Toddler Recipe: Banana Bites
When browsing the baby food aisle, I notice most of your “baby first foods” are quite healthy! Most only have a fruit or vegetable with a little water. However, when you move up into the toddler food and snack food, that is when the ingredient lists get long, and scary. It’s easy to make your own quick, on the go, finger food for toddlers! And this recipe was one of my kids favorites growing up! Once kids have a few teeth we started making these cookies for them (usually around 16 months old)
A quick comparison. On the right, we have store bought banana cookies. On the left, we have our homemade version! We love ours because our cookies are made from just a few ingredients, and nothing we can’t pronounce!
Feeding toddlers can be tricky! They are developing their tastes for foods. You can try a variety of delicious toddler recipes, and one day they’ll love it, and the next day, they want nothing to do with it! Toddlers want to explore the textures & tastes of new food. They eat for hunger, but also for experiences. As parents, we can provide a variety of tastes, textures, and flavors, by giving them a variety of foods. Some tips for feeding your toddlers:
- Provide nutritious snacks, whole foods, and recipes made from whole foods.
- They like to be independent! Give them a choice between two foods you want them to eat. You wouldn’t offer them a cheese chip or an apple. They’ll likely choose the food with the highest fat, salt, and sugar. But you can give them a choice between applesauce and soft carrots for example.
- Make it easy to eat. When toddlers can hold and feed the food to themselves, they are learning important skills. These cookies are great for that!
My kids like these cookies. For older kids, don’t call them cookies. They aren’t sweet like cookies, so they might be disappointed.
Banana Oatmeal Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/3 cup coconut oil melted
- 2/3 cup brown sugar
- 2 medium bananas about 1 cup total mashed
- 1 large egg
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 2 cups quick cooking oats
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350° F.
- In a mixing bowl, combine flour, baking soda, salt and cinnamon. Whisk to combine.
- In a stand mixer (or a mixing bowl and hand mixer) cream together, melted coconut oil, brown sugar, egg, mashed bananas, and vanilla. Mix until light slightly fluffy. Add dry ingredients to the wet and mix just until combined. Add oats and mix again, just until the oats are evenly mixed.
- Scoop the dough onto a cookie sheet. Bake in 350 degree oven for 9-11 minutes. If you like a more crisp edge, bake closer to 11 minutes.
- When the cookies come out of the oven, use a drinking glass to shape the cookies into a perfectly round shape. Place the open end of the drinking class over the cookie and use a small circular motion to shape the cookie.
- These store well in an airtight container for up to 5 days at room temperature. They can also be frozen for up to 3 months. Enjoy!
Nutrition
www.superhealthykids.com
Natalie Monson
I'm a registered dietitian, mom of 4, avid lover of food and strong promoter of healthy habits. Here you will find lots of delicious recipes full of fruits and veggies, tips for getting your kids to eat better and become intuitive eaters and lots of resources for feeding your family.
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I have a breakfast cookie recipe for my vitamix that we ALL like… even I like it with my coffee in the morning! It is 2 bananas, 1 apple, 2 cups of rolled (gluten free) oats. Mix it in the vita mix, and then fold in raisins and my kids like coconut. Then bake like cookies for 20 min… 🙂 SUPER healthy and very tasty!
Wow ! That is super easy, and I love the limited number of ingredients. Thanks for sharing!
Can these be stored in the freezer?
Yummy- I will have to try this for my baby! Thanks- Love, April
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Made these yesterday! What a delicious snack! My daughter AND my hubby loved them! 🙂 Thanks – have featured you on my blog today… hopefully more people can find your fabulous recipes!
thank-you all the way from New Zealand for this recipe – my fussy-spitter-outer 18 month old actually ate the whole thing then reached for more. I love healthy cookies like this as I can sneak a few cals in here and there without reaching for unhealthy snacks. I used baby cereal instead of oats and water instead of fruit juice, as well as a little less sugar, and they were still a major success. baking and freezing another batch a.s.a.p. Thanks!
Thanks for the feedback!! I’m so glad your little one liked them!
OMG!! These are amazing!! My 8 month old loves them!! They are soft and divine. I dont know if I already posted about these!! Sorry if a repeat! My toddler will love them, when she gets back from Kindy! Really amazing recipe. I used mango juice instead of apple juice as I didn’t have any. Beautiful cookies. Soft enough for baby, tasty. YUM. Would recommend these 100%!!!
I tried these substituting the peanut butter which I LOVE but had run out of, with Nutino chocolate spread and they were divine! So maybe not quite as healthy but a cheeky alternative! :o)
Love this recipe. Just made these, I will see what my 1 year old thinks tomorrow, and I added some chocolate chips for my 3 year old to have as a special treat 🙂
I hope your 3 year old liked it!! I loved them 😉
Laura, that’s funny because I ran out of peanut butter one time and used nutino!! My daughter loved it! :o)
are they soft
are they soft
Hi from Toronto, Canada.
