Description
Delicious and nutritious vegan protein cookies made with ripe bananas, pea protein powder, and natural peanut butter. These protein-packed treats are naturally sweetened with coconut sugar and feature mini vegan chocolate chips for a perfect balance of flavor and health. Easy to prepare and bake, they make a great snack or post-workout bite for those following a vegan lifestyle.
Ingredients
Wet Ingredients
- 1 cup mashed very ripe banana (about 2 medium-large bananas, with spots and sweet aroma)
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- ⅓ cup natural peanut butter, salted (stirred well before measuring; if using unsalted, add ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt)
- ⅓ cup coconut sugar
Dry Ingredients
- ¾ cup pea protein powder, plain/unsweetened
- ¼ cup cocoa powder
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ cup rolled oats
- ⅓ cup mini vegan chocolate chips (check allergen info as needed)
Instructions
- Preheat Oven: Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat to ensure cookies don’t stick.
- Mash Bananas: Place the very ripe bananas in a mixing bowl and mash them thoroughly with a fork until smooth and creamy.
- Mix Wet Ingredients: Whisk the vanilla extract, coconut sugar, and peanut butter into the mashed bananas until fully combined and smooth.
- Combine Dry Ingredients: In a separate medium bowl, whisk together the pea protein powder, cocoa powder, baking powder, and rolled oats. If you are using unsalted peanut butter, add ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt to this mixture to balance flavors.
- Combine Wet and Dry Mixtures: Pour the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients. Stir gently to combine until you have a thick dough. If the mixture feels too moist, add a little more protein powder and rolled oats to achieve the right consistency.
- Add Chocolate Chips: Fold in the mini vegan chocolate chips evenly through the dough for sweet bursts in every cookie.
- Shape Cookies: Using a small cookie scoop or tablespoon, scoop about 3 tablespoons of dough. Combine two scoops in your palm, squeeze together, and roll into a smooth ball. Gently flatten each ball into a thick patty using your palms and place on the prepared baking sheet about 2 inches apart. Use a fork to create a criss-cross pattern on top of each cookie while further flattening them.
- Bake: Bake in the preheated oven for 12 to 14 minutes, or until the bottoms turn golden brown. Remove the baking sheet from the oven.
- Cool: Allow the cookies to cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely. Store once fully cooled.
Notes
- Use very ripe bananas with lots of spots and a sweet smell for best flavor and natural sweetness.
- Use salted natural peanut butter or add a pinch of salt if using unsalted to balance flavors.
- Mini vegan chocolate chips add sweet pockets of chocolate but can be omitted or replaced with another vegan-friendly mix-in.
- Cookies do not spread much during baking, so space them about 2 inches apart on the baking sheet.
- Allow cookies to cool completely before storage to maintain shape and texture.
