These Banana Bread Cookies are soft, tender cookies with the comforting flavor of classic banana bread. Mashed ripe bananas add moisture and natural sweetness to the dough, giving these cookies their rich banana flavor and soft texture. They are a wonderful way to use ripe bananas while turning the familiar flavor of banana bread into an easy-to-make cookie recipe.
Whether you see some good looking ripe bananas at the store or right on your counter, these Banana Bread Cookies are a perfect way to use them.
If you enjoy baking with bananas, you might also like my Banana Cookies with Peanut Butter Icing or Banana with Chocolate and Caramel Chip Cookies. For a richer cookie, try my Chocolate Banana Bread Cookies or Banana Pecan Cookies with Caramel Chips.
Jump to:
- A Quick Look: Banana Bread Cookies
- Still Have Questions?
- Why You'll Love this Cookie
- Chocolate Chips or Walnuts? Both Work
- Choosing the Right Bananas
- Key Ingredients for Cookie Dough
- Key Ingredients for Frosting
- How to Make Banana Bread Cookies
- 🫙🍪 Storage
- Banana Bread Cookie FAQs
- ❄️ Can I Freeze This Cookie?
- Love Chocolate Chips in Cookies?
- Recipe
A Quick Look: Banana Bread Cookies
Recipe Name: Banana Bread Cookies
Ready In: about 1 hour and 45 minutes (including chill)
Yield: 34 cookies
Texture: Soft and tender with a cake-like crumb, similar to a slice of banana bread. The cookies stay moist from the mashed bananas, while chocolate chips or walnuts add small pockets of sweetness or crunch.
Flavor Profile: Warm banana flavor with a gentle sweetness similar to classic banana bread. A touch of maple syrup adds depth and a light caramel-like note, while the cream cheese icing brings a smooth, tangy finish.
Difficulty: Easy to make. The dough mixes together quickly using mashed ripe bananas, and the cookies bake in just a few minutes, making this a simple recipe even for beginner bakers.
Still Have Questions?
Use the buttons below if you would like more details before you start baking.
Why You'll Love this Cookie
- A great way to use ripe bananas - If you have bananas on the counter getting spotted, these cookies turn them into a soft, flavorful treat.
- Soft like banana bread in cookie form - You get the comforting flavor of banana bread in an easy cookie that bakes much faster.
- Flexible mix-ins - Make them with chocolate chips for a sweeter cookie or walnuts for a classic banana bread combination.
- Maple and cream cheese icing twist - A touch of maple syrup and the creamy icing add a special bakery-style finish.
Chocolate Chips or Walnuts? Both Work
The chocolate chip version came about when my granddaughter asked for banana bread cookies without walnuts. Since she is not a fan of nuts, chocolate chips were the obvious choice. After baking both versions again, I realized they are both worth sharing. Just swap out the chocolate chips for walnuts.
I added mini chocolate chips on top with a half a piece of a banana chip for decoration.
A few chopped walnuts on top are all you need for a simple decoration.
Choosing the Right Bananas
Bananas add moisture and natural sweetness to these cookies, but the ripeness of the fruit can affect both texture and flavor.
Tip: Choose Ripe Bananas
For the best texture, use ripe bananas with brown spots on the peel. They mash easily with a fork and blend smoothly into the cookie dough. Very dark or fully brown bananas will be sweeter and can be used, but I usually prefer bananas that are ripe and spotted rather than completely overripe.
Key Ingredients for Cookie Dough
Cookie Dough Notes
- Bananas - Ripe bananas with some brown spots on the peel.
- Pure maple syrup - Use a good-quality pure maple syrup for the best flavor. Some lighter syrups can be mild in taste, so choose one with a richer maple flavor. My favorite brand is Escuminac from Canada.
- Chocolate chips - I used semi-sweet regular-sized chips which I also use in my Thin and Crispy Chocolate Chip Cookies.
See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.
Key Ingredients for Frosting
Frosting Notes
- Butter unsalted - My brand is almost always Land O Lakes.
- Cream cheese - Philadelphia Cream Cheese has the best taste and creaminess.
- Mini chocolate chips - Great for decorating or mixing into the dough. They also work beautifully in my Coconut Almond Chocolate Cream Cheese Cookies.
- Banana chips - I purchased these at my local grocery store in the bulk aisle. Breaking them in half before adding them to the tops of the finished cookies.
See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.
How to Make Banana Bread Cookies
Prep
Step 1: Weigh or measure the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon, whisking to blend. In another bowl weigh or measure both sugars and set it aside. Take the ripe bananas and mash them into a bowl, setting them aside.
Mix the Dough
Step 1: Cube the butter into the mixer bowl.
Step 2: Cream the butter on a medium mixer speed for about a minute.
Step 3: Add both sugars to the creamed butter and mix for 3 minutes on a medium mixer speed. There is more sugar than butter so it will look a little grainy.
Step 4: Add one egg, the vanilla extract, and the maple syrup to the sugar-butter mixture and blend.
Step 5: Add the second egg and finish blending.
Step 6: Now for the good stuff, add the smashed bananas and mix until the bananas are incorporated.
Step 7: Turn the mixer to low speed and add the flour mixture about a third at a time. After the flour is incorporated, add the chocolate chips.
Step 8: This cookie dough is very soft, so chilling it helps firm the butter back up.
Chill
Step 9: Cover and chill for one hour.