These were pretty good! Used 2 heaping tbsps of brown sugar; seemed to be the right amount. Also, had to assume that WHOLE OATS could be used (rather than quick oats). They turned out!
Was hopeful that my hubby would like them, too, since another comment included that her husband did.
However, he found them to be “dry”.
My 2 year old was o.k. with them. She took to the idea of having a cookie for breakfast.
I… have been enjoying a rather guilt-free fix. I stored the cookies in an airtight container, and am happy to have access to them… whenever I’d like to have one!
I’m normally not a soft cookie kind of person, but these… were good. We’re expecting again, so I have to eat mindfully. So nice to not have to cut out sweets altogether! Thanks for posting this recipe. 🙂
Thanks for sharing Zoe! Good luck on your new addition!
My baby is 7 months old… at what age would these cookies be ok for her?
@nykelle- I would wait until your baby has a few teeth and is already eating other solid food like biscuits and such!
At what age is this good for? I have a 8 month old daughter(soon to be 9months).
Cynthia- If your baby has a few teeth already and eats other biscuit style food, than she would be fine eating this!
I tweaked the recipe because I didn’t have apple juice. I added some cinnamon and an extra banana. They came out fantastic! Thank you 🙂
Yum! Thanks for the suggestions Estelle!
These sound delicious. My little man has egg allergies. Any suggestions on how to make them eggless? I was thinking a flax “egg” or applesauce.
Oh poor kid! I would try the applesauce first. They can be cakey and it’s ok.
These are great! I modified it slightly though. I used quinoa baby cereal in place of the oats, and I left out the brown sugar. My 13 month old loves them, and I’ve been know to grab a couple at snack time for myself! Thanks for the great recipe!! I’ll be making these for years to come!
Thanks for sharing your changes Lea! It sounds great!
My daughter turns one year old at the end of November. We are closer to winter, not a good time for bbq in the backyard. I’m thinking of a cool way to celebrate her birthday and, so far, have come up with a Cowgirls and Indians theme. May not stick to that… there’s still time… but I’m totally going to make these banana cookies. Can’t wait to try them. Check out my children’s book, Bananas, on lulu.com. 🙂
http://www.lulu.com/shop/bananas/paperback/product-18646881.html
I was wondering the same thing! I’m definitely going to try.
my dr had handed out a list of foods that state at what age a baby can have certain foods. It lists the age of 2 next to nuts.. but it seems like so many of you are giving it to them way earlier. Now I’m not sure why he believes 2 is the magic # since so many people offer nut products prior to that age. I’m not asking you to go against a Dr’s belief but just seeing if you were told differently. Any feedback would be great.
Mary- there is a big movement of experts who believe earlier exposure actually minimizes the chance of allergies. It’s a personal choice. Of course, if nut allergies run in your family, I would wait, but if not, the chance of your child having a nut allergy isn’t that big. Always, trust your doctor though 🙂
I had to substitute sunflower butter instead of peanut butter and used regular flour. I was interrupted and had to refrigerate them before baking. The batter was a dark green. Was there some sort of chemical reaction that made it green? And is it safe to continue?
I realize this comment is old, but figured future post readers may find the answer helpful! Sunflower seeds mixed with baking soda have a chemical reaction that causes them to turn green. Perfectly safe to eat, but can alter the flavor. I’d bet subbing with baking powder would work just fine.
Hi. Are these made with Old Fashion Oats or Quick Oats? Thanks!
Hi Nicole, I’ve used both and the difference is negligible. So, whatever you have on hand!
Thanks for the great kid friendly, healthy recipes!
I made these bites, but mine were extremely dry. I used orange juice in place of apple juice as I didn’t have any, but I can’t see that causing them to dry out.
Any suggestions? And could I use milk in place of juice as well?
I used milk as well and the consistency was fine. I used a very ripe banana, though. As in completely brown on the outside, which may have helped.
How long will last stored in air tight container at roon temperature? Or should store in fridge? And lastly how to make it more moist?
Hi, how long does it last if i store them in air tight container room temperature? Or do i have to keep in fridge? It seem to be little dry, is there any way to have it more moist? Thank you.
Any suggestions on how to make these gluten free?
Do you have some gluten free flour? It seems to be pretty interchangeable.
My kid refused to eat these and I don’t blame her. I followed the recipe to the letter and they’re dry and not sweet at all. I’m super disappointed because now I have a whole batch just sitting in on my counter. I don’t even think chocolate chips could save them. They do make decent dog treats though!!
Quick question – what could I replace the peanut butter with if there is a possible allergy? Should I just remove that or will it be crucial for the recipe as a binding? Thanks in advance!
I would try sunflower butter Natalie! Let us know how they turn out.
