I’m revisiting recipes from the early days of A Clean Bake and making them even more irresistible! These 4 ingredient cookies are an update of a recipe from 2013. They’re gluten free (not paleo, though), vegan, egg free, dairy free, and whole grain for lasting energy.
I’ve started the process of going back to old recipes — and I mean old; this one was originally posted on the blog that existed before A Clean Bake! — and sprucing them up. Nothing major. You know, just remaking and tweaking the recipe, reshooting the photos and somewhere along the way DRENCHING THEM WITH CHOCOLATE (the cookies, not the pictures).
It’s fun, actually — the whole process, not just the chocolate-drenching. Seeing how far my photography has come is incredibly gratifying but re-reading the old copy has really given me a few good laughs.
For example, in the original post I was in graduate school in the evenings while working full time. I was tired. I mean Capital T Tired. (But let’s face it: It wasn’t 4-month-old baby tired.)
I needed a pick me up, and oats were, back then, a go-to food for me. So these cookies were born of a need for energy and a love of oats (and at least one of those things hasn’t changed).
Here’s how I described them back then:
“As cookies go, these “power cookies” are pretty nutritionally sound. They are simple, consisting of only a few ingredients, which you are sure to have on hand already. They are full of wholesome energy, fiber, and good fat, and they are a perfect snack at work or before a run, because the lack of refined sugar means no sugar spike and crash. And they come together in about 3 minutes, plus a quick 15 minutes in the oven. Simple.”
That was in the days when cookies were almost exclusively made of (white, wheat) flour, and butter beaten together with (white) sugar. So the idea of making a cookies out of peanut butter and whole oats was… revolutionary.
My, how far we’ve come!
How To Make 4 Ingredient Cookies
To make 4 ingredient cookies, you’ll need a ripe banana, peanut butter or almond butter, rolled oats, and a teaspoon cinnamon. You’ll also need a prepared baking sheet, a large bowl, cooling rack, and a food processor.
To start, preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. Next, line a cookie sheet with parchment paper (or silicone pad) or drizzle with coconut oil. Next, in a food processor or stand mixer, combine all four ingredients until well combined. Then, pour your cookie dough into a large mixing bowl, and add in your mix-ins (I recommend walnuts, chocolate chips, pecans, vanilla extract, dried cranberries, or other favorite toppings). If you want a plain peanut butter cookie, simply transfer directly from the mixing bowl to the baking sheet.
Using a cookie scoop, form a dozen dough balls and place them on your cookie sheet. Place the cookies in the oven, and bake for 15 minutes or until the edges turn golden brown. (If you prefer a crispy cookie to a more chewy texture, leave them in the oven for 1-2 additional minutes.)
When your cookies come out of the oven, wait a few minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool. These cookies can be a bit crumbly, so proceed with caution when removing them from the baking sheet.
Recipe FAQs: Tips for Whole Grain Cookies Success
This is one of the first cookie recipes I ever created. Therefore, the beauty of these cookies is how incredibly simple they are to make! However, after a few years on the blog, there are a few reader questions that can help set you up for success:
- Should I sweeten this recipe? I love this recipe because — unlike most chocolate chip cookies — they aren’t made with a cup of sugar. However, if you need an added touch of sweetness, I recommend adding monk fruit sweetener (monk fruit is low in carbohydrates and won’t spike your blood sugar).
- How long will these cookies keep? These cookies will keep in an air-tight container at room temperature on the counter for four days, or in the freezer for up to three months.
- Can I transform these into peanut butter chocolate chip cookies? Yes! I encourage you to add-in your favorite toppings. For this classic combo, simply add-in semi-sweet chocolate chips. (Personally, I think they’re the best chocolate chip cookies because they’re so easy to make.)
- Are you sure I don’t need baking soda, eggs, or baking powder? Yes! The four ingredients listed are all you need (pretty great, huh?).