Scoop and Bake
Step 10: Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C or 180°C) and line two cookie sheet pans with parchment paper.
Step 11: Using a medium cookie scoop add 12 mounds of cookie dough to a prepared sheet pan. Once the dough is placed on the parchment paper, it will be difficult to move because the dough is very soft.
Step 12: Bake for 11-13 minutes. Once out of the oven leave them on the sheet pan for a minute or two before moving them to a cooling rack.
Making the Frosting
Step 13: Wait until the cookies have cooled to start the icing. Measure the powdered sugar and set it aside.
Step 14: In a mixer bowl add the cream cheese and cube the butter. Blend on a medium mixer speed for about a minute. Add the maple syrup and mix for about 30 seconds.
Step 15: Lower the mixer speed to low and add about a third of the powdered sugar until blended into the butter-cream cheese mixture. Then turn the mixer to a medium-high setting for 3 to 4 minutes.
Step 16: Spread icing onto the tops of the cooled cookies. I added a few of the mini chocolate chips and half of a banana chip for decoration.
Enjoy the cookies!
🫙🍪 Storage
These banana cookies are moist, so you do not always want to seal them in an airtight container. Instead, I put them into a plastic container where I can lay the lid on top but not seal it, or if they start to dry out, I can seal them to retain some of the moisture. They will last for 5-7 days.
Banana Bread Cookie FAQs
For the best texture and flavor, full-fat cream cheese works best in the icing. Lower-fat versions can be softer and may make the icing thinner. If you enjoy baking with cream cheese, you might also like browsing my Cream Cheese Cookie Recipes for more cookie ideas.
Yes. The cookies are soft and flavorful on their own, and the icing is optional. The cream cheese icing adds a sweet, tangy finish, but the cookies can certainly be enjoyed plain if you prefer a lighter cookie.
❄️ Can I Freeze This Cookie?
I do not typically freeze cookie dough when testing my recipes, so the instructions above reflect how this cookie was baked and stored. If you would like to explore general freezing options, the AI tool below can provide additional guidance.
Love Chocolate Chips in Cookies?
If you tried this Banana Bread Cookies recipe or any other recipe on my blog, please leave a ⭐ star rating and let me know below. Thanks!
Recipe
Banana Bread Cookies
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Ingredients
Banana Cookies
- ½ cup (113.5 g) Butter
- ¾ cup (150 g) White sugar
- ¼ cup (55 g) Light brown sugar
- 2 (2) Egg
- 1 teaspoons (1 teaspoons) Pure vanilla extract
- 1 ½ cup (225 g) Bananas, mashed
- 2 ½ cups (312.5 g) All-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon (0.5 teaspoon) Baking soda
- 1 teaspoon (1 teaspoon) Baking Power
- ½ teaspoon (0.5 teaspoon) Ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon (0.25 teaspoon) Salt
- 1 Tablespoon (1 Tablespoon) Pure maple syrup
- 1 cup (117 g) Chocolate chips
Maple Cream Cheese Frosting
- ½ cup (113.5 g) Butter unsalted
- 4 oz (113.4 g) Cream cheese
- 2 teaspoon (2 teaspoon) Pure maple syrup
- 2 cups (240 g) Powdered sugar
- ⅓ cup Mini chocolate chips
- ⅓ cup Banana chips
Instructions
Making Banana Cookies
- Take 3 to 4 ripe bananas and mash them with a fork until you have 1½ cups. Next, weigh or measure the white and light brown sugars into a bowl and set them aside. In another bowl, weigh or measure the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt, whisking to blend.
- Add the cubed butter to a mixer bowl and cream on medium speed for about 1 minute. Then add both sugars and beat on medium speed for about 3 minutes. Next, add the eggs one at a time along with the vanilla extract and maple syrup, mixing until fully blended. Then add the mashed bananas and combine.
- Scrape down the sides of the bowl and turn the mixer to low speed. Gradually add the flour mixture to the cookie dough. Finally, mix in the chocolate chips. This dough is soft, so refrigerate it for at least 1 hour.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C or 180°C) and line a sheet pan with parchment paper. Using a medium cookie scoop, place 12 scoops of dough about 2 inches apart onto the sheet pan. Bake for 11-13 minutes, then transfer the cookies to a cooling rack. Start the frosting once the cookies have completely cooled.
Making the Frosting
- Add the butter and cream cheese to a mixer bowl and mix for about 2 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl, then add the maple syrup and powdered sugar. Start on low speed until the powdered sugar is incorporated, then increase the mixer to medium-high speed and beat for about 3-4 minutes until smooth and creamy.
- Using a butter knife, spread the frosting over each cooled cookie. I like to top the cookies with a few mini chocolate chips and half of a banana chip.
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Notes
This cookie dough is very soft because of the mashed bananas. Chilling the dough helps firm the butter and makes it easier to scoop. Banana Ripeness
Use ripe bananas with brown spots on the peel for the best banana flavor and sweetness. Chocolate Chips or Walnuts
These cookies work well with either chocolate chips or chopped walnuts depending on your preference.
NUTRITION DISCLAIMER
I am not a certified Dietitian or Nutritionist. The nutrition amounts given below are provided through a program and are only a guideline.
Jill says
Wow! Amazing cookies and delicious icing! I followed recipe exact, and they came out perfect. Will make again!
Barbara Hall says
Hi Jill, I am so glad you liked the cookies! I love banana anything! - Barbara