Banana Cookies Recipe

Bananas are one of the most versatile fruits out there. They're perfectly delicious on their own, or you can add peanut butter or chocolate to make them more of a treat. You can make banana bread, add the fruit to oatmeal — the possibilities are practically endless. Have you ever considered adding bananas to cookies? Though that might not be the first thought when you're coming up with banana-based recipes, they work incredibly well in a cookie batter. Recipe developer Catherine Brookes of Blue Sky Eating knows a thing or two about incorporating bananas into a baked good, and her banana cookies recipe is the perfect example. 

"I love how perfectly soft and chewy these cookies are," Brookes raves about this recipe. "Chocolate and banana makes for such a delicious flavor combo!" Indeed, these cookies do combine some simple but delicious flavors, like banana, chocolate chips, and cinnamon. If you have ripe bananas on hand, give that banana bread recipe a break and opt for this tasty cookie option, instead.

The first step in making these banana cookies is to make sure you have the right ingredients. Check your pantry and fridge first, but otherwise gear up for a grocery run to grab anything you might be missing. You'll need room temperature butter, light brown sugar, white sugar, an egg yolk, mashed ripe bananas, vanilla extract, all-purpose flour, baking soda, cinnamon, salt, and dark chocolate chips. Brookes notes that you could swap out the chocolate chips and opt for nuts instead, or even peanut butter chips. And as for the bananas, you'll want to make sure that they're nice and ripe. "The riper the bananas the better," she explains. "If they're really brown and spotty, that's perfect!"

As with any cookie recipe, you'll want to start this one by making the dough. Add the softened butter and both sugars into the bowl of a stand mixer, then beat them together for 4 minutes. The butter and sugar mix should be nice and smooth. Add in the egg yolk, vanilla extract, and mashed bananas, then beat again until combined.

Next, get your dry mix going in a separate bowl. Whisk together the flour, salt, baking soda, and cinnamon, then pour this mixture into the bowl with the wet ingredients. Beat everything on a low speed, just until the ingredients come together to form a sticky dough. Finally, add in your chocolate chips and mix just enough so that they're evenly incorporated. 

After you've formed your cookie dough, go ahead and pop it into the fridge to chill for 1 hour. If you're in a pinch for time, you could put the dough into the freezer for 30 minutes instead. When the chill time is nearing its end, go ahead and preheat your oven to 350 F and line two baking sheets with parchment paper.

Pull your dough out of the fridge and begin shaping the cookies. Using your hands, grab a chunk of the dough and roll it into a ball — Brookes aims for hers to weigh roughly 1.8 ounces each. Keep in mind that the dough will be sticky, but the chilling period should help make it more manageable. As you roll each cookie ball, place them onto the lined baking sheet, allowing space in between for spreading while the cookies bake. 

When both of your baking sheets are full of cookie dough, pop them into the oven to bake for 10-12 minutes. Once the cookies start to brown around the edges, you'll know that they're done baking. Allow the cookies to cool on the baking sheets for 15 minutes, then transfer them to wire racks to finish cooling. Just like that, you're ready to enjoy these delicious banana cookies!

Brookes recommends enjoying these cookies "dunked in a glass of milk, [or] with a cup of tea or coffee," adding that you could also "make an ice cream cookie sandwich!" As for leftovers, you can store them for up to four days in an airtight container. We hope you love these perfectly warm, chewy, and flavorful cookies!