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Flourless Banana Almond Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies

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gluten free, dairy free, egg free, vegan

One of the substitutes for eggs in baking is a mashed banana. I’ve wanted to make an egg-free version of my Flourless Peanut Butter Cookies for some time. But this time substituting a medium ripe banana for the egg and mixing it with creamy almond butter instead of peanut butter, plus adding the little bit of vanilla and baking soda, and a fair amount of Enjoy Life Mini Chocolate Chips yielded some wonderfully good Flourless Banana Almond Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies.

I snapped this photo quickly as the cookies were cooling on a brown paper bag before I headed out to the door to meet up with my good friend, Diane (The Whole Gang), at the Black Bear Bistro in Warrenton. (Note:  We had a great time and a great meal. Even though Black Bear Bistro doesn’t have a gluten-free menu or many menu items that can be made gluten free, we both enjoyed burgers topped with roasted veggies and a side salad. It was satisfyingly delicious lunch fare for sure.)

This photo is not a prizewinner by any means, but these cookies sure are. At least in my opinion. Don’t let the flat appearance of these cookies fool you; these are not thin crisp discs. They are the perfect type of cookie—that wonderful combination of soft and chewy. Those of you who think that there’s nothing better than peanut butter, banana, and chocolate will want to make this recipe using peanut butter as your nut butter. I’ll try that next time myself!

gluten free, dairy free, grain free, egg free, vegan

gluten free, dairy free, grain free, egg free, vegan
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Flourless Banana Almond (or Peanut) Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies (Gluten Free, Dairy Free, Egg Free, Vegan, Soy Free)

Ingredients

  • 1 mashed banana, of “medium” ripeness (not very ripe and mushy), slightly less than ½ cup
  • 1 cup almond butter (or other nut butter, like peanut butter; or sun butter)
  • 1 cup brown sugar (or coconut palm sugar; see notes)
  • ½ tsp vanilla extract
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • ½ cup chocolate chips or chunks (more or less, to taste; use Enjoy Life or Ghirardelli semi-sweet for dairy free)

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
  2. In large bowl, mix all ingredients together well.
  3. Drop heaping tablespoonfuls onto ungreased baking sheet. Bake for about 8 to 10 minutes.
  4. Leave cookies on baking sheet for about 10 minutes as they continue to bake/set up. Remove to cool.

Notes

Using a "medium ripe" banana adds more structure to the cookie. Also, be sure not to over mash the banana. You should still have tiny chunks of banana after mashing; it will not be a puree that has an even consistency throughout. See reader comments on how less sweetener and different sweeteners have been used successfully in this recipe. You will probably want to remove cookies from oven when middles look firm but not quite done; otherwise, cookies may overcook slightly on the bottom. I still get an occasional paper bag at the grocery store, just for cooling cookies. The inside of the paper bag helps absorb some of the extra grease from the nut butter, but paper towels would work, too.

 

This post is linked to Gluten-Free Wednesdays, Allergy-Free Wednesday, and Wellness Weekend.

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Comments

  1. Awesome! I LOVE almond butter and mashed bananas just on their own!!! As a cookie this recipe will be hugely popular in our household and it’s so simple to make!

    If I use honey instead of sugar (and leave out the choc chips), these cookies would probably be a great SCD treat! (though we’re supposed to only use VERY ripe bananas). I’m sure it would still work with a little tweaking of the quantities!

    Thank you for posting this.

    BTW those of us here who are just gluten-free and not following the SCD can of course enjoy the choc chips as well!!

    Reply

    • Hi Vicky–I hope you guys really enjoy your SCD version of these. 🙂 As we’re a beekeeping family, I always want to know when honey works in a recipe and what other changes were made to accommodate the honey. Yes, I do know that SCD requires very ripe bananas so, yes, something will need to be tweaked to provide more structure since the banana won’t be doing that.