- Where can I buy certified gluten-free oats? You can buy certified gluten-free oats in most health food stores or online, on Amazon.
- Are these cookies gluten-free? Yes. Since they don’t contain any white whole wheat flour or whole wheat pastry flour, they are gluten-free.
- Are these cookies refined-sugar free? Yes. These cookies don’t contain granulated sugar — white sugar or brown sugar — and therefore are free of refined sugar.
Enjoy These Easy 4 Ingredient Cookies
In my humble opinion, these are the best oatmeal cookies on the planet, simply because they’re so easy to make. These breakfast cookies contain just four ingredients — bananas, oats, peanut butter, and cinnamon.
There’s no need to buy any fancy ingredients or follow incredibly detailed steps. In fact, there’s no need to even separate the wet and dry ingredients! These cookies are so simple I enjoyed them from the time I was a busy grad school to present-day, where I’m a busy working mom. I hope your family enjoys them just as much as I have.
Four Ingredient Power Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 large very ripe banana, mashed
- 2/3 cup natural peanut butter, or other seed or nut butter
- 1 cup whole rolled oats - certified gluten free if necessary
- 2 teaspoons cinnamon
- Optional: 1/3 cup add-ins of choice, dark chocolate chips, coarsely chopped nuts or dried fruit; etc
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350. Coat a cookie sheet with nonstick spray, or cover with parchment or a nonstick pad.
- In a food processor combine all the main ingredients (no add-ins yet). Pulse until the oats are broken into small pieces, the banana is no longer visible, and the whole thing has formed a thick paste.
- If you are using any add-ins, transfer the dough to a mixing bowl and add your mix-in of choice. Use a fork to gently fold into the batter until evenly distributed.
- Roll into 2-inch balls and evenly space on cookie sheet. Press down gently to flatten balls slightly.
- Bake for 15 minutes and cool completely before serving or storing.
- If you'd like to drizzle chocolate on top, as shown, melt chopped chocolate in the microwave in 30 second increments (stirring in between so it doesn't seize up), the use a spoon to drizzle it in a thin stream. Alternately, for a neater look, put your melted chocolate in a zip top bag and snip a tiny piece of the corner off with a clean pair of scissors to create a piping bag. Let the chocolate set fully before serving or storing.
Notes
Store in an airtight container for up to five days, or freeze for up to three months.This recipe originally appeared at www.buttercreamfanatic.com
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 12 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 249Total Fat: 16gSaturated Fat: 5gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 10gCholesterol: 4mgSodium: 78mgCarbohydrates: 23gFiber: 4gSugar: 11gProtein: 6g
Medha @ Whisk & Shout says
These look delicious! Love that they’re naturally sweetened by the banana 🙂 Pinning!
Nora (A Clean Bake) says
Thanks, Medha!
jll says
How do you get the chocolate on top? Thank you very much!
Nora (A Clean Bake) says
I melted chopped chocolate in 30 second increments in the microwave, then drizzled it on in thin streams with a spoon. You can also use a zip-top bag with a tiny piece of the corner snipped off to make a piping bag.
Lynn says
Definitely look delicious. How’s the texture like?
Nora (A Clean Bake) says
Pretty dense and lots of texture from the oats!
Bethany @ Athletic Avocado says
Love the simple, perfect ingredient list here! You can never go wrong with pb, chocolate, oats and banana! Defs a perfect afternoon pick me up 🙂
Kaylie says
If drenching things in chocolate is wrong, I don’t want to be right! 😉 These cookies have my name written all over them!
Michelle says
If you are a person who gets migraines from bananas (ok.. It’s me) is there a suitable sub in?
Nora (A Clean Bake) says
Oh, that’s a great question. I’m not sure actually! You might try applesauce, but it’s a little wetter than bananas so I’m not sure how much to use. Maybe start with 1/2 cup and add additional applesauce until the consistency is moist enough to form cohesive balls of dough. Sorry I don’t have more specific instructions! I’d love to know how it turns out for you 🙂
Kris says
You could try dates instead of bananas. I was actually looking for a sub for peanut butter/ nut butter?
