These steel-cut oats cookies have slightly crispy edges yet are soft and chewy on the insides. Incredibly hearty and satisfying, they make a great grab-and-go breakfast or snack!
If you have no idea what to do with the opened bag of steel-cut oats at the back of your pantry, use it to make these amazing cookies! They are chewy, soft, and incredibly delicious. I especially love serving it with a glass of cold soy milk or coffee, like my protein iced coffee or soy milk latte, for an afternoon pick-me-up.
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💚Why you will love this recipe
- Hearty, dense, and rich
- An easy one-bowl recipe that only calls for simple ingredients and ready in an hour
- Great as a grab-and-go breakfast or snack
- Meal prep friendly - Stores well and are freezable!
🤔What are steel-cut oats
Also known as Irish oats or pinhead oats, steel-cut oats are made by chopping whole oat groats into 2-3 smaller pieces using steel blades. They are less processed compared to rolled oats or quick-cooking oats and are tougher and chewier in texture. Hence, steel-cut oats require a longer cooking time.
Steel-cut oats are commonly used to make porridge but can also be used in baking to make oatcakes and granola. In this recipe, we will be utilizing them to make hearty and chunky oatmeal cookies!
🌾What you will need
📃Ingredients notes and substitutions
- Steel-cut oats - Make sure to use traditional steel-cut oats (aka Irish oats), NOT quick-cook steel-cut oats.
- Oat flour - Use certified gluten-free oat flour if needed. You can also make it at home by blending some rolled or quick oats in a high-speed blender until finely ground!
- Maple syrup - This can be substituted with other liquid sweeteners like agave syrup or honey.
- Peanut butter - Feel free to substitute with other nut butters or ¼ cup of butter (regular or plant-based).
- Dark chocolate chips - An optional ingredient, but I highly recommend adding them (because who doesn’t love chocolate?!)
🔪How to make
Start by cooking the steel-cut oats by adding oats and water into a pan.
Cook for 15-20 minutes or until oats have softened. Remove from heat and allow oats to cool.
While oats are cooling, mash bananas in a mixing bowl. Add the rest of the wet ingredients and mix until everything is well combined.
Add cooked oats, oat flour, chocolate chips, and the rest of the dry ingredients. Stir until everything is well combined.
Using a ⅓ measuring cup, scoop cookie dough onto the baking sheet. Using damp hands or the back of a spoon, flatten the cookies.
Bake for 15-20 minutes or until cookies are set and are lightly browned. Allow to cool for a few minutes before digging in!
✅Helpful tips
- Microwaving the oats - You can also cook your oats in the microwave. Use a deep bowl and microwave for 8-10 minutes. It is recommended to stop and stir the mixture every 1-2 minutes.
- Texture of cooked oats - Ensure that cooked steel-cut oats are super thick and relatively dry. Oats that are too wet will affect the texture of the cookie dough.
- Allow cooked oats to cool completely - This prevents the chocolate chips from melting when making the cookie dough.
- Lightly flatten cookies - As they are lower in sugar and fats, you will want to flatten and shape them before baking as they won’t spread much.
- Customizing this recipe - Feel free to replace chocolate chips with raisins or chopped nuts (like walnuts and pecans). You can also add spices such as cinnamon and nutmeg.
❄️Storing suggestions
Storing - Steel-cut oats cookies can be stored at room temperature for 2 days or refrigerated for up to 5 days. Store them in an airtight container to prevent them from going stale.
Freezing - Cookies can be frozen for 3 months. Allow to thaw overnight in the fridge before reheating.
Reheating - You can either reheat cookies in the microwave or in an oven preheated to 180C/350F for 3-5 minutes.
❔Commonly asked questions
Steel-cut oats are naturally gluten-free. However, cross-contamination might occur during food processing. Hence, it is recommended to get a brand of steel-cut oats that is certified gluten-free if you are gluten intolerant.
The substitution of steel-cut oats with rolled oats will not work in this recipe. Steel-cut oats are denser and require a longer cooking time compared to rolled oats. Additionally, the differences in absorbancy of both oats might alter the texture of the cookies.
If you are looking for a cookie recipe using rolled oats, I recommend checking out my applesauce oatmeal cookies!
To microwave steel-cut oats, add oats and water to a deep bowl and microwave on high for 8-10 minutes. Stop the microwave and stir the oats mixture every 1-2 minutes to prevent oats from overflowing or scorching at the bottom.
