Pumpkin Seed Banana Cookies (3 Ingredients)

Pumpkin seed flour banana cookies are soft, lightly nutty, and made with just three ingredients: ground green pumpkin seeds, very ripe banana, and coconut sugar. Each 2-inch cookie has 4 grams of protein. They are vegan, gluten-free, grain-free, nut-free, and oil-free, with no eggs or added binders.

Introduction

I love how much you can do with a bag of green pumpkin seeds. This great recipe is proof: grind them into a fine flour, mash a very ripe banana, and you are already most of the way to a batch of soft, gently sweet cookies. A spoonful of coconut sugar rounds out the flavor, but you can leave it out if your bananas are especially sweet.

If you are looking for pumpkin seed flour recipes, these cookies are a plain place to start. You can make the flour yourself in a blender or coffee grinder; there is no need to track down a specialty bag. The seeds give the cookies their slightly nutty flavor and 4 grams of protein per cookie. The flour is a great nut-free alternative to almond flour.

A little banana technique makes a real difference here. Choose one with plenty of brown spots and mash it vigorously until it is almost liquid. A firmer, less ripe banana can leave the dough dry and the cookies less sweet. And despite the name, there is no pumpkin purée in this recipe: the pumpkin comes from the seeds.

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

• Three everyday ingredients.Green pumpkin seeds, banana, and coconut sugar make the basic dough; salt is optional.
• Straightforward kitchen-made flour.Grind whole pepitas in a blender or coffee grinder in minutes.
• Quick and straightforward to make.The dry ingredients and wet ingredients get combined in one bowl in minutes. No mixers required.
• Soft, gently sweet cookies.Ripe banana brings moisture and a mild fruit flavor; the seeds add a pleasant toasty, nutty flavor.
• A useful allergy-friendly bake.The basic recipe is vegan (egg-free and dairy-free), gluten-free, grain-free, nut-free, oil-free (no butter, no coconut oils, or other added oils), and free of refined sugar. (Note: Choose ingredients appropriate to your cross-contact needs.)
• Protein in every cookie.Green pumpkin seeds have a high protein content. Each cookies has 4 grams per cookie.
• Flexible sweetness.Omit the coconut sugar for a less sweet cookie, or try one of my flavor additions below.
• No yeast or leavening agents.No baking soda, baking powder or yeast required.

Ingredients

The exact amounts of each ingredient are indicated in the recipe card at the end of the post.Toggle betweenUS Customary(volume) andMetric(weights) for preferred measurement option.

• Green pumpkin seeds (pepitas):Grind the shelled green seeds into a fine flour. If you already have flour made solely from whole pumpkin seeds, measure it by weight; a cup of whole seeds does not equal a cup of ground flour.
• Very ripe banana:Look for a peel with plenty of brown spots, then mash the fruit until almost liquid. It supplies the dough’s moisture, sweetness, and binding power.
• Coconut sugar:Adds a small amount of sweetness. You can substitute another granulated sweetener or omit it for a less sweet cookie.
• Fine salt (optional):An 1/8 teaspoon salt brings out the sweetness.

How to Make Pumpkin Seed Flour Banana Cookies

Note that the complete instructions are also in the recipe card below.

1. Prepare the oven and pan.Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C) and line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.

1. Grind the seeds.Process the green pumpkin seeds in a blender or coffee grinder until they become a fine flour (not pumpkin seed meal)

1. Mix the dough.Stir the pumpkin seed flour, coconut sugar, and optional salt in a medium bowl. Add the very finely mashed banana and stir until completely blended into a sticky dough

1. Portion.Drop rounded tablespoon-size mounds onto the prepared sheet, spacing them 2 inches apart.

1. Flatten.Wet your fingertips and smooth and flatten each mound.

1. Bakeand cool.Bake for 11 to 12 minutes, until the edges are golden brown and the centers feel firm. Transfer the cookies to a wire rack and cool completely.

Taste and Texture

The cookies are soft throughout, with golden edges, a mild banana flavor, and the slightly nutty taste of pumpkin seeds. They are tender rather than chewy. They make a gently sweet snack or breakfast cookie; adding chocolate chips or a little cinnamon takes them closer to dessert.

Storage

• Room temperature:Cool completely and store in an airtight container in a cool place for up to 2 days.
• Refrigerator:Keep cooled cookies in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days.
• Freezer:Freeze cooled cookies in an airtight container for up to 3 months.

Serving Suggestions

Enjoy a cookie with coffee or tea, tuck one into an afternoon snack, or serve a couple alongside fruit at breakfast. For a sweeter treat, try the chocolate chip variation.

Flavor Variations

Stir 2 to 4 tablespoons miniature semisweet chocolate chips into the dough, or press them onto the portioned cookies before baking. Choose dairy-free chips to keep them vegan.

Add 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon and 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract with the mashed banana.

Add 1 teaspoon lime zest, vanilla extract, or almond extract, or 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger, allspice, or pumpkin pie spice.

Roll the dough portions gently into balls and press their tops into finely chopped unsweetened flake coconut or turbinado sugar before baking. Turbinado sugar adds refined sugar to the finished cookies.

Make a shallow indentation in each portioned dough mound and add about 1/4 teaspoon jam, preserves, jelly or marmalade before baking.

Tips for Success

• Choose bananas with plenty of brown spots on the peel, but avoid fruit that has begun to weep or ooze. Less ripe bananas can make the dough dry and the cookies less sweet.
• Mash thoroughly with a fork until almost liquid before measuring.

• Use shelled green pumpkin seeds (pepitas), and process them into a fine flour in a blender or coffee grinder.
• Measure 140 grams if using flour you have already ground. Do not substitute a one-cup volume of flour for the one-cup volume of whole seeds.

• The dough is sticky. Wet your fingertips to smooth and flatten the mounds, and leave 2 inches between portions.
• Bake until the edges are golden brown and the centers feel firm, then cool completely on a rack.

Ingredient Substitutions

• Replace the coconut sugar with an equal amount of brown sugar, cane sugar, or another granulated sweetener of your choice.
• You can omit the sugar entirely; the cookies will be less sweet. Brown or cane sugar changes the no-refined-sugar attribute.

• I have not tested unsweetened applesauce in place of banana. It may work, but if yours is particularly runny, I suggest starting with slightly less than the banana amount. Expect a different flavor and possibly a different dough consistency.

Frequently Asked Questions

Yes, if it is simply ground whole green pumpkin seeds. Use 140 grams of flour, not one cup: one cup of whole seeds makes about 1 1/4 cups of flour. Check labels on products called pumpkin seed powder, which may be defatted or contain other ingredients.

No. The pumpkin ingredient is green pumpkin seeds, ground into flour. Banana supplies the moisture.

Your banana may not have been ripe enough or mashed finely enough. Choose a banana with plenty of brown spots and mash it until almost liquid; a firmer banana contributes less moisture and sweetness.

Yes, green pumpkin seeds are packed with nutrition. They are rich in magnesium, zinc, fiber protein and other nutrients.