Vegan Banana Chocolate Chip Cookies

To preface this post, I am not vegan. I do this in case it’s not obvious in some of my earlier posts about foods that are definitely NOT-vegan… But I do have several friends who are vegan, and I like to cook/bake for them when I can. (I do the same for my friends who are gluten-intolerant, so I promise that some gluten-free recipes will be coming too!)

I first made these cookies to hand out at my first regional Burn. I’d made about 500 cookies to gift over the weekend, and I wanted to make sure my vegan friends didn’t feel left out. After that, these cookies became my go-to vegan recipe because they are amazing, whether you are vegan or not! They are like little banana bread cookies: crunchy on the outside, soft and chewy on the inside, and loaded with chocolate chips!

It’s been over two years since I first made these cookies, based on a recipe from Vegan Cookies Invade Your Cookie Jar. Since then, the recipe has evolved, as has my education on cooking and baking vegan. Personally, I sometimes gravitate towards vegan foods because I’m severely lactose intolerant, and vegan foods are frequently the only way I can ensure no tummy troubles later in the day…

A few important things to remember about this recipe:

• The more disgusting your bananas look, the tastier they are! I like to let my bananas turn mostly black, and then I stick them in the fridge until I’m ready to use them. It looks and feels gross, but the extra kick of banana flavor is totally worth it!
• Make sure you use quick-cooking oats or rolled oats and not instant/minute oatmeal.
• Vegan chocolate chips are getting easier to find. Personally, I use this variety from Enjoy Life, which I first found at Whole Foods. (They’re now also carried by my local Target!) I’ve tried a few other brands of vegan chocolate and carob chips, and these are my favorite!
• If you’re not concerned about making the cookies totally vegan, you can use white sugar and regular miniature chocolate chips. Vegan or not, they’re super-tasty!

Click below for the recipe! Have a question? Feel free to ask in the comments below! And thanks for reading! 🙂