These healthy zucchini banana cookies make for a great snack for babies and adults alike! Packed with oats, shredded zucchini, mashed banana & applesauce + vegan & gluten free. They’re an easy Baby-Led Weaning recipe to try!
As a healthy foodie, I thoroughly enjoy whipping up nutritious, delicious eats to nourish my husband and me. Spending time in the kitchen making plant-based meals & snacks is just something that’s a part of my day and healthy lifestyle. And nowadays, my cooking & baking routine has expanded, as I prepare eats for my baby… who has become quite the eating machine!
I’ve been having a lot of fun feeding Camryn solid foods. She’s fun to feed because so far she likes most things, and her faces are so expressive when she tries something she’s a fan of (or not!). Since I’m passionate about eating a nourishing diet with a lot of variety, I’m devoted to making my daughter a healthy foodie too. So far, so good!
From early on with my baby’s foray into eating real food, my style of feeding has been a mix of purees and letting her feed herself – the latter of which a lot of moms refer to as baby-led weaning. Oftentimes, I’ll throw Camryn in her high chair and give her a finger food while I prep whatever meal I’m making for myself. This usually also gives me some time to do other things, like make baby bottles, send out a few emails and tidy up the kitchen.
The gist behind baby-led weaning is that by jumping straight to finger foods when introducing solids, it allows babies to develop those pincher skills – hello hand/eye coordination! – get used to different textures, and to self-regulate how much they eat based on hunger cues.
Although some food inevitably winds up in Camryn’s bib, lap, and seat, she’s gotten pretty good at feeding herself. From Cheerios and sliced banana, to apple spinach puffs, cut up oatmeal pancakes and these zucchini banana cookies, my baby loves to self-feed. And now that she has 6 teeth, she’s chewing food up fast – seemingly speed eating before maniacally signaling, “MORE!!” to me in sign language. It’s hysterical!
Baby-Led Weaning Recipe: Oatmeal Zucchini Banana Cookies
These oatmeal zucchini banana cookies are an easy recipe with a simple ingredient list that I’ve been whipping up. I like to sneak veggies into meals, and zucchini is a great veggie to use in baked goods for its mild flavor and versatility. You honestly can’t even taste it, and the shredded zucchini blends right into the batter – which consists of oats, mashed banana, applesauce, flaxseed eggs, and a bit of coconut oil.
The recipe makes about 18 cookies, so once I make a batch, I have a healthy snack for my babe all week long. Don’t get me wrong though, I also nosh on these cookies myself! 🙂
Baby-Led Weaning Oatmeal Zucchini Banana Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 cup dry oats
- 1 small zucchini about 2/3 cup shredded
- 1 ripe banana
- 1/3 cup unsweetened applesauce
- 2 flaxseed eggs: 2 TBSP ground flaxseed + 6 TBSP water
- 1 TBSP melted coconut oil
- 1 TSP baking powder
- 1/4 TSP cinnamon
- Pinch of salt optional
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Coat a large baking sheet with cooking spray.
- Combine the ground flaxseed and water in a small bowl. Briefly stir and set aside.
- Place the oats in a food processor and pulse until they're mostly ground.
- Shred the zucchini using a box grater or shredding tool. Use your hands to squeeze out excess moisture, then place in the food processor.
- Mash the banana, then add to the processor.
- Add in the remaining ingredients: flax egg, applesauce, melted coconut oil, baking powder, cinnamon & salt, if using. Process just until the mixture is evenly combined.
- Spoon the batter onto the baking sheet, forming about 18 cookies.
- Cook for 16-20 minutes, or until the bottoms of the cookies are lightly browned and the cookies are mostly firm.
- Allow the cookies to cool slightly on the baking sheet, then transfer them to a cooling rack.
- Enjoy! These cookies will stay good in the fridge in a closed container for a week.
- Tip: When feeding leftover cookies to baby, I like to break the cookies into pieces and pop it in the microwave for just a few seconds to get them a bit soft and warm.
I don’t have a baby, but I want to make these cookies for myself! I love zucchini and I love oat baked goods!
I totally eat them myself! They’re low in calories so they’re great as a little something to munch of while I’m prepping a meal.
It’s been a long time since I had a toddler! I would eat these myself though they look great
They are definitely yummy for adults and kiddos alike!
Oh, I remember the days of the bib and the sign language for “more”! Truthfully, the bib might go away, but the crumbs don’t. I think there’s an extra dinner on the floor around Robbie’s chair every night. 🙂 Hey, that’s what the puppies are for, right? I love the sound of these cookies. We’ve been eating a ton of zucchini lately to bulk out our dinner plates, but I might have to steal one to make a batch of these cookies. I do love a good oat cookie!
Totally! My dog already waits next to the high chair so that when I get Camryn out, she can get all of the drops of crumbs that are sitting in her lap haha.
I love the combination of banana and zucchini – perfectly nutritious, soft and naturally sweet! I used to love feeding my baby twins lots of different healthy things and it’s totally paid off. They’re nearly 6 now and eat absolutely everything, with one or two exceptions. More importantly, they’re always happy to try new things, which I am just thrilled about. These look absolutely delicious!!
I love to hear that! I’m hoping to instill a healthy attitude towards food and a willingness to try new foods in my baby 🙂
I’ve been so into baking with zucchini these days! I’ll take a few of these for myself!
I bet you’d like em! Zucchini is a great veggie to bake with, as you know!
Could I use regular eggs instead of flaxseed? Would it be a 1:1 replacement (2 eggs)?
Thanks! Hoping to make these this weekend.
Absolutely! Yes, sub in 2 eggs. Hope that your baby enjoys these cookies! 🙂
Are these 2 grams protein per cookie? My little girl has protein restrictions. I feel like she would like these though!
Hi Jessica! There’s 2 grams of protein per 2 cookies. Hope you try them out!