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    Home » Cookies

    Banana Pecan Cookies with Caramel Chips

    Published: Jan 4, 2025 · by Barbara · This post may contain links on which I could make a small commission if an item is purchased · Leave a Comment

    Jump to Recipe Print Recipe

    This is one of the easier cookie recipes that are packed with flavor but really do not take a ton of work to make. Banana, caramel, and pecans are used together to make cakes, pies, tarts, and sauces, just to name a few.

    Banana pecan cookies with caramel chips sitting on a black board.

    I changed it up by adding the sea salt instead of the kosher salt just to give it one more flavor. Of course, the pecans give that wonderful buttery nuttiness to the cookies.

    Jump to:
    • Ingredients
    • Making Banana Pecan Cookies
    • Prepping
    • Mixing the Banana Pecan Caramel Cookies
    • Baking the Cookies
    • FAQ's
    • Other Cookies with Pecans
    • Recipe

    Ingredients

    Banana pecan cookies with caramel chips ingredients.
    • Butter unsalted
    • Light brown sugar
    • Sugar white 
    • Bananas
    • Sour cream
    • Egg
    • Vanilla Extract
    • All-purpose flour 
    • Sea Salt
    • Baking powder
    • Pecans
    • Caramel Chips

    My biggest disappointment is that Hershey discontinued their Caramel Sea Salt Chips. So I have had to redo several recipes to change that ingredient. Here is a link to Amazon.com, for the Lieber's Caramel Chips, but they sell the 3 bag option. This time of year, most of the places that sell one bag are out of stock.

    Making Banana Pecan Cookies

    These are pretty easy cookies to make, but there are a few things to prep before mixing the cookie dough. But other than that, it is smooth sailing.

    Prepping

    Pecans are easy to chop up into small pieces. My store has a variety of sizes for the pecans. If you can get them already chopped, skip this step.

    Chopping pecans on a cutting board with a sharp knife.

    The second most effortless part of this cookie is mashing the bananas so you can add them to the cookie dough. One of the main things I do is buy my bananas a week before I am going to use them. I try to get my bananas between no brown spots on the outside to being all dark brown on the outside. The bananas that do not have any brown spots on the outside do not have a strong banana taste when baked.

    Showing how ripe the banana is along with how to smash the banana.

    Depending on the size of your bananas, I mash and then add to a measuring cup. If your bananas are small, it may take 3 for this recipe.

    Measuring the smashed bananas amount.

    Next, weigh or measure the sugars and set them aside. You also want to weigh or measure the flour into a bowl. Add to the flour the baking powder and sea salt running a whisk through to blend.

    Mixing the Banana Pecan Caramel Cookies

    Cubed butter in a mixer bowl.

    I cube my butter before adding it to the bowl. I can tell how cold the butter still is by how much force it takes to cut through the butter stick. It may take a little longer mixing if the butter is still really cold.

    Cubed butter that has been creamed in a mixer bowl.

    If the butter is room temperature, it only takes about 2 minutes to cream the butter. If it is colder, it can take 3 to 4 minutes.

    Butter and sugars mix together in a mixer bowl.

    Next, add the sugars. Mix on a medium mixer speed for 3 minutes. There is more sugar than butter, so it will look grainy.

    Adding an egg and vanilla extract to butter-sugar mixture.

    Now comes the egg and vanilla extract. Mix until incorporated.

    Adding smashed bananas and sour cream to the wet cookie ingredients.

    Next, add the mashed bananas and the sour cream. The sour cream breaks into small pieces and your wet cookie dough will look broken, but it is not. Everything will come together after the flour is added.

    Adding the caramel chips and the chopped pecans to the wet cookie dough mix.

    It is time to add the chips and the pecans. Mix for about 10 seconds. It does not take long to mix these into the rest of the wet cookie dough.

    Folding the flour into the wet cookie dough with a spatula.

    Finally, I take the mixer bowl off the mixer and add the flour mixture. Using a spatula, mix it all together. It does not take much to mix the flour mixture into the wet ingredients.

    Cookie dough is all mixed and ready to be chilled.

    Cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes. This way, all the flavors meld together.

    Baking the Cookies

    Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C or 180°C). Grab a medium cookie scooper. You can just use a spoon and drop the cookies, but try to keep them about the same size for even baking. I also get 2 cookie sheet pans ready by lining them with parchment-paper.

    Scoop 12 scoops of cookie dough and evenly space them on the prepared cookie sheet pan, and bake them for 11-13 minutes.