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📖 Recipe
Steel Cut Oats Cookies
Ingredients
To cook oats
- 1 cup steel cut oats
- 2 ½ cup water
Wet ingredients
- 2 medium ripe banana about 7 oz / 200g
- ⅓ cup maple syrup or another liquid sweetener
- ⅓ cup peanut butter or other nut/seed butter
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Dry ingredients
- 2 cups oat flour 180g (use gluten-free if needed)*
- ½ cup chocolate chips (optional)
- ¾ teaspoon baking soda
Instructions
Cooking oats
- Start by cooking your steel cut oats. In a pan or pot, place in oats along with water, and bring mixture to a boil.2 ½ cup water, 1 cup steel cut oats
- Lower heat to a gentle simmer and cook for 12-15 minutes, or until most water are absorbed by oats. Give it a stir occasionally. You will want the oats mixture to be quite dry.
- Allow oats to cool completely before using.
Making cookies
- Preheat oven to 180C/350F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- In a bowl, mash bananas until smooth.2 medium ripe banana
- Add in rest of the wet ingredients and mix well.⅓ cup maple syrup, ⅓ cup peanut butter, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Next, add in dry ingredients along with cooked steel cut oats. Mix until everything is well incorporated.2 cups oat flour, ½ cup chocolate chips, ¾ teaspoon baking soda
- Using a cookie dough scoop or spoon, scoop out about 2-3 tablespoons of mixture. Slightly flatten it using the back of a spoon.
- Bake for 12-15 minutes or until they appear to be set and the edges are lightly browned. Let them cool down slightly before digging in!
Notes
- Microwaving the oats - You can also cook your oats in the microwave. Use a deep bowl and microwave for 8-10 minutes. It is recommended to stop and stir the mixture every 1-2 minutes.
- Texture of cooked oats - Ensure that cooked steel-cut oats are super thick and relatively dry. Oats that are too wet will affect the texture of the cookie dough.
- Customizing this recipe - Instead of chocolate chips, you can use raisins and chopped nuts like walnuts and pecans. You can also add spices like cinnamon, nutmeg, or pumpkin pie spice.
Nutrition
Nutrition info calculated is just a rough estimate and is provided as a courtesy. Bear in mind that value will vary based on variables like specific brand or type of product used. To obtain the most accurate representation, it is highly recommended that you calculate it on your own with the actual amount and type of ingredient used.
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Curt says
Love the recipe, added some orange zest, diced apricots and slivered almonds.
Jim Mee Sha says
I am so happy to hear that!
Susan says
I love this recipe and make it a few times a month, so I always have some in the freezer to have for breakfast most days. I play with the ingredients. I use whole wheat flour instead of oat, and raisins and dates instead of the chocolate chips. I typically mix in wheat germ, flaxseed and chia too. So delicious and healthy! My favorite breakfast.
Meesha says
Happy to hear that! I need to try out your variation, it sounds delish!
Curti says
Great cookies, added some orange zest, diced apricots and sliced almonds. Great stuff!
Meesha says
I am happy to hear that!
Sally says
I had success making oatmeal cookies with "quicker" steel cut oats that take about 8 minutes. Do think I could substitute them in this recipe? Also, would pumpkin work as a substitute for banana?
Meesha says
I personally have yet to try cooking with quick steel-cut oats, but from quick research, you might have to reduce water for cooking oats to 1-1.5 cups, and slightly reduce the cooking time. As for the banana, you could try substituting with equal amount of pumpkin puree, but you might have to add a splash of plant milk if the cookie batter is too thick. Hope that helps!
Liz says
Love the recipe but why did you put the ingredients in with the Directions? You already had these in the separate ingredients.
Took me time to sort it out. If you don’t use conventional formatting my recipe database can’t organise it properly. Just really annoying.
But the cookies a good so thanks for that.
Meesha says
Some people find it useful to not constantly scroll up to look at the ingredients everytime.😊
Dev says
Very good recipe. I made it per the directions and they were easy and delicious. Perfectly sweet considering they have no sugar. Not a strong banana flavor for those who don’t particularly like bananas. Eaten warm they’re like “oatmeal without the bowl” so my next batch I’ll trade the chocolate chips for my favorite oatmeal mix-ins: walnuts, dates, dried cranberries, and raisins. I won’t feel guilty eating these for breakfast.
Meesha says
Happy to hear that you like it😊
Joanne says
Can I use Almond flour instead of oat flour?
Meesha says
Although I have yet to try it myself, I do believe it will work from past experience. However, you might have to adjust the amount use, and I recommend starting with a cup of almond flour, and adding more from there. Hope this helps!