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These jumbo Banana Nutella Cookies (Oatmeal) are the perfect mix between a loaf of banana bread and an oatmeal chocolate chip cookie. And if you are not sold yet, they are stuffed with nutella for even more melty chocolate. So good and only 30 minutes to chill in the freezer!
I have a thing for oatmeal in cookies. I just think it gives them the best texture. So I am always experimenting with new oatmeal cookie variations. Where are my fellow oatmeal cookie lovers?
I wanted this cookie to almost taste like banana bread. Hence the cinnamon and mashed banana in the dough. But I also wanted lots of chocolate because chocolate makes every cookie better right?
This recipe definitely took some tweaking to find the perfect ratios so that the cookies did not overspread. They have a lot of moisture from the mashed banana but I still wanted them to have a decent amount of butter for flavor.
So the moisture is counteracted with extra flour and quick oats. The quick oats are better at absorbing liquid than traditional old fashioned rolled oats.
Jump to:
Highlights
- Chewy texture from the oatmeal
- Chopped dark chocolate and stuffed with nutella
- Banana bread flavored
- Only 30 minutes of required chilling time in the freezer
- ¼ cup of cookie dough each
Ingredients
- Mashed Banana: Be sure to measure your banana with a measuring cup or scale. Bananas differ significantly in size.
- Quick Oats: I used quick oats for the recipe because they better absorb the excess moisture from the banana. This helps the cookie to not over spread. I have not tested the recipe with old fashioned rolled oats.
- Dark Chocolate: Substitute chopped chocolate for chocolate chips. Use semi-sweet for a sweeter cookie. I prefer dark chocolate.
Complete list of ingredients and amounts is located on the recipe card below.
Instructions
before you start . . .
- Soften the butter. If you have time, simply leave the butter on the counter at room temperature before making the dough. If you are short on time. Place the butter on a microwave safe plate in its wrapper. Microwave on 50% power for 8-10 seconds. Flip and repeat.
Step 1: Line a half baking sheet or large plate with parchment paper. Dollop 2 teaspoons of nutella onto the parchment. Repeat 12 times. Place in the freezer while you make the cookie dough.
Step 2: Cream butter and brown sugar for 2-3 minutes on medium high.
TIP - Use a spatula to scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl so that everything is fully incorporated.
Step 3: Add the egg, banana, and vanilla. Mix on medium and completely incorporated.
Step 4: In this order, add the flour, salt, cinnamon, baking soda, and cornstarch. Mix on low or by hand with a spatula until just combined.
TIP - Once you add the dry ingredients, do not overwork the dough. It is okay if there is a little flour not incorporated.
Step 5: Fold in chopped chocolate. Leave some chocolate aside for topping if desired. Chill the dough in the freezer for 30 minutes or in the fridge for 2 hour or overnight. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees when the dough is almost done chilling.
Step 6: Using a quarter cup or 4 tablespoon (#40) cookie scoop. Fill the scoop about ½ of the way up with cookie dough.
TIP - If the nutella begins to melt, pop it back in the freezer for a few minutes.
Step 7: Press the nutella into the dough. Fill the remainder of the scoop with dough.
Step 8: Place each ball on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or a silicone mat. Repeat to fill the sheet with 6 cookies. Top with remaining chocolate. Place the remaining dough and nutella back into the freezer.
Step 9: Bake for 12-14 minutes. The edges will brown slightly and the middle will look slightly underbaked. Let cool for 5-10 minutes or until set on the baking sheet.
Step 10: Place the set cookies on a cooling rack. Let the baking sheet cool on the counter or use a cold one to make the remaining 6 cookies.
TIP - Don’t over bake the cookies. They will continue cooking as they sit on the baking sheet.
Expert Tips & Recipe Notes
- Be sure to use room temperature butter. Not cold, not melted, room temperature. The best way to get your butter to room temperature is to leave it out on the counter for 1 hour. You can also place the butter on a microwave safe plate (wrapper in tact). Microwave on 50% power for 8-10 seconds. Flip and repeat. Ere on the side of too cold. This is better than melting the butter.