      Will look forward to a follow-up report! 😉
      Shirley

      Reply

      • We have no almond butter until we shop at the weekend which also gives more time for my already ripened bananas to ripen even more! I will post my version as soon as I can on my Facebook page and link back to here! Hopefully I will make them on Saturday x

        Reply

  2. Hi there. Lovely looking cookies! I found you on Kalyn’s site. I too am a GF cook. I take it one step further and low carb too due to several health issues such as pre-diabetes and breast cancer but can’t wait to read more of your blog and get to know you!!

    Cheers!

    Reply

    • Hi SusieT–Welcome to gfe! 🙂 I’m so glad you came over from Kalyn’s (LOVE that so many of her recipes are naturally gluten free and so fantastic!) and that you are a gluten-free “buddy.” 😉 Gluten free and low carb makes the most sense to me. Grain free is what I thrive on. Hope that you’ll find many recipes to enjoy or at least inspire you here! A few words of explanation … I lead a gluten-free support group and focus on helping folks coming from all different backgrounds, including newbies who are transitioning from the Standard American Diet; those who have been gf a while, but still want to find an easier way to live gf; those who are looking for much healthier gf recipes; and many more folks. So you’ll see a wide variety of gluten-free recipes here to accommodate all and help folks (including me!) who are continuing to transition. 🙂

      Shirley

      Reply

  3. Oh Shirley, there you go, tempting me with your cookies so easy to make I could make them in my sleep! Love that you’ve found an egg-free way to make these. 🙂

    Reply

    • Hey Alta–LOL … I’m sorry, but thank you for the compliment! 😉 Isn’t it wonderful that we can read food blogs all day long and just enjoy the looking without having to actually make any of the recipes? I enjoy such a wide variety of recipes, foods, menus etc. just by doing that. I’ve read restaurant reviews for years knowing I’ll never step foot in said restaurant because of its location, prices, etc., but I still enjoy reading those reviews! 🙂

      Shirley

      Reply

    • Hi Sarah–I do think if you make these using sunbutter, that they’d be perfect for your little buddy! In fact, one person made them using sunbutter already and loved them. 🙂 I’d also like to play around with making a tahini version somehow. 😉

      Thanks, dear!
      Shirley

      Reply

  5. These cookies look so good…like I could just reach in my computer and eat one…or two! I am intrigued with this idea of bananas as an egg replacement. I am banana-intolerant and have been trying to figure out what I could use in its place. My boys are fine with them and I notice all the recipes I add a banana to for them…they love it. Sorry to ramble on here, but I have had bananas on my mind lately. Hope you are doing well, Shirley. xo

    Reply

    • Hi Debbie–I think any fruit puree with a similar thickness/consistency to mashed bananas would work. I wouldn’t recommend applesauce unless one had a homemade super chunky version, and I’m not sure about the flavor combo there. 😉 Prunes or dates might work well. 🙂 And you’re not rambling, dear … not at all. I love these conversations we can have in comments to help each other figure out “fixes”! Other ideas that come to mind for texture, but not necessarily the same taste of course are avocado, figs, and pumpkin. I know the latter is a favorite substitute of yours, and I loved the pumpkin butter chocolate chip bars I made back in the fall. Pumpkin butter would be awesome in these cookies and I *think* it would work like the banana does. 😉 Hope you can figure out something so you can enjoy this recipe, too, Debbie!

      xo,
      Shirley

      Reply

      • Shirley, you know me very well. Pumpkin has been my “go to” substitution for so many years I think I am reacting to it now! Thank you for all the ideas you shared. (I am glad you didn’t think I was rambling on.)

        Reply

        • Oh, no, Debbie! Not your beloved pumpkin! How about sweet potato? Not exactly the same as pumpkin, but close. Or maybe butternut squash? Hmmm, there always has to be a solution, right?

          You never ramble, Debbie. Between the two of us, it’s me who is the rambler. 😉 True.

          Shirley

          Reply

      • Debbie & Shirley

        I use ground flax seed as an egg substitute 1TBL of Flax to 3TBL warm water. It works great. I’ve also used banana and applesauce…sometimes I combine all of them!