Nora (A Clean Bake) says
Would seed butter work? Like sun butter?
Susi says
Looks great! I want to take them on a journey. How long will they keep outside the fridge?
Nora (A Clean Bake) says
Great question! It all depends on what the environment is like (warm, cold, humid, dry) but I’d say a couple days at least.
D. Martinez says
Try cooked sweet potato in place of the banana if banana gives you a migraine. I have used that on brownies that called for the banana.
Nora (A Clean Bake) says
Oh that’s a really interesting idea! I’ll have to give it a try sometime. Thanks!
Ashley says
Absolutely love that this recipe is so easy and the cookies look delicious. Thanks for sharing it!❤️
Nora (A Clean Bake) says
Thank you, Ashley!!
Kerri says
I may have missed it but how many is considered a serving?
Nora (A Clean Bake) says
1 cookie is a serving!
Gina D from Texas says
You didn’t say what kind of chocolate you used to drizzle over the cookies to keep them gluten free. It looks like it’s hardened?
Nora (A Clean Bake) says
Almost all good quality chocolate is gluten free. You can use any melted chocolate chip or chocolate bar that you prefer! Just avoid anything with added flavor or ingredients (no mint chocolate or anything like that).
Aria says
How many calories in one serving?
Nora (A Clean Bake) says
These are big – about 250 calories per cookie!
Suzanne says
This looks delicious! Thank you for sharing!
Nora (A Clean Bake) says
You’re welcome!
Suzanne says
This looks so good! I love that this recipe is so versatile! Cinnamon is the perfect spice to make this warm!
Vanessa says
Thanks for sharing! I love that it is egg and dairy free too!
Suzanne says
This looks delicious, thank you for sharing!
Betty McNeely says
So, I just made these and double the recipe. I added a bag of multi choco chips. Sadly, I used our Vitamix so I had to add some oat milk and Almond milk because apparently lowered is crucial to the processing. (Who knew? I only make smoothies…. Oh never mind) lol. Any way, they are ridiculously delicious and honestly just as dense as I imagine they are supposed to be. Thank you thank you thank you!
Betty McNeely says
Edited!!!!
So, I just made these and doubled the recipe. I added a bag of multi choco chips. Sadly, I used our Vitamix so I had to add some oat milk and Almond milk because apparently liquid is crucial to the processing. (Who knew? I only make smoothies…. Oh never mind) lol. Any way, they are ridiculously delicious and honestly just as dense as I imagine they are supposed to be. Thank you thank you thank you!
Nora (A Clean Bake) says
You’re so welcome, Betty!!
Suzanne says
This looks so good! I love that the ingredient list is so simple but satisfying!
Vanessa says
Thanks for sharing! Do they keep long?
kaylee grace says
For those that seem to react to these cookies or anything with Oats, Oats contain their own form of gluten and for a person who is completely intolerant to gluten in all forms oats won’t work.
You could try buckwheat, millet or even almonds blended up instead.
Just for those who love the idea of these cookies and get that oats aren’t really gluten free.
In Australia no oats are allowed to be called gluten free due to cross contamination and the fact that all oats have gluten, even though it is very low.
Nora (A Clean Bake) says
Thanks for your comment, but unfortunately, this is incorrect. Rolled oats DO NOT contain gluten on their own, but are often processed on or near equipment that processes gluten-containing grains, so are often cross-contaminated. That’s why it is difficult to find truly gluten free oats, not becuase they contain gluten naturally. There are several brands of rolled oats available on the market that are processed in a way that prevents cross-contamination, and are therefore safe for those with celiac disease to consume.
Additionally, if you haven’t personally developed or at least rigorously tested this recipe, I would advise against offering substitution suggestions. Almonds, in particular, will not work in this recipe as a replacement for oats.