisk
- Rubber spatula
- Large baking sheet
- Parchment paper
- Wire cooling rack
Tips for the Chewy Banana Oatmeal Walnut Cookies
- Measure the mashed banana accurately: Extra banana adds too much moisture and softens the dough too much, so use a kitchen scale or a level measuring cup.
- Let the melted butter cool slightly: If the butter is hot when you add the sugars and egg yolk, it can cook the yolk and change the dough texture!
- Leave space on the baking sheet: These cookies spread as the butter and sugars melt, so keep at least 2 inches between each dough ball.
- Let them rest on the sheet: Give the baked cookies 5 minutes on the warm baking sheet to finish setting up before moving them to a wire rack.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I use quick oats instead of rolled oats? Rolled oats provide the best chew and structure for these cookies. Quick oats absorb moisture much faster and can leave the baked cookies dry and crumbly, so stick to old fashioned rolled oats.
Can I freeze this cookie dough before baking? Yes, scoop the dough portions onto a parchment-lined baking sheet and freeze until firm, then transfer them to an airtight freezer container. Bake directly from frozen at 350°F (180°C), adding two extra minutes to the total bake time.
Can I swap the walnuts for a different nut or seed? Pecans, chopped almonds, or pumpkin seeds all work in equal amounts. Toast them lightly in a pan beforehand to bring out their full flavour before folding them into the dough.
Why did my cookies spread too thin on the pan? Excessive spreading happens when the melted butter is added while still hot, or if the mashed banana contains too much liquid from being over-ripened to liquid form. Let your butter cool to lukewarm and measure the mashed banana carefully.
If you make these chewy banana oatmeal walnut cookies, please leave a star rating and review below, and tag me on Instagram @theflournook!
You can save this recipe by clicking the pin button on the recipe card or pinning any of the photos in this post.
Grab a warm cookie and enjoy every single bite :)
Print
Banana Oatmeal Walnut Cookies
- Total Time: 26 mins
- Yield: 20 1x
Description
Thick, chewy and filled with toasted walnuts, banana, and melted chocolate chips! These one-bowl banana oatmeal cookies use melted butter and rolled oats for a dense, chewy texture in under thirty minutes.
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup (95 g) all purpose flour
- 1 1/4 cups (125 g) rolled oats
- 3/4 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 6 tbsp (85 g) unsalted butter, melted and cooled
- 1/3 cup (75 g) brown sugar, packed
- 3 tbsp (35 g) granulated sugar
- 1 large egg yolk, room temp
- 1/2 cup (120 g) mashed ripe banana
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup (50 g) chopped walnuts, toasted
- 1/3 cup (55 g) chocolate chips
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C) and line two large baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Whisk the flour, oats, cinnamon, nutmeg, baking soda and salt together in a medium bowl.
- Whisk the melted butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar together in a large bowl until smooth.
- Whisk the egg yolk, mashed banana, and vanilla extract into the sugar mixture until combined.
- Fold the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients with a spatula just until no dry flour remains.
- Fold in the toasted walnuts and chocolate chips until evenly distributed.
- Drop 1.5-tbsp portions of dough onto the baking sheets, leaving 2 inches between each cookie.
- Bake for 10 to 12 minutes until the edges are golden brown and the centres are set.
- Let the cookies sit on the baking sheet for 5 minutes, then transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely.
Notes
- I toast the chopped walnuts in a dry skillet over medium heat for 3-5 minutes until fragrant before adding them to the dough.
- Using an egg yolk instead of a whole egg cuts excess moisture from the white, which prevents the banana dough from turning cakey.
- Store the baked cookies in an airtight container at room temperature with sheets of parchment paper between the layers.
- Prep Time: 15 mins
- Cook Time: 11 mins
- Category: Cookies
- Method: Baking
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