These Banana Bread Cookies are the perfect hybrid treat, combining the comforting flavor of homemade banana bread with the convenience of a soft, bite-sized cookie. Loaded with sweet ripe bananas and melty semi-sweet chocolate chips, they are essentially portable muffin tops that melt in your mouth.
With a soft, cakey texture and a rich buttery taste, these cookies are a delicious way to use up those spotty bananas sitting on your counter.
Recipe Details
- Flavor Profile: These cookies taste exactly like a slice of freshly baked banana bread, sweetened with sugar and studded with rich chocolate chips.
- Texture: Unlike chewy cookies, these have a soft, pillow-like, cakey texture similar to a muffin top or a soft-baked cookie.
- Time: 10 minutes prep, 12 minutes bake time.
- Difficulty: Easy. The batter comes together in one bowl with a hand mixer.
What You’ll Need
To make this recipe, you will need a hand mixer or stand mixer to cream the butter and sugar properly. You will also need a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, as the batter is sticky. The ingredients are standard pantry baking staples like flour, sugar, and butter, plus three large ripe bananas.
Ingredient Notes
- Bananas – You need 3 large ripe bananas. The riper and browner the bananas, the sweeter and more flavorful the cookies will be.
- Butter – Use 1 stick of unsalted butter. It should be softened so it creams easily with the sugar.
- Sugar – Granulated sugar provides sweetness and helps create a tender crumb.
- Eggs – Two eggs add structure and richness to the batter.
- Chocolate Chips – Semisweet chocolate chips provide a nice balance to the sweet banana dough, but milk chocolate works too.
- Flour – Standard all-purpose flour holds the wet batter together.
- Baking Soda – This helps the cookies rise and become fluffy.
Add-ins and Substitutions
- Nuts – Walnuts or pecans are a classic addition to banana bread. Stir in 1/2 cup of chopped nuts along with the chocolate chips for added crunch.
- Spices – For a warmer flavor, you can add 1 teaspoon of ground cinnamon or a pinch of nutmeg to the dry ingredients.
- Chocolate – You can swap the semisweet chips for peanut butter chips or white chocolate chips for a different flavor profile.
How to Make Banana Bread Cookies
- Prep: Preheat your oven to 350 degrees and line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.
- Cream Wet Ingredients: In a large bowl, beat together the butter and granulated sugar until light and fluffy. Then, add your eggs, vanilla extract, and bananas. Beat until combined. (Note: The bananas will mash as you beat them, but you can mash them beforehand if you prefer a smoother texture).
- Add Dry Ingredients: On low speed, mix in the all-purpose flour, baking soda, and salt. Mix just until combined and no dry streaks remain.
- Add Chocolate: Stir in the semisweet chocolate chips by hand.
- Scoop and Bake: Drop the batter by teaspoonfuls onto your lined cookie sheet, spacing them about 2 inches apart. Note: The batter will be very wet do not worry if you aren’t able to form the dough into balls; just drop mounds onto the paper. Bake for 12 minutes, until the edges begin to turn a light golden brown.
Pro Tip: Do not be tempted to add more flour! The batter is supposed to be wet and sticky, almost like a thick cake batter. This moisture is exactly what makes the final cookie so soft and fluffy.
Recipe Tips
- Parchment Paper: Because this batter is wet and sticky, parchment paper is essential for easy removal. Greasing the pan alone might lead to sticking.
- Don’t Overmix: Once you add the flour, mix only until combined. Overmixing can result in tough, rubbery cookies instead of soft, tender ones.
- Cooling: Let the cookies sit on the baking sheet for a minute or two after taking them out of the oven to set, then transfer to a wire rack. They are very soft when hot.
FAQs
- Can I use frozen bananas? Yes, thaw them completely and drain off any excess liquid before adding them to the batter.
- Why are my cookies fluffy? These are designed to be “cakey” cookies. The high moisture content from the bananas and eggs creates a texture closer to banana bread than a crisp cookie.
- How do I store them? Because of the moisture content, store them in an airtight container with a piece of parchment paper between layers to prevent them from sticking together.
Serving Suggestions
- Coffee: These are the perfect morning companion to a hot cup of coffee or tea.
- Dessert: Make a sandwich with two cookies and a scoop of vanilla ice cream in the middle.
- Breakfast: Since they are essentially banana bread, they make a great grab-and-go breakfast treat.
Make This Recipe in Advance
- Freezing: These cookies freeze beautifully. Place the cooled cookies in a freezer-safe bag or container and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw at room temperature.
- Storage: Keep them in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days, or in the refrigerator for up to a week.
Banana Bread Cookies
- Total Time: 22 minutes
- Yield: Approx. 24-30 Cookies
- Diet: Vegetarian
Description
These Banana Bread Cookies are the perfect hybrid treat, combining the comforting flavor of homemade banana bread with the convenience of a soft, bite-sized cookie. Loaded with sweet ripe bananas and melty semi-sweet chocolate chips, they are essentially portable muffin tops that melt in your mouth. With a soft, cakey texture and a rich buttery taste, these cookies are a delicious way to use up those spotty bananas sitting on your counter.
Ingredients
- 3 large ripe bananas (the browner, the better)
- 1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter, softened
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
Instructions
Prep
Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Note: Greasing the pan is not enough; parchment is essential because the batter is sticky.
Cream Butter & Sugar
In a large bowl or stand mixer, beat the softened butter and granulated sugar together until light and fluffy.
Add Wet Ingredients
Add the eggs, vanilla extract, and bananas. Beat until combined. The beaters will mash the bananas as you mix, but you can mash them with a fork beforehand if you prefer a smoother texture.
Add Dry Ingredients
Turn the mixer to low speed. Add the all-purpose flour, baking soda, and salt. Mix just until combined and no dry streaks of flour remain. Do not overmix.
Fold in Chocolate
Stir in the chocolate chips by hand.
Scoop
Drop the batter by rounded teaspoonfuls onto the prepared baking sheet, spacing them about 2 inches apart. Important: The batter will be very wet and sticky, almost like thick cake batter. Do not try to roll them into balls; just drop mounds onto the paper.
Bake
Bake for 12 minutes, or until the edges begin to turn a light golden brown.
Cool
Let the cookies sit on the baking sheet for 1-2 minutes to set, then transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely.
Notes
The Texture: These are designed to be “cakey” cookies. The high moisture content from the bananas creates a soft, pillowy texture similar to a muffin top, rather than a chewy or crisp cookie.
Don’t Add Flour: Resist the temptation to add more flour when you see how wet the batter is. If you add more, the cookies will become dry and bready.
Frozen Bananas: You can use frozen bananas! Thaw them completely and drain off any excess liquid before adding them to the batter.
Storage: Because these cookies are moist, store them in an airtight container with a piece of parchment paper between layers to prevent them from sticking together. They stay fresh for 3 days at room temperature or up to a week in the fridge.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 12 minutes
- Category: Dessert / Snack
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 Cookie
- Calories: 120
- Sugar: 10g
- Sodium: 60mg
- Fat: 5g
- Saturated Fat: 3g
- Unsaturated Fat: 2g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 18g
- Fiber: 1g
- Protein: 2g
- Cholesterol: 25mg
Keywords: banana bread cookies, soft banana cookies, ripe banana recipes, muffin top cookies, cake mix cookies texture, chocolate chip banana cookies, easy baking recipes
