4 Ingredient Cookies - Nourished with Natalie (2024)

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These 4 ingredient cookies may be super simple, but they are absolutely delicious! They make the perfect midday snack and/or healthy dessert. Not to mention they take just 5 minutes to whip up, simple ingredients you probably already have on hand, and a super short baking time.

4 Ingredient Cookies - Nourished with Natalie (1)

Besides the fact that these cookies are easy and tasty, they are also plant-based and gluten-free (just make sure to use gluten-free oats!). You can even make them nut-free (see substitutions section below). While these may not be your traditional cookie, they are super satisfying. Plus, they make a great healthy snack or sweet treat for any time of the day.

Filled with ripe bananas, peanut butter flavor, and melted chocolate, they taste like chocolate chip banana bread in cookie form. My favorite way to enjoy these healthy cookies? As a snack with a glass of plant based milk. Yum!

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WHY YOU’LL LOVE THIS RECIPE

Healthy Treat– If you’re looking for a healthier dessert, these cookies are a great option. They’re filled with healthy fats, fiber, and don’t include any added sugar.

Easy to Make– These cookies are insanely easy to make, just mix the ingredients together, bake, and enjoy. They’re perfect for when you need to instantly satisfy that cookie craving!

4 Ingredients – There’s a reason these cookies are called 4 ingredient cookies. They, of course, just require 4 ingredients. And, best part? You probably already have them all on hand!

INGREDIENTS NEEDED (WITH SUBSTITUTIONS)

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Rolled Oats: Old Fashioned Rolled Oats make up the base of this cookie by holding together all the ingredients. If you are gluten free make sure to use GF certified oats.

Ripe Banana:Banana adds sweetness and moisture to this cookie. The riper your banana, the sweeter your cookies will be! You want to choose a banana that has a generous amount of spottiness.

Peanut Butter:Peanut butter also helps all the ingredients stick together, plus I find it makes the cookie a bit more satisfying. If you have a nut allergy, you can substitute sunflower butter instead. Otherwise, I recommend using creamy natural peanut butter for the best flavor. But, you can also use almond butter and/or cashew butter, it just may not be as flavorful.

Chocolate Chips: Adding a slight crunch and another burst of sweetness, chocolate chips are the star of the show. The combination of chocolate, peanut butter and banana is amazinggg.

But don’t worry if you’re not a chocolate chip fan, you can replace with raisins.

HOW TO MAKE

Making these 4 ingredient cookies is ridiculously easy – I promise! You’ll be amazed with how quickly you can whip these together. For full instructions and ingredient amounts make sure to see the recipe card below.

Step 1: Preheat the oven to 350F and line a baking pan with a sheet of parchment paper or a silicone mat.

Step 2: In a large bowl, add the banana. Mash with a fork or potato masher until no chunks remain. You want the banana to be thoroughly mashed so it creates moisture in the cookie.

Step 3: To the mashed banana, add the peanut butter. Mix together until combined.

Step 4: Next, add the rolled oats to the banana and peanut butter and fold together with a spatula until combined. Toss in the chocolate chips and fold those in as well.

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Step 5: Use a cookie scoop or spoon to place 1-2 tablespoon size balls of dough on the baking tray. Flatten down with the spatula to create a flat circle.

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Step 6: Bake for 10-12 minutes or until the edges start to get golden brown. Remove and let cool on a wire rack for 5-10 minutes.

STORAGE & REHEATING

While these cookies are best enjoyed fresh, you can also store any leftover cookies in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3-4 days.

You can also freeze these cookies after they’ve been baked. For best results, let the cookies cool completely and arrange in a single layer on a plate. Freeze for 30 minutes, or until mostly frozen. Then, transfer the cookies to an airtight container and freeze for up to 2-3 weeks.

To thaw, remove the cookies and let them defrost. You can also place in the microwave to quickly warm them up.

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FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

What other mix-ins can I add to these cookies?

If you want to add any additional ingredients to these cookies, there’s ton of options!

Some of my favorite mix-ins include:

  1. Shredded Coconut
  2. Chia Seeds
  3. Raisins
  4. Cinnamon
  5. Flaky Sea Salt
  6. Chopped Dates
  7. Splash of Vanilla Extract

You can also add a tablespoon of maple syrup or brown sugar if you want to add any additional sweetness.

OTHER EASY DESSERT RECIPES YOU’LL LOVE

  1. Chocolate Chip Banana Bread
  2. Frozen Yogurt
  3. Banana Egg Rolls

If you decide to try this cookie recipe out, let me know! I love seeing your recreations tagged on Instagram@nourishedwithnatalie.

