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This banana cookies recipe is the best, hands down! Each bite is soft and chewy, infused with the rich flavor of brown butter and spiced with warm cinnamon.
Forget everything you thought you knew about banana cookies. These are the absolute best, hands down! The brown butter infuses them with a rich, nutty flavor, while the warm cinnamon adds a touch of spice that takes them to the next level. Every bite is soft, chewy, and bursting with the delicious taste of ripe bananas. You won’t be able to resist them!
Why these are the best banana cookies
These banana cookies are the absolute best, and here’s why: they have the best banana-scented flavor and chewy, buttery texture. We had one ripe banana on hand and wanted cookies, but didn’t want to create just another blob-like cakey cookie like many cookies with banana. No, this had to be buttery, chewy, and crinkly (if possible). And we achieved it! Here’s what make these cookies great:
- They have a chewy, soft and crinkly texture. When adding fruits like banana and pumpkin to cookies, they can get very cakey instead of buttery. Like our pumpkin cookies, these banana cookies have just enough butter to make the perfect texture.
- Brown butter adds rich, caramel undertones. Brown butter adds nuanced flavor notes that take these cookies over the top.
- Our friends and family can’t resist them! When we made these, our friends and family couldn’t stop talking about them. (Wow, that is good!) So we knew this recipe was a winner.
- They store well. Cookie storage is important, since you’re likely not going to eat them all at once. These hold up very well at room temperature, refrigerated, or frozen.
The most important part: a ripe banana!
This banana cookies recipe requires just one ripe banana, which is nice for when you don’t have enough bananas on hand for banana bread or banana muffins.
As with any banana baked good, you’ll want a very ripe banana: the blacker the better! Bananas with a blackened peel bring added moisture, sweetness, and pure fruity flavor to baked goods like bread, muffins, pancakes, cookies, cake, and more. Don’t try making this recipe with anything but an extremely ripe banana.
Tips for baking banana cookies
Cookies can be temperamental, and banana cookies are no different. It’s challenging to get cookies that look perfectly identical. Here are a few tips for upping your baking game:
- Use a cookie scoop. If you have a 1 ½ tablespoon cookie scoop, it’s helpful for portioning the dough perfectly.
- If you have high quality non-stick cookie sheets, you can bake both sheets at once. This has become our preferred method for cookies. We recommend using two of these non-stick cookie sheets for the most even bake (keep reading for more).
- If not, bake each tray separately. Refrigerate the cookie dough while the first tray bakes.
- Remember, the crinkles happen while the cookies cool. You’ll remove the cookies when they are puffed, then they will cool and settle into crinkles.
Non-stick cookie sheets make for an even bake
Another tip for this banana cookies recipe is the quality of pans matters! We’ve experimented and when we used shiny aluminum pan with parchment paper, the size and shape of the cookies was completely off. However, baking on this non-stick cookie sheet worked great.
So, we recommend using two of these non-stick cookie sheets for the most even bake! The entire batch baked on these, rotating the sheets in the middle of baking, should come out out beautifully consistent.
Optional: add a glaze
Want to step up these banana cookies? You can add a glaze or icing! Keep in mind that the glaze adds additional moisture so the cookies don’t hold up as well during storage. You’ll want to store the cookies refrigerated for best results with a glaze. You can either add an icing drizzle with a fork or dip the cookies into the glaze. Here are a few ideas:
- Try this delicious Maple Glaze
- Go for Powdered Sugar Glaze like on these pumpkin cookies
- Try a Vanilla Glaze
- Go for a Easy Cream Cheese Glaze (make sure to keep this refrigerated)
Storage for banana cookies
These banana cookies hold up well over time. This is a must for cookies in our opinion, since you’re making them in such a big batch. Here’s what to note about storing these cookies:
- Store in a sealed container at room temperature for 1 week. The texture holds up well: no need to add anything to the container.
- Store refrigerated for 2 weeks. Allow to come to room temperature before serving.
- Store frozen for up to 3 months.
More banana recipes
Want more with ripe bananas? Here are our favorite ways to use them?
- Try Our Best Banana Bread Recipe or Chocolate Chip Banana Bread
- Go for fan-favorite Healthy Banana Muffins
- Make Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins
- Try Go-To Banana Pancakes, Banana Waffles, or Banana Baked Oatmeal
- Make Chocolate Covered Bananas
This banana cookies recipe is…
Vegetarian.
Banana Cookies (Soft & Chewy!)
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Total Time: 35 minutes
- Yield: 24 to 26 1x
Description
This banana cookies recipe is the best, hands down! Each bite is soft and chewy, infused with the rich flavor of brown butter and spiced with warm cinnamon.
Ingredients
- 10 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 2 cups (280 g) all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 tablespoon cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 cup granulated sugar, plus more for rolling
- 1 egg yolk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ cup mashed very ripe bananas
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F.
- Slice the butter into pieces and place it in a skillet over medium heat. Heat for about 5 minutes until it melts, turns foamy, and then becomes golden brown in color and smells nutty. Immediately remove from the heat and transfer to a bowl. Transfer to the freezer for 15 minutes to cool (you can also do this in advance and cool it to room temperature).
- In a medium bowl, whisk the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt.
- Add the cooled browned butter to the bowl of a stand mixer. Add the sugar and mix on High speed for 1 minute, until light and fluffy. Add the egg yolk and vanilla extract, and beat on High speed for 1 minute. Add the mashed banana and mix just until incorporated, scraping once. Pour in the bowl of dry ingredients and mix on Low speed until just combined.
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Place ¼ cup granulated sugar on a plate. Roll the dough in 1 ½ tablespoon balls, using a cookie scoop if possible, then roll the ball into the plate of sugar. Repeat to make 2 trays of 12 cookies (24 to 26 total).
- Add the trays to the oven and bake 12 to 13 minutes, until puffed, reversing the trays at the 7 minute mark (the cookies will settle into the crinkles when the cool.) Allow to cool on the pan 5 minutes before removing to a baking rack.
- Store at room temperature for about 1 week, refrigerated for 2 weeks (bring to room temperature before serving), or frozen for 3 months (un-iced cookies freeze best).
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baked
- Cuisine: Cookies
- Diet: Vegetarian
I’m not sure why this recipe has four stars – it should have five! These are the best banana cookies I have ever made. I had one big brown banana to use up and this recipe fit the bill and more. Store for a week? They won’t last a day. My hubby said they are addicting. My stepdaughter is going to polish these off in minutes. The only change I made was to double the vanilla
The cookies turned out great. I’ll be making them again.
I used almond flour for this recipe and had to turn it into bar cookies. The dough was way too wet to form into shapes. They turned out delicious, though.