        Maureen

        Reply

        • Hi Maureen–I was focusing on fruit-based egg subs, but you’re right, of course, flax eggs often work wonderfully. Have you tried the flax egg or applesauce specifically in this recipe? Obviously, we know the banana sub works in this one. 😉

          Thanks,
          Shirley

          Reply

  8. I hope you’re saving all these “flourless” recipes of yours for a “Flourless Cooking” cookbook. You are definitely the queen of flourless! I will be sharing this recipe around, it looks divinely simple and tasty. =)
    Melissa

    Reply

    • Hi Melissa–LOL, but I admit that every time you mention my gfe flourless cookbook, I do think about it. 😉 As you know and I demonstrate here all the time, I LOVE flourless cooking! I’ll gladly wear the flourless crown–thank you, dear! 🙂

      Thanks for commenting so sweetly and for sharing! xo,
      Shirley

      Reply

    • Alisa–I’ve only used banana as egg replacer a couple of times, but it has worked well when I have! I actually made this recipe once with no egg and it worked perfectly, but then I could never duplicate those results. I suspect that the fact that it worked the one time had to do with the texture/moisture content of the brown sugar. You know how sometimes it really binds well (usually true of brown sugar one has had a while and which has lost a lot of its moisture) and other times it’s more granulated? So until I figure out how to get the perfect brown sugar for egg-free baking in these flourless nut butter cookie recipes, I need to come up with some other alternatives. 😉 Would be fun to see if I could make these when camping, baking them in the campfire somehow!

      Shirley

      Reply

      • ever since I went TJ’s organic brown sugar, there has been no looking back. Haven’t bought another brand in years. I suppose the other organic brown sugars might be similar. However, it is higher moisture, and I haven’t had a problem .. but I always reduce the fat when baking dairy-free and egg-free, otherwise it is problematic.

        Reply

        • Alisa–All that is good to know–thanks! Still pining for a Trader Joe’s in our area. Each year our local newspaper polls readers on which stores we want most and Trader Joe’s is always #1. There are stores north and south, each a little over an hour away. 🙁 One day maybe!

          Shirley

          Reply

  11. These look wonderful Shirley, definitely plan to surprise Luke with them for breakfast tomorrow morning (only we’re back to carob for the time being, boo)!

    xoxo,
    Heidi

    Reply

    • Sooooo, Heidi, did you make them? And did they turn out? Several have made these cookies successfully so far, but I always worry until I hear back. 😉

      xoxo,
      Shirley

      Reply

  12. Shirley, these cookies sound absolutely fantastic – I know my husband is going to love these, and I love how simple the ingredients list is 🙂

    Reply

    • Hi Jenn–Thanks so much, dear! I hope he does love these cookies. 🙂 I was actually thinking of you today as I’m planning to do some baking with chestnut flour and I know you’ve used it successfully.

      Shirley

      Reply

    • Hi Cheryl–Oh, if only we lived closer to each other, we could do our own little cookie swap so I could enjoy your paleo-friendly chocolate cookies right away and you could enjoy these babies! 🙂

      Shirley

      Reply

    • Thank you, Erin! Thanks so much for pinning them, too. 🙂 I try to keep bananas on hand all the time. 😉 Best of luck on y’all’s race, dear. Hope it’s a non-windy day, although as we’ve discussed, you’ve got a “windbreaker”! :=)

      Shirley

      Reply

      • Ah, I wish he could block the wind for me in the race! Women are a separate category. I’m on my own. And I highly doubt I’ll find a 6’5″ female to hide behind 😉 I’ll let you know how it goes! I will absolutely be taking these to the race for a post race treat.

        Reply

        • Darn those separations for boys/girls! Well, sometimes … 😉 Hope it all went well though, Erin! And of course that you enjoyed your special treats afterwards! 🙂

          Shirley

          Reply

  15. Your last cookie recipe I tried was such a hit. That deconstructed Samoa didn’t last long in our house. This one looks like it would be the same.

