Healthy Zucchini Banana Cookies

These Healthy Zucchini Banana Cookies pack the nutrition while still being a sweet treat!  Loaded with clean ingredients like zucchini, carrot, banana, oats, nuts, and seeds, they are perfect for kids, adults too! Stock extras in the freezer for when you need a quick protein snack or a little dessert!

A Snack and A Treat

• Perfect for Garden Zucchini! - If you grow zucchini, you know that once they start coming they don't stop coming! By July I'm putting zucchini in everything! In Creamy Zucchini Mushroom Pasta, on pizza, at least a few batches of Double Chocolate Zucchini Muffins and stocking extra batches of these banana zucchini cookies in the freezer!

• A Healthy Cookie that is Actually Healthy! - I've read and tried a ton of healthy cookie recipes with some success and some problems. Mainly that they are not, in fact, very healthy at all! Usually a banana thrown in with a bunch of flour and sugar. Well, not these! These Healthy Zucchini Banana Cookies really are nutrient dense and surprisingly pretty healthy! They are full of fruits and vegetables like zucchini, carrot and banana. They are packed with protein from the nuts, seeds, almond flour, oats and egg. And they are refined sugar-free zucchini cookies with healthier swaps like honey and coconut oil. Try these Zucchini Banana Bread Muffins too!

• Nutty, Chewy and Perfectly Sweet! - I've heard people say when I want a cookie I want a real cookie. You don't expect a healthy cookie to taste very good, but these are delicious! Healthy zucchini banana cookies double as a protein rich snack. It's a great treat for the kids when you don't want them to overdo it on dessert. And they make great Zucchini Breakfast Cookies when paired with a Smoothie or a bowl of yogurt and fruit.

Healthier Ingredients & Substitutions

• Regular Rolled Oats - Oats make up the bulk of the dry ingredients in these cookies, and are a healthier substitution for all purpose flour.

• Flour - Less than a cup of flour is all that's needed in these cookies, and you can use almond flour if you want to make them gluten-free zucchini cookies. Using regular flour is fine too, or any combination of all-purpose flour, almond flour, oat flour or a gluten-free flour mix.

• Nuts and Seeds - These are high protein zucchini cookies because of all those nuts and seeds! They add delicious flavor and texture and make these cookies a substantial satisfying snack! You can use any combination of chopped peanuts, almonds, walnuts, cashews or pecans. For the seeds try any combination of chia, sunflower, flax, pumpkin or sesame. You could also use flaxseed meal (ground flax seed).

• Shredded Coconut - These coconut zucchini cookies give you a little added sweetness and lots of chewy flavor!

• Chocolate Chips - I love to use a combination of dark chocolate, white chocolate and butterscotch chips. Butterscotch chips are especially delicious so give them a try! If you still have a bucket of Halloween candy sitting around, chopping up a few candy bars in place of the chocolate chips is always a great option!

• Baking Soda and Baking Powder - The leavener for the cookies.

• Salt - Enhances the flavor of all ingredients.

• Zucchini - I use 1 medium size garden zucchini and shred it with the regular side of a box grater. If you end up with a huge overgrown zucchini, baking it into cookies is a good way to use it up, you just won't need the whole thing. Garden zucchini has more water in it than a grocery store zucchini, so once it's shredded you can put it in a measuring cup and lightly squeeze some of the water out. You don't need to squeeze it with a clean dishtowel, some moisture is ok.

• Carrot - Zucchini carrot cookies really make these a healthier treat! And when shredded, you really don't notice that you are eating all those veggies! I use 1 medium carrot, washed but no need to peel it! I never peel carrots, like potatoes, the peel is edible and nutritious.

• Banana - Mash a ripe banana with a fork. It helps bind the cookies together.

• Egg - The binder for the cookies and adds a bit more protein.

• Coconut Oil - A healthier substitute for vegetable oil.

• Honey or Real Maple Syrup - These are refined sugar-free zucchini cookies because they are instead naturally sweetened with either honey or real maple syrup.

• Vanilla Extract - Adds a bit of that classic chocolate chip cookie flavor!

Instructions

Step 1 - Preheat the oven and combine all the dry ingredients in a bowl.

Step 2 - Grate your veggies and mash the banana with a fork. Add all other ingredients to the bowl and mix well with a spatula to combine.

Step 3 - Use a small portion scoop to spoon out about 40 to 48 cookies on 2 sprayed cookie sheets. You can make them in tight 5 by 5 rows since the cookies won't spread.

Step 4 - Bake 20 to 25 minutes. When they are hot from the oven, press them with a metal spatula to form a round flat cookie shape.

Storage & Tips

• Store cookies in an airtight container in the fridge for 3 days or in the freezer for up to 6 months. This recipe makes two big pans worth, so I always freeze the extras.  I make batch after batch when the zucchini are coming out of the garden!

• Squeeze out the Water - If you are making these cookies from grocery store zucchini, you can skip this step. But garden zucchini can have a lot more water it them! Just shred them, add them to the measuring cup, and gently press and dump out the excess water. You don't need to squeeze it in a kitchen towel, a little water is ok.

• Raisins - You could substitute some or all of the chocolate chips for raisins, or just add in a handful.

• Spray your Cookie Sheets, or use parchment paper or a silpat to avoid sticking.

• These Cookies Don't Spread, so you can fit a lot of small cookies, 5 rows of 5, on each cookie sheet. Use a small portion scoop to get them the same size.

• Press the Cookies to flatten them with a large metal spatula when they are hot from the oven. This will give you more of a cookie shape rather than a sphere.

• A Very Handy Cookie! - A couple zucchini carrot cookies can go straight from the freezer into a lunch box.  Sometimes I freeze just a few in little containers so I can grab one when heading out to a park or hike with the kids.  Eat them straight from the freezer or pop a few into the microwave. Have a breakfast zucchini cookie with yogurt, or a dessert zucchini cookie with ice cream! And if you are looking for a semi-healthy bedtime snack, a zucchini bedtime cookie can be pretty perfect!

If you made this recipe, I'd love to hear how you liked it! Be sure to leave a star rating by clicking the stars in the recipe card, or leave a comment below!

Follow Sungrown Kitchen on Pinterest, Instagram, and Facebook for loads of garden recipes!  Subscribe Here for new recipes delivered straight to your inbox!