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Crunchy Dinosaur Banana Oat Cookies Easy Homemade School Snack Recipe

Crunchy Dinosaur Banana Oat Cookies - featured image
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These crunchy dinosaur-shaped banana oat cookies are a quick, wholesome, and kid-friendly snack perfect for school lunches or after-school munching. They combine natural sweetness from ripe bananas with hearty oats for a chewy yet crisp texture without added refined sugar.

Ingredients

Scale
  • 2 medium ripe bananas, mashed
  • 1 ½ cups old-fashioned rolled oats (135g)
  • ½ cup almond flour (50g)
  • 2 tablespoons honey (optional)
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • ½ teaspoon baking soda
  • Pinch of sea salt
  • Optional mix-ins: up to ½ cup mini chocolate chips, chopped walnuts, or dried cranberries

Instructions

  1. Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
  2. Mash the bananas in a medium mixing bowl using a fork or potato masher until mostly smooth with a few lumps remain (about 2-3 minutes).
  3. Stir in honey and vanilla extract into the mashed bananas.
  4. In another bowl, whisk together rolled oats, almond flour, ground cinnamon, baking soda, and sea salt.
  5. Slowly fold the dry ingredients into the wet banana mixture until sticky but holding together. Add more oats if too wet.
  6. Stir in optional mix-ins if using.
  7. Lightly flour your work surface or baking sheet if using cookie cutters. Roll dough to about ¼ inch (0.6 cm) thick and press dinosaur cookie cutters firmly. If no cutters, drop spoonfuls onto baking sheet and flatten slightly.
  8. Bake for 12-15 minutes until edges are golden brown and cookies feel firm to the touch.
  9. Cool completely on a wire rack for at least 10 minutes to develop crunchiness.

Notes

Use very ripe bananas for natural sweetness. Do not overmix to preserve texture. Press dough evenly to about ¼ inch thickness for best crunch. Watch baking time closely to avoid burning. Cool completely before serving to develop crunchiness. For vegan version, replace honey with maple syrup or agave nectar. For nut-free, substitute almond flour with oat or sunflower seed flour and omit nut mix-ins. Store in airtight container at room temperature up to 4 days or freeze up to 1 month.

Nutrition

Keywords: banana oat cookies, school snack, healthy cookies, crunchy cookies, homemade snacks, kid-friendly, gluten-free option, vegan option

Find it online: https://shimmersnack.com/crunchy-dinosaur-banana-oat-cookies-easy-homemade-school-snack-recipe/