Pumpkin Banana Breakfast Cookies {Gluten-Free + Vegan}

Cookies for breakfast… Need I say more?

I have rotten–I mean ripe–bananas out the ying yang over here. Usually, I freeze them before they get too ripe, but I found myself in a lazy (hungover) state over the weekend.

Thirty appears to yield harsher punishments for one too many glasses of fruity pineapple sangria. Ugh, why does it have to taste like fruit punch? That stuff is fruity but potent. You’ve been warned!

While I was recuperating from a blurry night of hot tub sangria sipping and football, my bananas were rotting to a mushy pulp.

Have no fear, folks, because pumpkin banana breakfast cookies don’t discriminate against overripe bananas. The mushier, the better.

Gack! I prefer my bananas spot-free. So, in the batter they went.

These thick cookies taste like portable oatmeal: soft and gooey on the inside and firm on the outside. It’s oatmeal on the go.

I loaded the batter with a ton of healthy ingredients. I swapped flour for gluten-free quick-cooking oats and pecan flour to create a thick, chewy cookie that will fill you up and keep you energized until your next meal.

If you don’t have quick-cooking oats stocked in your pantry, pulse old-fashioned oats in a food processor or blender until coarse. The same goes for pecan flour. Pulse pecans in the food processor or blender until it resembles wet sand.

You’ll be excited to hear that the batter comes together in one bowl and only takes 5 minutes. Whipping these up will fit nicely into your busy schedule during the school year.

These cookies are also egg-free and naturally sweetened with maple syrup, making them naturally vegan. Unlike most cookies, these cookies will not spread as they bake. You’ll need to press down the dough to your desired thickness before placing them in the oven.

Um, cookies for breakfast. Get it!

Print Recipe

Pumpkin Banana Breakfast Cookies

Thick, chewy breakfast cookies loaded with pumpkin, ripe bananas, oats, and dried cranberries. These cookies are gluten-free, vegan, and naturally sweetened.

Yield: 12 cookies

Total Time: 23 minutes

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: 18 minutes

Ingredients:

2 ripe bananas

1/2 cup pumpkin puree

3 tablespoons pure maple sryrup

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 cups quick-cooking oats (certified gluten-free)

1/2 cup pecan flour

1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

3/4 teaspoon cinnamon

3/4 teaspoon dried cranberries

1/4 cup pumpkin seeds for topping

Directions:

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

In a large bowl, mash banana and pumpkin puree together. Stir in maple syrup and vanilla extract until combined.

Add the dry ingredients directly on top of the pumpkin/banana mixture. Stir until thoroughly combined. Fold in the dried cranberries.

Drop 1/4-cup sized dough balls onto the prepared baking sheet, spacing them 3 inches apart. Press down slightly on each dough ball to flatten the tops to desired thickness (they will not spread). Top each dough ball with a pinch of pumpkin seeds.

Bake for 18 minutes, or until the top and edges are slightly golden brown in color. Allow the cookies to cool on the pan for 10 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely. Store in an airtight container at room-temperature for up to 1 week or freeze for up to 3 months.

All images and text ©One Sweet Mess.

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