Breakfast Cookies

These soft, flourless low-FODMAP breakfast cookies bind gluten-free rolled oats and dark chocolate with mashed firm banana, peanut butter, and maple syrup instead of honey.

Prep 10 min

Cook 13 min

Serves 12

Gluten-freeDairy-freeVegan

Ingredients

• 2 cups (180 g) certified gluten-free rolled oats
• 2/3 cup (170 g) natural peanut butter (just peanuts, or peanuts and salt)
• 1 medium firm, just-ripe banana (100 g), mashed
• 1/4 cup (60 ml) pure maple syrup
• 1/2 cup (85 g) dairy-free dark chocolate chips (70% cocoa or higher)
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp fine salt (skip if your peanut butter is already salted)

Serving note: this batch makes 12 cookies, and a low FODMAP serving is 2 cookies. That keeps the dry oats near 1/4 cup (52 g) per person, the Monash tested amount. Check the Monash app for current tested serving sizes.

Instructions

Make the dough

1. Heat the oven to 350°F (175°C) and line a baking sheet with parchment.
2. In a large bowl, mash the banana until smooth. Stir in the peanut butter, maple syrup, and vanilla until fully combined.
3. Add the oats, cinnamon, baking powder, and salt. Stir until every oat is coated, then fold in the chocolate chips.
4. Let the dough rest 5 minutes so the oats absorb some moisture and the mix firms up.

Shape and bake

1. Scoop 12 even mounds (about 2 tablespoons each) onto the sheet, spacing them 2 inches apart. These cookies barely spread.
2. Flatten each mound gently with the back of a spoon to your preferred thickness.
3. Bake 12 to 15 minutes, until the edges are set and the tops look dry. The centers stay soft.
4. Cool on the sheet 5 minutes, then move to a rack. They firm up as they cool.

Tips & Substitutions

• Firm banana keeps the load down. A firm, just-ripe banana (100 g) is low FODMAP, while a soft, spotty banana drops to roughly 1/3 of a medium. Weigh it if you can, and use the firmest one you have.
• Read the peanut butter label. Use a jar made from only peanuts (and salt). Some brands add high-fructose corn syrup, honey, or inulin/chicory root, which are not low FODMAP.
• Swap the nut butter. Smooth almond butter works in equal amounts, and both peanut and almond butter test low FODMAP at 1 tablespoon, so a 2-cookie serving stays in range.
• Choose dark, dairy-free chips. Dark chocolate is low FODMAP at 30 g, while milk chocolate adds lactose. Check that the chips are not sweetened with polyols (xylitol, sorbitol) or bulked with inulin.
• Add crunch within limits. A small handful of chopped walnuts or pecans folds in nicely, and both are low FODMAP at about 20 g (10 halves). Skip cashews and pistachios.
• No maple syrup? Use cane sugar. Stir in 3 tablespoons of white or raw sugar plus a splash of lactose-free milk to keep the dough moist. Do not reach for honey or agave.

Why This Works

• Oats are portioned, not unlimited. Oats carry small amounts of fructans and GOS, so the batch is split into 12 cookies to keep a 2-cookie serving near the Monash low FODMAP amount of 1/4 cup (52 g) dry oats.
• Firm banana, not ripe. Oligofructans build up as a banana ripens, so ripeness matters more than size here. A firm banana at 100 g tests low, which is why the recipe calls for one that is just-ripe.
• Maple sweetens without excess fructose. Honey is high in excess fructose, while pure maple syrup is low FODMAP at 1 tablespoon, so it does the sweetening job without the fructose.
• Dark chocolate over milk chocolate. Dark chocolate at 30 g is low FODMAP, and using dairy-free chips avoids the lactose in milk and white chocolate while keeping the cookies vegan.

Storage

Store the cooled cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days, or refrigerate for up to 1 week. They also freeze well for up to 2 months. Thaw at room temperature, or warm one for about 10 seconds in the microwave to bring back the soft center. Keep to 2 cookies per serving to stay within the tested low FODMAP portions.

Not sure about an ingredient? The FODMAP Foods app rates 1,000+ foods low, moderate, or high FODMAP, with the safe portion for each, so you can cook with confidence.