- Measure all ingredients with a kitchen scale. Using a kitchen scale is the best to accurately measure ingredients because not all measuring cups are made the same.
- Use an extra ripe banana (or two) & measure it. The more brown, the better! The banana will be softer and sweeter. This recipe calls for ½ cup of banana. Depending on the size of the bananas, you may need 1 or 2. Be sure to measure them after you mash. The dough will be too moist if you use too much banana.
- The dough is a little sticky. The dough has some excess moisture from the banana so it will be a little wetter than a traditional chocolate chip cookie dough. The chilling will help reduce the stickiness.
- Keep the nutella and cookie dough cold. Keep the nutella in the freezer as long as possible. As soon as you take it out, use it. The cookie dough must be chilled as well. The cookies will overspread if you do not chill it (trust me, I tried it). While the first 6 cookies bake, be sure to put the nutella and the dough back into the freezer to stay cold.
- Use parchment paper or a silicone mat. This prevents the cookies from sticking and the bottoms from overcooking.
FAQs
Store leftover cookies in an airtight container on the counter for 3 days or in the refrigerator for up to a week. I highly recommend warming leftover cookies in the microwave for 20-30 seconds before serving.
The dough can be made up to one day in advance. The nutella can also be scooped and stored in the freezer the day before baking. Pull the dough out of the refrigerator about 20-30 minutes before baking so it is soft enough to scoop. Leave the nutella in the freezer until ready to use.
There are a couple of reasons the cookies will overspread. If you grease the cookie sheet, this adds too much excess fat to the dough. There also could have been too much banana in the dough, causing excess moisture. Be sure to measure exactly ½ cup of mashed banana. Lastly, if you did not chill the dough, the cookies are likely to overspread.
Cornstarch makes cookies soft and chewy. It will also thicken the cookie dough and adds more structure to the dough. This is extremely important to fight the extra moisture in the banana.
Primarily this depends on the bake time. If you like your cookies soft and gooey, under bake them slightly. For crispier cookies, bake longer. This cookie is mean’t to be soft so I do not recommend overbaking.
There are a few things that will make cookies chewy- chilling the dough, using more brown sugar, and creaming the butter and sugar on high speed.
Related Recipes
Banana Nutella Cookies (Oatmeal)
Ingredients:
- ½ cup nutella, divided
- ½ cup unsalted butter, room temperature
- ½ cup (122 g) mashed banana (1-2 bananas)*
- 1 cup (200 g) brown sugar
- 1 large egg
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 ½ cups (195 g) all purpose flour
- 1 cup (100 g) quick oats*
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon cornstarch
- ½ cup (3 ounces) finely chopped dark chocolate
Instructions:
- Review all recipe notes and instructions before beginning.
- Line a half baking sheet or large plate with parchment paper. Dollop 2 teaspoons of nutella onto the parchment. Repeat 12 times. Place in the freezer while you make the cookie dough.
- Cream butter and brown sugar for 2-3 minutes on medium high.
- Add the egg, banana, and vanilla. Mix on medium and completely incorporated.
- In this order, add the flour, salt, cinnamon, baking soda, and cornstarch. Mix on low or by hand with a spatula until just combined.
- Fold in chopped chocolate. Leave some chocolate aside for topping if desired. Chill the dough in the freezer for 30 minutes or in the fridge for 2 hour or overnight. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees when the dough is almost done chilling.
- Using a quarter cup or 4 tablespoon (#40) cookie scoop. Fill the scoop about ½ of the way up with cookie dough.
- Press the nutella into the dough. Fill the remainder of the scoop with dough.
- Place each ball on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or a silicone mat. Repeat to fill the sheet with 6 cookies. Top with remaining chocolate. Place the remaining dough and nutella back into the freezer.
- Bake for 12-14 minutes. The edges will brown slightly and the middle will look slightly underbaked. Let cool for 5-10 minutes or until set on the baking sheet.
- Place the set cookies on a cooling rack. Let the baking sheet cool on the counter or use a cold one to make the remaining 6 cookies.
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