    Scooped cookie dough on a parchment-lined sheet pan.

    You want them, a little brown around the bottom edge, before pulling them out of the oven and moving them to a cooling rack.

    Banana Pecan Cookies with Caramel Chips full image.

    Enjoy!

    FAQ's

    Can I use another type of nut?

    Yes, you certainly can. You could try almonds, hazelnuts, macadamia nuts, or walnuts. Of course, you could opt for no nuts at all if you like.

    How ripe do the bananas need to be?

    I like a lot of brown spots on mine. If the out side skin is just yellow, you can tell right off it is not ripe enough because of how hard it is to mash. But the other side of the coin is if the outside skin is all dark brown, to me that is too ripe.

    What if I can't find good caramel chips?

    You can certainly replace them with a chocolate chip. A dark or white chocolate chip would go well with the taste of bananas.

    Other Cookies with Pecans

    • Espresso Mascarpone with a Hint of Rum Cookies stacked on a plate.
      Espresso Mascarpone with a Hint of Rum Cookies
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      Chocolate Chips with Glazed Pecans Cookies
    • Close-up of a chocolate with caramel and pecan turtle cookies on a wooden plank
      Chocolate with Caramel and Pecan Turtle Cookies
    • Close up image of the fig pecan cookies with honey orange glaze.
      Fig Pecan Cookies with Honey Orange Glaze

    Recipe

    Banana pecan cookies with caramel chips sitting on a black board.
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    Banana Pecan Cookies with Caramel Chips

    Barbara Hall
    If you are a fan of banana and caramel these cookies will become a favorite of yours. Such a great combo.
    Prevent your screen from going dark
    5 from 1 vote
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe
    Prep Time 20 minutes mins
    Total Bake Time 22 minutes mins
    Chill 30 minutes mins
    Total Time 1 hour hr 12 minutes mins
    Course Cookies, Nuts
    Cuisine American
    Servings 24 cookies
    Calories 176 kcal

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    Ingredients
     

    • ½ cup (113.5 g) Butter unsalted
    • ½ cup (110 g) Light brown sugar
    • ½ cup (100 g) Sugar white
    • ¾ cup (112.5 g) Bananas, mashed
    • ¼ cup (57.5 g) Sour cream
    • 1 (1) Egg
    • 1 teaspoon (1 teaspoon) Vanilla Extract
    • 2 ¾ cups (343.75 g) All-purpose flour
    • ½ teaspoon (0.5 teaspoon) Sea Salt
    • 1 teaspoon (1 teaspoon) Baking powder
    • ⅔ cup (66 g) Pecans
    • ⅔ cup (157.73 g) Caramel Chips

    Instructions
     

    • Weigh or measure the sugars into one bowl and set aside. Weigh or measure the flour, baking powder, and salt running a whisk through to blend. Set the dry ingredients aside. Take the bananas and using a fork smash them. I add them to a measuring cup. The pecans you can purchase either already chopped or get whole fresh ones and chop them yourself.
    • Cube the butter into a mixer bowl and blend on a medium mixer speed until it is creamy looking about 2 minutes. Next, add the sugars and mix on a medium mixer speed for 3 to 4 minutes. I will still look grainy since there is twice as much sugar as butter.
    • I take a small bowl and add the egg before adding to the mixer bowl. I also add the vanilla extract and incorporated that into the butter-sugar mixture. Next, add the sour cream and bananas and incorporate them. The next step it to add the caramel chips and the chopped pecans.
    • Take the bowl off the stand and fold in the flour mixture. The cookie dough will be on the softer side. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator for 30 minutes to an hour.
    • Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C or 180°C) and line your cookie baking pans with parchment paper. Using a medium cookie scoop, I put 12 scoops to a pan—Bake for 11-13 minutes watching for the outside bottom of the cookie to turn slightly brown. Move them to a cooling rack to cool after taking them from the oven.

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    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.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 176kcalCarbohydrates: 26gProtein: 2gFat: 7gSaturated Fat: 3gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 2gTrans Fat: 0.2gCholesterol: 19mgSodium: 88mgPotassium: 71mgFiber: 1gSugar: 14gVitamin A: 150IUVitamin C: 0.5mgCalcium: 32mgIron: 1mg
    Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

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    5 from 1 vote (1 rating without comment)

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    Hi, I'm Barbara Hall, the baker and photographer behind My Cookie Journey, a blog devoted to creating and sharing unique cookie recipes. A retired IT pro, I now spend my day's baking, styling, and snapping photos of cookies that have been featured in multiple regional magazines.

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