6 Ingredient Peanut Butter Banana Oat Cookies

These delicious no added sugar, peanut butter banana oat cookies are really quick and easy to make, and you only need 6 ingredients. They are naturally sweet, gluten-free, suitable for vegans, kinder on blood sugar levels and incredibly tempting, making them a great snack that everyone can enjoy.


peanut butter banana oat cookie cut in half resting on a whole biscuit

Peanut butter banana oat cookies are the perfect snack for those who crave something sweet and satisfying. These chewy, flavorful treats combine the richness of peanut butter with the natural sweetness of ripe bananas and hearty oats to create a deliciously addictive cookie that’s sure to become a family favourite.

They are easy to make at home, packed full of nutrients and fibre-rich which along with the fats will help to regulate glucose absorption. You also only need 6 ingredients and in under 20 minutes, you can enjoy a nutritious and healthy sweet treat.

Whether enjoyed as an afternoon pick-me-up or a mid-morning treat with your cuppa, these cookies are sure to satisfy your cravings in the most delicious way possible.

Keep reading to learn how to make these delectable cookies from scratch so you can enjoy them anytime you want!


a stack of peanut butter banana oat cookies

Why these Oat Cookies are a great diabetic snack

If you’re living with diabetes, finding snacks that won’t spike your blood sugar levels can be a challenge. But with these delicious peanut butter banana oat cookies, you don’t have to sacrifice taste for health.

Here’s why these oat cookies are a great diabetic snack:

  1. Low glycemic index – Oats have a low glycemic index (GI), which means they release glucose slowly into the bloodstream. This helps prevent blood sugar spikes, making them an ideal ingredient for people with diabetes.
  2. High in fibre – These oat cookies are high in fibre, which is essential for maintaining healthy blood sugar levels. Fibre slows down digestion and helps regulate glucose absorption in the body.
  3. No Added Sugars: Unlike many shop-bought cookies and biscuits, that contain sugars and artificial ingredients, these oat cookies use whole ingredients and are sweetened with a little homemeade sugar free syrup. This helps to make them a much healthier option for people living with diabetes.
  4. Rich in nutrients – The oats, almond flour, banana and peanut butter are all packed full of vitamins and minerals like iron, potassium, magnesium, and zinc – all of which are essential for maintaining good health when managing diabetes.
  5. Easy to make at home – Making homemade oat cookies is simple and cost-effective compared to buying pre-packaged snacks from the shops. You can customise the ingredients to suit your preferences and dietary needs while ensuring they remain healthy and nutritious.

We have found that these are really slow release and perfect for just before exercise, walking (if insulin on board) or after long walks or late afternoon slumps. So, if you’re looking for a tasty and healthy snack option that won’t raise your blood sugar levels too much, then this is definitely a recipe for you to try!

rows of peanut butter banana oat cookies

The Best Oats to use for this recipe

Oats come in many variations and it can be confusing to know which oats to choose. Here are some of the terms you may be familiar with:

  • Oatmeal
  • Porridge
  • Porridge oats
  • Rolled oats
  • Jumbo oats
  • Instant oats (the most highly processed version of oats)

Essentially they are all still oat flakes which have been milled and rolled. But some shop-bought versions will go through a little more processing, such as instant oats.

In this recipe, I have found that the smaller porridge oats are the best to use. They are better at sticking together in comparison to a larger jumbo oat flake.


Oats and Diabetes Management

Oats have a low glycemic index which can be a really good choice for blood sugar management. Being a low GI whole grain means that your body will be slower in turning the carbohydrate to glucose resulting in a more delayed and potentially smaller rise in blood sugar levels. Another reason why we are big fans of them!

But I know what works for us may not be the same for you and I understand that everyone has a unique experience with oats and blood sugar levels. So perhaps an oat-free version like my Banana Almond Flour Cookies may be a better choice for you. Nevertheless, in this particular recipe, the oats are combined with sources of fats which should also work with the oats to slow the release of glucose.


