How to Make Homemade Oatmeal Cookies

These versatile homemade oatmeal cookies combine oats, banana, coconut, and cinnamon. Adjust the sweetness to taste or personalize the mixture with chocolate, fruit, nuts, or dried fruit.

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup rolled oats, ground into flour
• 1/2 cup rolled oats
• 5 egg whites
• 1 ripe banana
• Lemon juice
• Wheat bran
• Ground cinnamon
• Shredded coconut
• Sugar or a preferred sweetener, to taste

Method

1. If necessary, process 1/2 cup of rolled oats in a blender until it becomes flour.
2. Beat the egg whites with a little lemon juice. Add the banana—the riper it is, the sweeter the cookies will be—and beat again.
3. In a separate bowl, combine the oat flour, wheat bran, cinnamon, and coconut.
4. Add the dry mixture to the egg whites and banana, then stir with a spoon.
5. Fold in the remaining 1/2 cup of rolled oats. Adding these last gives the mixture body and creates the characteristic oatmeal-cookie texture.
6. Taste the mixture and add sugar or sweetener as needed. The banana and coconut already provide some sweetness.
7. Line a baking tray with parchment paper. Spoon individual portions onto the tray, using approximately one spoonful for each cookie.
8. Bake for 20–30 minutes, depending on the oven, until the cookies are golden brown and crisp.

Variations

Chocolate oatmeal cookies

Add 2 tablespoons of cocoa powder with the dry ingredients. Alternatively, fold chocolate chips into the finished mixture before baking. Both additions can also be used together.

Apple oatmeal cookies

Peel and core one Golden Delicious apple, cut it into small cubes, and fold the pieces into the cookie mixture before baking as directed.

Other additions

Nuts, raisins, or dried cranberries can be added to give the cookies extra flavor and texture.