    Reply

    • Thanks so much, Wendy! Those samoa-taste cookies are still loved around here. I’ve even made a version of those that includes eggs and those cookies are a big hit, too 😉 I sure hope these cookies meet the Kaho Family’s approval! 🙂

      Shirley

      Reply

  16. Goodness me, that sounds interesting!
    If you say it is good, that is good enough for me, you know I trust you!
    Hope you are doing well these days!
    Love,
    Kay

    Reply

    • Hey Kay–First, I want you to know that I haven’t been ignoring you … I’m just caught up in lots of life right now. Will get over to your post soon. 🙂 I think you’d actually enjoy these very much, Kay. Only those who can’t eat or dislike bananas won’t like these cookies 😉

      xox,
      Shirley

      Reply

    • Katrina–You must need a protein fix, girlie! I share these cookies and instead you fixate on the burgers that Diane and I enjoyed. LOL They were great though! I think burgers topped with roasted veggies are a million times better than ones in a bun. 😉

      Shirley

      Reply

    • Amber, I love so many things about you, but one of them is that when you say you’re going to make a recipe, you do it!! Going to reply to your other comment in a minute. 😉

      Thanks so much! xo,
      Shirley

      Reply

  19. Shirley – I love this recipe! What a great idea to use a banana instead of eggs, and with a nut butter and chocolate chips – so delicious! These cookies are making my mouth water…I want some now! Yum!

    Reply

    • Ina–I think it’s a winning combination of ingredients, too. Honestly, they turned out far better than I could have even imagined. Hope you’ll stop that “mouth watering” by trying them soon! 😉

      Shirley

      Reply

    • Hi Melaina–Thank you! Flourless often packs in more of the “essence” of the cookie and can be more nutrient dense without the usual flours and starches. And I love healthy “real food” egg replacers! 🙂

      Shirley

      Reply

  22. These look good, Shirley. I’m headed out to the health food store soon and have almond butter on my list! I like the use of bananas and chocolate chips. I might try it with an egg though.

    Reply

    • Hi Linda–I find almond butter to be so addictive. I don’t buy it often because I simply can’t stop eating it … on apples, in baking recipes, or with a spoon! I can pass up peanut butter, but love almond butter! Hope you like this one. I’ll be interested to hear how it turns out with an egg added. I’m sure this recipe will work that way, but I’m just curious how it will change, if it will need to be cooked longer, etc. Might try it myself soon, but let us know please. 🙂

      Thanks!
      Shirley

      Reply

    • Hi Beth–It seems that a lot of us like these ingredients and once reading about them in combination, well, we want these cookies immediately, as you and others have said! 😉

      Shirley

      Reply

    • Ellen–You did what I’m often guilty of … you “skimmed.” 😉 If you read the post, you’ll see that I say that although these cookie look crisp, they are not. These are soft and chewy cookies. Sorry, Ellen. 🙁 Will give you a heads up when I create my next crisp cookie recipe though!

      Shirley

      Reply

  25. These look amazing, Shirley! I would have never thought to do this, but I’m so happy that these turned out as every time I combine bananas and almond flour, it refuses to set. Any suggestions?

    Reply

    • Hi Christine–Thanks! 🙂 Well, in this case, it’s almond butter and banana. The almond butter has the critical “fat” and natural binding much more so than almond flour. I’m assuming that you’re talking about combining bananas and almond flour without eggs for a vegan recipe. Is that correct? I’ve done that using flax eggs before and I know chia eggs work, too, but you definitely need something with fat and binding abilities. I’m sure you’ll come up with a successful recipe using these ingredients soon!