A peanut butter banana oat cookie

What you need to make these peanut butter banana oat cookies

  • Oats
    • A gluten-free whole grain
    • Oats are such a magnificent superfood; they are wholegrain, a great carbohydrate source, and full of fibre, essential vitamins, minerals and antioxidants.
  • Ground almonds/ almond flour
    • Gluten-free and add an extra nutty flavour
    • Used instead of wheat flour, it is a great no carb-count option.
    • If you would like to read more about THE BENEFITS OF USING ALMOND FLOUR IN BAKING then make sure to read this post!
    • You can find a list of my recommended products that I use on my shop page!
  • Banana
    • A great source of potassium and vitamin B6
    • Low to medium GI fruit
  • Peanut Butter
    • Try to avoid peanut butter with added palm oil. I like to use brands which are just peanuts crushed into a paste such as Pip and Nut or Meridian
    • Top tip – Aldi also does a palm oil-free version which is half the price of the named brands!
  • Syrup
    • You could also use maple syrup, honey or agave if you prefer. Just adjust the quantity used to your taste preference and don’t forget to add it into your carb counting!
  • Dark chocolate chips
    • Try and use chocolate chips that have a cocoa content of 70% or above as this really makes the difference with the overall carb count
    • The higher the cocoa content the lower the sugar

Equipment Needed

Spatula / Mixing spoon

Mixing Bowl

Weighing Scales

Baking Tray

Measuring Spoons


How to make peanut butter banana oat cookies

peanut butter banana oat cookie dough in a bowl

This easy recipe can be made all in one bowl and in under 10 minutes they will be baking in your oven.

Start by preheating the oven to 180 C fan / 200 C . Then in a large bowl mash the bananas. Then add the syrup, peanut butter and chocolate chips. Mix with a spatula/spoon until everything is combined.

Next, add the ground almonds and oats. Mix again until everything is well combined and you have a dough-like mixture. But don’t worry if it’s not completely sticking together it will when you make the biscuits.

Scoop and roll a spoonful of the mixture (I use a medium cookie scoop which I find a lot more accurate) into a ball (mine weighed @40g each) and place it on a baking tray lined with parchment paper. Do this another 13 times.

Now flatten the balls with your fingertips to make a thick round cookie shape and place them in the oven to bake for 10- 12 minutes

Leave the biscuits to cool on a rack if you can!


Tips for making the perfect batch of peanut butter banana oat cookies

To ensure that your oat cookies come out perfectly every time, here are a few tips to keep in mind:

  1. Choose the right oats – They can make a huge difference in the taste and texture of your cookies. Don’t use processed quick oats for this recipe. Use rolled oats, in particular, I found that the smaller oats work a bit better at sticking together than the jumbo oats.
  2. Measure accurately – Baking is a science and requires precise measurements. Use weighing scales and measuring spoons to ensure that you are adding the right amount of each ingredient.
  3. Don’t overmix the dough – Overmixing can cause the dough to become tough and result in flat cookies. Mix until the dough just comes together and then stop.
  4. Use a scoop as suggested – Using a scoop and weighing each cookie ball ensures that each cookie is the same size, bakes evenly and that you are accurately carb counting.

By following these tips, you’ll be able to create a perfect batch of sugar-free oat


half a peanut butter banana oat cookie

Recipe Variations

Here are some possible substitutions, additions and variations for the ingredients in this recipe:

  • Peanut butter – If want a change from peanut butter then you could also use almond butter, cashew butter, sunflower seed butter or any other nut butter you like.
  • Dark Chocolate – instead of using dark chocolate chips, replace with milk or white if that’s to your taste.
  • Nut-free – make this nut-free by using sunflower seed butter instead
  • Add Extra Fibre – Add some ground flaxseed or chia seeds to your dry ingredients
  • Add toppings – for an extra chocolatey hit drizzle over some melted chocolate or add chopped nuts and seeds for a healthier alternative.
  • Add dried fruit – You could add some dried fruit in place of the sugar-free syrup, such as raisins, dried apricots or sultanas, but it will increase the sugar content. Alternatively, if you like a cookie with dried fruit then make sure to try my Sugar Free Oatmeal Cookies.
  • Replace the Sugar Free Syrup – Use a natural alternative like agave, maple or honey. But this will impact blood sugars and will need to be carb counted.

