I am very particular about oatmeal cookies. I only like them if they have a really chewy texture; and I am not too fond of cakey oatmeal cookies. Luckily, I found a great recipe that, with some of my changes, delivered exactly what I was looking for! Not only did I get my thick and chewy cookies, they also turned out to be low fat, using only 2 tablespoons of oil for 30 cookies, with banana and yogurt substituting for the rest of the fat. As though that was not good enough, I also added in some chocolate chips! So, please meet these most wonderful, very thick and chewy banana oatmeal cookies with chocolate chips! They are so thick, they even look super tall when I stack them up, one on top of the other:
What makes these cookies so chewy and thick? First of all, I am using old-fashioned (or rolled) oats, and NOT quick or instant oats. Using old-fashioned oats will always produce a chewier texture, while if you use quick or instant oats, your oatmeal cookies will be too soft, almost cake-lake, and flat.
I am also using banana and yogurt to substitute for what otherwise would have to be butter or oil, and that also adds some chewiness and creates this nice sticky texture: the cookies taste like there is a touch of honey in them! Stuffed with chocolate chips, these cookies are quickly becoming my new favorite!
It’s also important to chill the dough for about an hour before you bake the cookies, as that will also help the cookies to remain thick as they bake. Overall, this is a very successful cookie recipe, and I am very happy with it! If you like thick and chewy oatmeal cookies – this is the recipe for you!
Thick and chewy banana oatmeal cookies with chocolate chips
Total time: 40 minutes
Adapted from Woman’s Day.
Ingredients:
- 1 and 1/2 cup flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 ripe banana
- 1 egg
- 2 tablespoons oil
- 3/4 cup brown sugar
- 1/4 cup regular granulated sugar
- 1/4 cup plain yogurt
- 1 and 3/4 cups old-fashioned oats
- 1 cup chocolate chips
makes 30 cookies
1) Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees F. In a large bowl, combine together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt.
2) In a separate bowl, mash the banana. Add the egg, oil, brown and granulated sugars, yogurt, and vanilla and whisk to combine.
3) Add the banana-egg mixture to the flour mixture and stir until just combined. Fold in the oats, then fold in the chocolate chips.
4) Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Take a tablespoon of dough, form a ball and drop the cookie dough ball on the prepared baking sheet. Repeat, spacing the cookie dough balls about 2 inches apart. At this point, I would refrigerate baking sheets with cookie dough balls for about an hour to chill the dough. This will ensure that cookies, when baked, will not flatten out, and that they will remain tall, so that we end up with thick and chewy cookies!
5) Bake for 12 minutes until cookies are slightly golden brown. Let the cookies cool on the baking sheets for 5 minutes, then transfer to wire racks to cool completely.