I was wondering if regular flour could be used? I just got home from the grocery store and I forgot the whole weat flour and I was wanting to try these. Thank you 🙂
Hi Jessica- regular flour can almost always be substituted in our recipes!
These are great! Some people mentioned these were dry so to try to avoid that I made a few adjustments: another 1/3 of a banana (make sure it’s really ripe, that’s where you get the sweetness), 1/3 c whole wheat and 1/3 cup regular unbleached flour, only 1 cup oatmeal. I also used milk instead of juice, and folded in 1/2 cup raisins. Some cinnamon would be a nice addition as well as 1-2 tbls of either flax meal or hemp hearts.
I didn’t see this answered anywhere, so sorry if you already said, but do these need to be refridgerated?? Thanks!
No- they are fine in the pantry!
Can you leave out the Wheat flour, or substitute it with Chickpea, Coconut flour etc.
That’s a good questions Stella. I haven’t tried it. But if you do, let me know how they turn out.
I teach a child development class thought this would be a fun treat for my High School kids after completing Toddler Play unit…aprox how many does one recipe make?
Thanks
Not many! Depending on their size, only 4-5 cookies!
Mine didn’t have a lot of flavor, next time I’ll add more bananas and peanut butter.
What are the ways to store these cookies? And how long can the freshness last? Currently keeping these cookies in an airtight container. Thanks!
It’s a little bland, but still good. We did add a little bit of choc chips to it. Would have added some chopped nuts if had some.
I like the simple prep and ingredients. But after I tried the first bite I could taste the baking soda. I’m surprised no one else has mentioned it. My one year old still has eaten some. I will make these again but I’m going to try a half teaspoon of baking soda next time. If anyone did not like the taste of these it’s because the baking soda has taken over.
Thanks for the feedback!
Hi! How long do these last if not refrigerated and how long do they last refrigerated? Thanks!!
I’m sorry but these are terrible. Followed the recipe and they tasted pastey and dry. Nobody will eat them.
I added some salt and some maple syrup. My picky 4 year old loves them!
Made this for my baby and it came out very dry and almost tasteless. Won’t be making again.
I was so excited for these but they were dry and blah. Neither my kids nor I cared for them.
Hi. Did this recipe change? I see people mentioning brown sugar in the comments but I don’t see brown sugar in the list of ingredients… this could be why people are recently commenting they are bland?
I tried them and they are okay, but probably need some cinnamon or something. I also had to cook them an extra 5 mins, was worried about the middle since egg is an ingredient.
Followed the advise of others and added some nuts and chocolate chips. Came out great, if it was for me I would add a little salt next time, but my toddler loves it without just the same. Super easy to make and my toddler loved helping!
can you freeze these cookies?
Made this with milk instead of apple juice and replaced the peanut butter with another ripe banana (so I can send it to school). Half batch as is and the other half with white choc chip. Hubby and mr 4 likes it. Actually made the plain one for 11mo baby, better keep them away from these older boys.
Good to have a healthier alternative to bought snacks.
Can I make it with normal flour
Hi Suzan! Yes, you can substitute in all-purpose flour if you like.
Could this be made without egg? My son is allergic. What could I substitute?
Hi Amy, you can try substituting a “flax egg” in this recipe. Here’s a post that tells you how to make one easily: https://www.superhealthykids.com/the-essential-food-allergy-substitution-guide/
I followed this recipe exactly as it says and I have to agree with a previous poster… I could mistake these for dog treats. I dont know what happened to mine but they were very dry and had absolutely no flavor..
So quick to throw together and worked out perfectly for my toddler granddaughter! Not too sweet and easy to pick up because they didn’t fall apart. I will definitely make these again!
I made a few tweaks, to use what I had on hand. I subbed almond flour for whole wheat and watered down some applesauce for the apple juice. 2 picky toddlers and my 9 month old liked them!! That’s crazy awesome!
Can we bake them in microwave oven?
Hi Hina, this recipe really works best in a regular oven.
I would like to make this banana bits but my little one is allergy to nuts any substitute for peanut butter and how to make it egg free?
Hi Pathumi, you can try using sunflower butter in place of peanut butter, and use a “flax egg” in place of a chicken egg.
I am not usually one to write reviews but I felt I needed to. I do not recommend making this recipe. I made these bites today thinking they would be an easy, healthy snack for my kids. I followed the recipe and ingredients to a T. They are dry and taste awful.
Ali, I’m sorry to hear these didn’t turn out for you!
These were not a success. They were dry and tasteless, and the toddler wanted nothing to do with them. I made minor modifications: used 50% all purpose flour, and subbed apple sauce + water for the juice. I made half with A LOT of chocolate chips to try to salvage some of them. This improved them, but made them not a very healthy toddler snack (so I am eating those). The recipe also makes at least 18 table-spoon sized bites. I am not sure in what world 2 cups of oats/ flour in a recipe an result in 12 “bites”.
What substitute can we sue for apple juice
You can just use water!