Preheat and prep: Heat your oven to 350°F (175°C). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper to prevent sticking and make cleanup easy.

Mash the banana: In a large bowl, mash 1 large ripe banana until smooth. You want about 1/2 cup of mashed banana.

Whisk the wet ingredients: Add 2 eggs, 1/3 cup nut or seed butter, 1/4 cup maple syrup, 1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce (or 1/4 cup Greek yogurt), and 1 teaspoon vanilla extract. Whisk until the mixture is creamy and well combined.

Stir in the dry ingredients: Add 2 cups old-fashioned rolled oats, 1/2 cup almond flour (or oat flour), 1 teaspoon baking powder, 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon, a small pinch of nutmeg (optional), and 1/4 teaspoon fine salt. Stir until everything is evenly mixed.

Fold in add-ins: Choose up to 1 cup total of your favorites—try 1/3 cup raisins, 1/3 cup chopped walnuts, and 1/3 cup dark chocolate chips. Keep it balanced so the cookies hold together.

Rest the dough: Let the mixture sit for 5–10 minutes. This allows the oats to hydrate so the cookies bake up tender and cohesive.

Portion the cookies: Scoop heaping tablespoons of dough onto the baking sheet. Press each mound gently to flatten to about 1/2-inch thick. These don’t spread much, so shape them now.

Bake: Bake for 12–15 minutes, or until the edges are set and the bottoms are lightly golden. For a softer cookie, pull them at 12–13 minutes; for a firmer one, closer to 15 minutes.

Cool: Let the cookies cool on the pan for 5 minutes, then transfer to a rack to cool completely. They’ll firm up as they cool.

Optional drizzle: If you like, drizzle with a tiny bit of melted dark chocolate or warm peanut butter once cooled.