How to store your oatmeal cookies

Once completely cooled, store these oat cookies in an airtight container or a biscuit tin. They will keep happily for a week like this.

But if you want them to last even longer then you can also store them in an airtight container that is kept in the fridge.



Diabetes Note

Oats are a real superfood in my eyes, full of vitamins, minerals and fibre. They are fantastic as a slow-release carb snack that potentially can reduce blood sugar spikes. The fat in the dark chocolate and peanut butter in this recipe also works with the fibre in the oats to slow the release of glucose into the body.

Carb Counting

The overall carb count for each individual biscuit is based on the ingredients we would count (oats, banana, chocolate):

120g Banana (approx 2) = 24.4g of carbs

120g Rolled Porridge Oats = 72.6 g of carbs

Dark 70% Chocolate Chips (Dr Oekter) = 18g of carbs

Now add all the carbs together – 24.4+ 72.6 +18 = 115g

Finally divide this by the serving size, 14 – 115/14 = 8g of carbs per biscuit

Also, don’t forget to count the syrup if you are not using a sugar-free syrup


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Peanut Butter Banana Oat cookies

Peanut Butter Banana Oat cookies

Recipe by Michelle

Easy, healthy and tempting, these peanut butter banana oat cookies will really hit the snack spot!

Course: Sweet TreatCuisine: BritishDifficulty: Very Easy
4.5 from 8 votes
Servings

14

servings
Prep time

10

minutes
Cooking time

10

minutes
Total time

20

minutes
Cook Mode

Keep the screen of your device on

Ingredients

  • 120 g 120 banana, mashed

  • 120 g 120 peanut butter

  • 25 g 25 simple sugar free syrup

  • 60 g 60 dark chocolate

  • 120 g 120 oats

  • 120 g 120 ground almonds/ almond flour

Directions

  • Preheat the oven to 180 C fan / 200 C
  • In a large bowl mash the bananas.
  • Add the syrup, peanut butter and chocolate chips. Mix with a spatula/spoon until everything is combined.
  • Finally, add the ground almonds and oats. Mix again until everything is well combined and you have a dough-like mixture.
    But don’t worry if it’s not all sticking together it will when you make the biscuits
  • Roll a spoonful of mixture into a ball (mine weighed 40g each) and place it on a baking tray lined with parchment paper.
    Do this another 13 times
  • Flatten the balls with your fingertips to make a thick round cookie shape
  • Place them in the oven and bake for 10- 12 minutes
  • Leave the biscuits to cool on a rack and then store them in an airtight container.

Equipment

Tips and Notes

  • Syrup – I used refined sugar-free syrup in this recipe to reduce the overall carb count. You could also use maple syrup, honey or agave. Add to taste, but remember to carb count for it!
  • Make sure to use rolled oats, not the quick instant oats for this recipe
  • Weigh each ball to ensure even cookies and accurate carb counting
  • Diabetes Note – These are fantastic as a slow-release carb snack that potentially helps to reduce blood sugar spikes. The dark chocolate gives these oat bars an extra delicious layer of loveliness and again can be a healthier option for managing blood sugar.

Michelle Rorke avatar

AUTHOR

2 responses to “6 Ingredient Peanut Butter Banana Oat Cookies”

  1. Angela Newman avatar

    I made these yesterday,the oatmeal cookies yesterday,they were surprisingly delicious,I used maple syrup as I had trouble finding sugar free syrup…And I cooked them for a bit longer …very pleased with the results!!!

    1. Michelle avatar

      Thanks Angela. I am so pleased you enjoyed them and sounds like a good sub choice with the maple syrup!

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