Quick Breakfast Balls AKA Banana Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

“Banana Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies” is an accurate description of these, but in my mind they are “Quick Breakfast Balls.” I tried writing that alone as the name of this recipe, but it just didn’t seem appropriate! So now the recipe has two names. Whatever you call them, they are quick and yummy!

I love these things for a nutritious and quick breakfast on the run. There are similar recipes which call them “healthy cookies.” They are healthy, and don’t contain any oil, flour or egg. But they have a texture that is, to me, more like a protein bar than a cookie. Whatever you want to call them, they are delicious and super easy to make. And who doesn’t like a little chocolate in their breakfast? 🙂 I find that if I eat these for breakfast, my chocolate craving is satisfied for the rest of the day.

This recipe calls for only a few ingredients, and mixes up in a flash. You can even whip up a batch of these in the morning, before work or school. They are free of the most common allergens, if you use gluten-free oats, and are also vegan. Make sure you use quick-cooking oats and not regular rolled oats. I keep buying extra bananas and leaving them aside to get really ripe so that I can make more and more of these!

My preference is to use a small or medium cookie scoop to shape these into balls. You can also flatten them into a more cookie-like shape, if you wish. They will not spread while cooking, so you can pack them onto one cookie sheet for baking. Also, although they are great with cinnamon, I realized that I don’t really like cinnamon with chocolate, so I now make these without. They keep well in the refrigerator for up to a week.

If you want to do more traditional baking with those ripe bananas, try out my Banana Bread Recipe, which can be made gluten free, egg free, dairy free and/or vegan. It’s a great allergy-friendly bread!

Banana Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies AKA Quick Breakfast Balls

2 medium bananas, very ripe
1 cup quick-cooking oats (gluten free, if needed for your diet)
3 T. safe mini chocolate chips (Enjoy Life brand is my fave)
1/4 tsp. cinnamon, optional
1/8 tsp. sea salt

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Parchment paper works really well because it absorbs some of the moisture from the bananas as these cook.

In a medium-sized bowl, mash the bananas with a fork. Add the rest of the ingredients and mix well. (I mix it with the same fork I used to mash the bananas – no use in dirtying something else that needs to be washed!)

Using a spoon or cookie scoop, drop tablespoon-sized scoops of this on the prepared baking sheet. If desired, flatten the balls a little because they will not flatten in the oven. Cook for 15 minutes, then cool thoroughly. Store in the refrigerator.

Makes 12 to 16 cookies/balls, depending on size. Enjoy these breakfast balls as a healthy treat or, as I do, a quick breakfast any day of the week!