Soft and warm, banana bread cookies are a tasty snack with the flavors of the quick bread, but this banana cookie recipe is quicker and easier to make!
This banana cookie recipe is simply the best. They're soft, with crispy edges and chewy centers. The ingredients are almost identical to a banana bread recipe.
You'll love how comforting these banana bread cookies are. One bite is like a warm hug from your oven.
Why This Recipe is Better Than Others
- No need to chill the dough. Plenty of cookie recipes suggest chilling the dough to prevent spreading, but not this one! The cookie dough is thick enough to prevent the drop cookies from spreading too much.
- A great way to use overly ripe or frozen bananas. When they're too ripe for eating as-is, this easy banana bread cookie recipe is perfect for using them up. If you like to meal prep, learn how to freeze bananas, because there are plenty of uses for them!
You can use them to make a banana bundt cake or a bananas foster dessert! - Freezer friendly. Save time by baking batches of cookies ahead of Christmas. They freeze well for about 2 months.
- No electric mixer needed. You can use a mixer if you have one, but you don't have to. Just mix everything together with a big mixing spoon and you're all set to drop and bake.
Ingredients
See ingredient substitutions in the next section. ⬇️
To make this easy cookie recipe, you'll need:
- all-purpose flour
- white granulated sugar
- salted butter: Salt is an important ingredient in baked goods because it enhances the flavors and balances the sweetness.
- ripe mashed bananas - The riper they are, the better, because bananas become sweeter as they ripen. Just avoid using green/under ripe bananas, and toss out any with white mold spots on the peel.
- large eggs
- vanilla extract
- ground cinnamon
- baking soda - This leavener requires a liquid and an acidic ingredient to activate it.
- baking powder - Unlike baking soda, this leavener is already acidic, so it only needs a liquid ingredient to activate it.
📖 Time-Saving Tip - Testing Baking Soda or Baking Powder for Freshness
This simple little test can save you time and money, because if your leavener is expired, whatever you're baking wont rise in the oven! This test works for baking soda and baking powder:
- Add about ½ teaspoon of baking soda or powder to a small bowl. Stir in an equal amount of an acidic ingredient, like vinegar or citrus juice.
- If the solution doesn't start to bubble immediately, it's time to replace your leavener.
Substitutions and Recipe Variations
- all-purpose flour: If you'd like to make gluten-free cookies, substitute the AP flour with any cup-for-cup brand of gluten-free all-purpose flour. Two popular brands are Bob's Red Mill and King Arthur Flour.
- baking powder: If you happen to be out of baking powder, but you have baking soda and cream of tarter, you can make a baking powder replacement!
To use baking soda as a substitute for baking powder, mix ½ teaspoon of cream of tartar with ¼ teaspoon of baking soda for every 1 teaspoon of baking powder. - white granulated sugar: To cut down on the calories of your cookies, feel free to use any cup-for-cup granulated sugar substitute. Monkfruit sugar is a good option.
Light brown sugar can be used instead, but it does add a slight molasses flavor, which actually complements the fruit. - salted butter: If you need or want to use unsalted butter, just add ¼ teaspoon of sea salt to the other dry ingredients.
Although I haven't tested this recipe with any butter substitutes, most should work well. - egg: Egg yolks are important for creating moist banana bread cookies, so I haven't tested any egg substitutes with this recipe. If you want to do some testing on your own, feel free!
For tips and suggestions, read my article, Egg Substitutes for Baking. - vanilla extract: If you need or want an alcohol-free flavoring, you can use vanilla essence. Another option is to use banana or almond extract instead of vanilla.
Variations
- Add chopped walnuts or other chopped nuts. For a bit of crunch, add half a cup of chopped walnuts after you’ve mixed in the flour. Pecans, almonds, and cashews are other good nut options.
- Add chocolate chips: Semi-sweet or dark chocolate chips would be a delicious addition.
- Icing: Make a cinnamon powdered sugar icing to drizzle over the tops, or dip the cookies into the icing for extra sweetness.
How to Make Banana Bread Cookies
Summary only. The complete recipe instructions are in the card at the bottom of this post ⬇️
- Whisk the melted butter, sugar, and eggs together in a large bowl.
- Stir in the bananas and all remaining ingredients except for the flour. You can mash the bananas before or after you add them to the bowl.
- Stir in the flour, but to prevent dry, crumbly cookies, avoid over mixing.
- Drop cookie dough onto greased or parchment-lined baking sheets.
- Bake cookies in preheated 350°F. oven for 10 to 12 minutes.
- Cool the banana bread cookies on a wire rack.
Liz's Tips for the Best Cookies
- Stir in the flour gently to avoid over mixing. It's okay if you notice a few small streaks of flour in the dough.
- Use a cookie scoop for consistent sizes. Keeping the dough balls the same size will ensure that all of the banana bread cookies bake evenly.
- If you plan to freeze the cookies, separate the cookies with squares of wax paper or parchment to prevent them from sticking together.
Storing and Freezing
Storing: These cookies are best when kept in an airtight container located in a cool, dry area. They'll stay fresh for about 5 days. Refrigerating them will keep them fresh for up to a week.
Freezing: This banana cookie recipe is freezer friendly! After cooling your treats, freeze them in a freezer-safe container for up to 2 months. Unfortunately, the raw cookie dough doesn't freeze well because it absorbs too much moisture as it thaws.
Reheating: If reheating cookies from the fridge, cook them on High power in the microwave for a few seconds. To reheat frozen banana bread cookies, first thaw them at room temperature. Then, wrap them in a paper towel and microwave them for about 10 seconds.
Banana Cookie Recipe FAQ
While these cookies do not have to be refrigerated, they do last a couple of days longer in the fridge.
On average, 2 medium-sized bananas is equal to 1 cup of mashed banana.
Other Easy Christmas Treats
Banana Bread Cookies
Ingredients
- ½ cup salted butter melted (1 stick)
- ½ cup granulated white sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 1 cup mashed bananas 2 medium-sized overly ripe bananas
- 1½ teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
- 1½ teaspoons baking soda
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350℉ and grease or line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the melted butter and sugar for one minute until light and fluffy.
- Once combined, add eggs, mashed bananas, and vanilla. Whisk well to combine.
- Add in the cinnamon, baking soda, baking powder and flour. Stir to combine, but avoid over mixing.
- Using a spoon or small cookie scoop, drop portions of dough onto the prepared baking sheet, about 2 tablespoons of dough per cookie.
- Bake in preheated oven for 12 minutes, or golden brown. Let cookies cool on pan for 3 minutes, then transfer to a metal cooling rack to finish cooling.
Helpful Notes and Tips From Liz
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- Test your baking soda and baking powder for freshness. It's best to do this before making the dough, to avoid wasting ingredients. Instructions on how to do this are in the blog post for this recipe.
- Use a cookie scoop for even baking. Keeping the drop cookie dough portions the same size will prevent any banana bread cookies from over-baking or under-baking.
Nettle
These were so easy and soft and tasty. I halved the recipe bc I only had one banana and it all turned out great. Thank you for sharing!