      Shirley

      Reply

  26. Shirley, these sounds so perfect. And so dang simple to throw together!! This would be a perfect after school treat for the kids and I to put together this afternoon!!
    And so jealous of your lunch with Diane!! So glad you were able to enjoy such a yummy meal. I miss you two so so much!!
    xoxoxoxoxo
    k

    Reply

    • Hi Kim–I hope you all do try these! I think they would make everyone in your family happy. 😉 Diane and I had a lovely time out together! We miss you, too, dear. Very much! Looking forward to when we can all be together. Hopefully in the near future! Hint! Hint! 😉

      xoxoxoxo…
      Shirley

      Reply

  27. MmMMMM, I happen to have all of these ingredients on hand! I love that this combo of ingredients produced a COOKIE! Yay, an egg-free recipe from Shirley. xo

    Reply

  28. I just had all these ingredients hand and made this now.The cookie dough itself tasted yummy and the cookie was chewy yet soft and so so delicious.made with peanut butter-will try with almond butter sometime and let u know

    Reply

    • Hi sonia–It looks like you are new here–welcome! 🙂 I’m so tickled that you made these and enjoyed them so. Also, it’s great to know that the combo does work with peanut butter! I’ll look forward to your report on the almond butter version. 😉

      Shirley

      Reply

  29. oh, Shirley.. these are yummy! Just got done making them, using Sun Butter… awesome to have a recipe that is good for everyone in the house! 🙂 Thank you so much for sharing this one.. will be used over and over from now on!

    Reply

    • Hi Jacqui–Yippee!! So great to know that these are as yummy with sun butter. It thrills me to know that I’ve given you a recipe that will work for the whole family! 🙂

      Hugs to you!
      Shirley

      Reply

  30. Hi There Shirley,

    I’ve made these twice now (and have a cute little picture of Ethan making them over on FB). 🙂

    The kids really love these! Thank you!

    My Notes:
    *I used coconut sugar.
    *I’ve made them twice, the first time I cut the sugar in half (used 1/2 cup).
    *The second time I used 1/4 cup sugar (just right for us).
    *I skipped the chocolate chips (my son doesn’t eat chocolate so I just left it out).
    *About 4 minutes into baking I pat them down into flat cookies, and bake for a remaining 7 minutes.
    *I allow these to cool on the nonstick baking mat, then slide them onto a plate and transfer into the freezer for about an hour. This keeps them together very nicely – so chewy and delicious.

    Thank you for a great recipe Shirley! Keep ‘um coming!

    Hugs,
    –Amber

    Reply

    • Amber–Part 2 of my comment … that is such an adorable photo of Ethan making your version of these cookies. 🙂 As I said there, I am so impressed that you used such a small amount of coconut sugar AND left out the chocolate chips. Your freezer method is very clever, too! I do love my frozen treats. 😉

      xo,
      Shirley

      Reply

  31. Shirley, these look GREAT! And couldn’t be simpler. What a terrific recipe. Thanks so much for linking up this week (and hope we get to meet at a future conference!!) 😀

    Reply

    • Hi Ricki–Thanks! So happy to finally be able to contribute to Wellness Weekend again. Need to hop back over to see the latest entries. 😉

      And one day we will connect for sure! 🙂
      Shirley

      Reply

  32. Thank you SO MUCH, again,for the coconut sugar!! I just recieved it in the mail on Saturday. I am so excited to bake with it! I found 2 recipes to try:D Thank you for doing the giveaways!

    Reply

    • Hi Grace–You are welcome, dear! I’m so glad that your giveaway prize has already arrived. 🙂 I look forward to your baking reports … there are so many terrific coconut/palm sugar recipes! 😉

      Shirley

      Reply

  33. Hey Shirley! These look….I am not sure if there is an adjective to describe how sinfully yummy these look, actually. Amazing?! Anyways, there is one problem: I didn’t get my shipment in the mail yet. When can I expect them?! ; )

    Reply

    • Hey there, Beth–LOL Thanks, dear! I went to the post office yesterday and sent out two packages, but I’m not saying what was in them. Did you hit the gfe cookie lottery? 😉 Haha. Maybe we’ll have to actually have one of those events one day, huh? 🙂

      xo,
      Shirley

      Reply

  34. These look fabulous! I might eat the whole batch myself. Thanks so much for sharing at Allergy-Free Wednesday! I hope you’ll come back again this week. Also, I may have missed it, but I think you forgot to add a link to Allergy-Free Wednesdays in this post