4 Ingredient Cookies

These 4 ingredient cookies may be super simple and filled with minimal ingredients, but they are absolutely delicious! They make the perfect afternoon snack and/or healthy dessert. Not to mention they take just 5 minutes to whip up and ingredients you probably already have on hand.

5 from 8

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 5 minutes mins

Cook Time 12 minutes mins

Total Time 17 minutes mins

Course Breakfast, Dessert, Snack

Cuisine Vegan

Servings 15

Calories 73 kcal

Ingredients

  • 1 medium ripe banana
  • ¼ cup creamy peanut butter
  • 1 cup rolled oats
  • cup chocolate chips

Instructions

  • Preheat the oven to 350F and line a baking pan with a sheet of parchment paper or a silicone mat.

  • In a large bowl, add the banana. Mash with a fork or potato masher until thoroughly combined and no large chunks remain.

  • To the mashed banana, add the peanut butter. Mix together until combined.

  • Next, add the rolled oats to the banana and peanut butter and fold together with a spatula until combined. Toss and fold in the chocolate chips.

  • Use a cookie scoop or spoon to place 1-2 tablespoon size balls of dough on the baking tray. Flatten down with the spatula to create a flat circle.

  • Bake for 10-12 minutes or until the edges start to get golden brown.

  • Remove and let cool on a wire rack for 5-10 minutes.

Nutrition

Calories: 73kcalCarbohydrates: 9gProtein: 2gFat: 4gSaturated Fat: 1gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 1gSodium: 19mgPotassium: 83mgFiber: 1gSugar: 4gVitamin A: 5IUVitamin C: 1mgCalcium: 8mgIron: 0.3mg

Keyword cookies, 4 ingredients, banana, peanut butter, chocolate, gluten free, oats, refined sugar free, plant based

Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

4 Ingredient Cookies - Nourished with Natalie (2024)

FAQs

How do you make cookies more dense? ›

Melting butter incorporates no air, leading to denser cookie. If you brown your butter (cook the butter until the milk solids brown and it gives off a rich, nutty aroma), this causes the water content of the butter to evaporate, lending no extra moisture to the dough, yielding a very dense, but richly flavoured cookie.

How can I make my cookies fluffier instead of flat? ›

Try using baking powder instead of baking soda. Baking soda encourages spreading while baking powder puffs the cookies up. If your recipe calls for 1 teaspoon of baking soda, you would use 3 to 4 teaspoons of baking powder. Caution: This could result in an unwanted flavor shift.

What are the 4 main ingredient in baking cookies? ›

While there may be countless variations, each cookie at the core has four ingredients – butter, sugar, flour & eggs. The proportions of ingredients and the methods of mixing are what define our cookies. Dough spreads – Inside the hot oven, the butter starts to melt and the dough gradually starts to spread out.

What happens if you only use brown sugar in cookies? ›

Brown sugar, meanwhile, is dense and compacts easily, creating fewer air pockets during creaming—that means that there's less opportunity to entrap gas, creating cookies that rise less and spread more. With less moisture escaping via steam, they also stay moist and chewy.

What ingredient holds cookies together? ›

Flour is the main ingredient that provides structure in a cookie – without it, there would be no cookie! The gluten in flour forms a web of sorts – the framework that catches the air bubbles/gasses given off during rising. This helps provide the structure.

How to make cookies firmer? ›

Chill the Cookie Dough

If there's one thing you learn from this post, it's this: chill your cookie dough if a recipe calls for it. Chilling cookie dough in the refrigerator firms it up, which decreases the possibility of over-spreading. It not only ensures a thicker, more solid cookie but an enhanced flavor as well.

What makes cookies chewy and not hard? ›

Different types of sugars affect the texture because they absorb different amounts of water. Remember moisture is the key! White sugar creates crispier cookies and brown sugar creates chewier cookies.

Why is my cookie not thick enough? ›

Incorrectly measured ingredients can be the reason your cookies come out too thin. Too much sugar can cause cookies to come out flat and crispy instead of soft and chewy. This goes for both white sugar and brown sugar. Not enough flour could also be the culprit.

What makes cookies get hard? ›

Cookies become hard when the moisture in them evaporates. This can be caused by leaving them out in the air for too long, baking them for too long, or storing them improperly. The lack of moisture makes the cookies hard and dry, which makes them difficult to enjoy.

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