I have a question. Like a serious one….

Are bananas magical??

Don’t laugh, I really think they are. Other than all the traditional banana breads, cookies and numerous treats you can create, you can make ice cream with them. ON THEIR OWN. (Read more about that here!) If that isn’t magic, I don’t know what is.

Well, that’s what I thought until I found out that you can make cookies with them JUST by adding oats.

What?!?!

Yah. All you do is mash up some bananas, add some oats, mix it all up and bake and they turn into healthy, soft, nutritious cookies! And to make them better you can mix in pretty much anything you want and they will go from nutritious snack, to delicious nutritious snack. I’m not going to lie and tell you they didn’t need any mix-ins (I felt I had to add some brown sugar and cinnamon), but that’s not the point. The point is that you actually CAN make cookies just from bananas and oats. No butter. No Flour. No eggs. No baking soda or powder. Its crazy!

Well actually, its magic ?.

And to add to all that, I’ve read that you can also make pancakes from bananas just by whisking them with an egg ?. I haven’t tried that one yet, but after this bit of magic, I think I will.

When I first came across these, I was so curious if this really worked that I had to try them out immediately. I just wanted to know how they would turn out, and I was surprisingly satisfied with the results (unfortunately, I can’t say the same for my husband, but I think he’s starting to come around). They are not the most decadent of course, but I love having them in the morning as an almost guilt-free snack (depending on what you add to them). Basically you’re just having baked vegan banana oatmeal and it is awesome. They are perfect on-the-go and keep really well, just make sure you store them in an airtight container. I can imagine them being great to have on hand for little ones or for those times when you need a filling snack at work. As I mentioned above, I did feel I needed a bit of brown sugar and cinnamon, but even with that, they are still so simple and healthy.

For the oats, I used old fashioned rolled oats as is and the cookies came out wonderfully. I did read some versions of this where they blend the oats into a coarse flour and then use them, so it’s pretty much up to you how simple you want the process to be. I love how customizable these are. From a double batch, I baked up plain ones, Nutella Thumbprint ones* (two versions), and chocolate chip and l really enjoyed them all. Get creative with them and I’d love to hear about your results!

Magic 2-Ingredient  Cookies
About 14-16 Cookies

2 Bananas (mine were very ripe, but they don’t have to be)
1 – 1 1/2 cups Old Fashioned Rolled Oats
1/4 cup Packed Brown Sugar (optional)
1 tsp Cinnamon (optional)

Preheat oven to 350 and line a baking sheet with parhcment paper. They even stuck a tiny bit to the parchment, so defintely use the barrier.

Mash the bananas then stir in 1 cup of oats until combined. Depending on how ripe your bananas are and if you use sugar, you may need to add some more oats. You will have to make the call depending on what you see, just add enough to form a dough.

Add any mix-ins you would like.

Drop the dough onto the lined baking sheet by the spoonful. Bake for 12 – 15 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature and enjoy!

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*To make Nutella Thumbprint Magic cookies,  make an indentation with your thumb in the unbaked dough as you would for normal thumbprint cookies. You can either fill it with Nutella before or after baking for great results either way.  Bake as directed. Baking with the Nutella will give you a firmer center while adding it after baking keeps the Nutella creamy and luscious.

As I mentioned, these are so customizable that you can add whatever you are in the mood for or have on hand. Some options include, but not limited to:

Vanilla
Cinnamon
Ginger
Pumpkin Pie Spice
Raisins or Other Dried Fruit
Chopped Dates
Nuts
Coconut
Chocolate Chips
Peanut Butter Chips
Mini Peanut Butter Cups
Nut Butters
Nutella or Cookie Butter
Pretty much anything you want or even nothing!