    Reply

    • Nancy–Yes, they are truly irresistible! And oh my goodness on the link oversight. 🙁 I’m usually really good about those, but it’s fixed now. Thanks for the heads up, dear! 🙂

      Shirley

      Reply

    • Hi Richa–Thanks! These are one of my new favorites. 🙂 I’m looking forward to one of the bananas on my counter ripening enough so that I can make them again. 😉

      Shirley

      Reply

  36. These are delicious. I also added 1/2 Gluten Free oatmeal, which was even better. My family ate them up in one day. Thanks for sharing this recipe!

    Reply

  37. These are really good but too sweet – because of the banana, I think less brown sugar can be used. Otherwise an amazingly excellent and simple recipe, thank you for posting!

    Reply

  38. Shirley I just made this recipe today … as it looked so good and the ingredients were perfect. I don’t know what happened though as my dough was very soft and the cookies went totally flat when baked. There was no texture to them … And I even added about a 1/2 cup of almond flour when I saw the dough was so runny. Any suggestions? They taste good but look terrible.

    Reply

    • Hi Saundra–Oh no, on your cookies not turning out well. 🙁 These cookies are flat and soft, but “no texture” doesn’t sound right. I suppose the results could vary dependent upon the almond butter thickness/amount of oil or the banana ripeness. Not sure. You shouldn’t have to add anything to them. If I think of anything else that could have played a role, I’ll let you know. I’m so sorry they didn’t work out well for you!

      Shirley

      Reply

  39. I never, ever comment on blogs, but I just made these cookies and they are wonderful! I made a slightly different version – tahini instead if peanut butter, added about a scant two Tbs of sesame seeds, and reduced the sugar by about half. They are so good! I am transitioning to grain-free eating and am finding many baked goods rely on lots of eggs and result in an almost soufflé texture – not what I want in a cookie! These are perfect and chewy.

    One note: my dough really spread and ended up giving me one giant cookie, I think because of my substitutions. 🙂 Next time I will give them more space!

    Reply

    • Hi Dee–Welcome to gfe! 🙂 I appreciate you making an exception to your rule about not commenting. Your adapted version sounds great. I love tahini! You might want to check out another flourless egg-free cookie I have here on gfe. In that recipe, avocado takes the place of the egg. I wonder if chilling the dough would help with this recipe as far as the cookies spreading too much. Anyway, I’m glad you had success, but hope you’ll have more with other versions. 😉

      Happy New Year!
      Shirley

      Reply

    • Hi Laura–Welcome to gfe! 🙂 I’m so glad you enjoyed these cookies. Let us know if cutting the sugar in half works. I know it gives structure and that less sugar will yield less cookies, but otherwise I’m not sure how it will work. But hopefully it will work just fine. 🙂 And you can’t go wrong with peanut butter and bananas. 😉

      Shirley

      Reply

  41. Just made these..oh boy! Couldn’t believe how much they puffed up, but went flat when I took them out. Made them with p butter. I think next time I’ll make them a bit smaller, because they really spread & they’re a bit fragile. Make sure they have COMPLETELY cooled before you touch them. Yummyness!
    No, they’re not pretty, but who cares…they taste great! Thanks Shirley!

    Reply

    • Hi Lynne–I’m glad that you enjoyed them. Yes, adapt as you need to. I think that these cookies probably vary a bit according to firmness of banana, types of peanut butter, etc. Making them smaller is a good idea. Other ideas would be to chill the dough a bit before making or even add just a bit of almond flour or coconut flour to the recipe. Mine weren’t pretty either, but I sure didn’t care! And some of those other ideas might yield prettier cookies. 😉

      Thanks so much for reporting back!
      Shirley

      Reply

  42. These are great! So delicious! I made them for my grandma who is gluten free…she was supposed to come over for coffee but had to cancel…my 2 year old and I devoured these cookies in a day! haha they’re going to become a staple cookie in this house now!
    Thanks for the great recipe!

    Reply

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