Soft Banana Bread Cookies Recipe

Soft, Gooey Banana Bread Cookies Recipe: Bakery-Fresh Magic!

Soft, pillowy banana bread cookies blend two beloved treats into one irresistible bite.

These moist, cake-like cookies capture the comforting essence of classic banana bread with a delightful twist.

Ripe bananas infuse each morsel with rich, sweet flavor and tender texture.

The aroma of warm spices and caramelized fruit will fill your kitchen with pure comfort.

Each cookie delivers a perfect balance of crisp edges and soft centers that melt in your mouth.

Bakers of all skill levels can whip up this simple, crowd-pleasing dessert in no time.

Dive into these delectable cookies and treat yourself to a nostalgic baking experience that promises pure deliciousness.

Quick Recipe Overview

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 12 minutes

Total Time: 27 minutes

Calories: 150 kcal

Servings: 23

All The Ingredients For Banana Bread Cookies

For Wet Ingredients:
  • Butter: Adds rich, creamy texture and helps create a soft, tender cookie base.
  • Granulated Sugar: Provides sweetness and helps create a crisp exterior.
  • Egg: Binds ingredients together and adds moisture to the cookie.
  • Vanilla Extract: Enhances overall flavor with its warm, aromatic essence.
  • Ripe Bananas: Delivers natural sweetness, moisture, and distinctive banana flavor.
For Dry Ingredients:
  • All-Purpose Flour: Creates the cookie's structure and provides a classic soft texture.
  • Baking Soda: Helps cookies rise and develop a light, airy consistency.
  • Salt: Balances sweetness and amplifies other flavors in the recipe.
  • Ground Cinnamon: Adds warm, comforting spice that complements banana perfectly.
  • Ground Nutmeg: Brings a subtle, nutty undertone to the cookie's flavor profile.
  • Ground Cloves: Introduces a deep, slightly intense warm spice note.
For Optional Add-Ins:
  • Chopped Nuts, Chocolate Chips: Provide extra crunch, texture, and bursts of complementary flavor to the banana base.

Tools To Use For Banana Bread Cookies

  • Large mixing bowl: Essential for combining wet ingredients and creating cookie dough.
  • Whisk: Perfect for blending dry ingredients smoothly and preventing lumps.
  • Measuring cups and spoons: Crucial for accurate ingredient measurements.
  • Baking sheets: Needed to bake cookies evenly and create golden edges.
  • Parchment paper or cooking spray: Ensures cookies don't stick and makes cleanup easier.
  • Wire cooling rack: Helps cookies cool completely without becoming soggy.
  • Spatula or wooden spoon: Great for mixing and folding ingredients gently.
  • Tablespoon or cookie scoop: Helps create uniform, consistent cookie sizes.

Simple Steps For Banana Bread Cookies

  • Oven Warmup

Crank up the kitchen companion to a cozy 350F. Prep your baking surface with a light coating or parchment paper shield.

  • Butter Bliss

Whip the softened butter and sugar into a cloud-like dream, creating a fluffy base for your delectable treats.

  • Banana Magic

Introduce mashed bananas to your creamy mixture, blending them into a silky smooth symphony of flavors.

  • Dry Ingredient Dance

Gently marry flour, baking soda, and warm spices in a separate bowl, creating a fragrant powder waiting to transform.

  • Cookie Fusion

Tenderly fold dry ingredients into the banana-butter blend, stirring just until friends meet. Toss in optional nutty friends or chocolate companions if desired.

  • Dough Deployment

Dollop spoonfuls of cookie magic onto your prepared baking landscape, giving each treat room to spread its delicious wings.

  • Golden Transformation

Slide the tray into the heated haven, letting cookies bake until edges turn a beautiful golden whisper (about 10-12 minutes).

  • Cooling Celebration

Let cookies rest briefly on their baking stage before transferring to a cooling rack, where they’ll complete their delicious journey.

Tips And Additions For Banana Bread Cookies

  • Banana Bread Bliss Boosters: Expert Tips and Tasty Twists
  • Ripeness Matters: Choose overripe bananas with dark brown or black spots for maximum sweetness and deeper banana flavor. The more spotty, the better the taste and moisture in your cookies.
  • Texture Perfection Trick: Chill the dough for 30 minutes before baking to prevent spreading and create thicker, more uniform cookies with crisp edges and soft centers.
  • Gluten-Free Swap: Replace all-purpose flour with a gluten-free blend or a mix of almond flour and oat flour for those with wheat sensitivities. Add an extra egg to help bind the ingredients and maintain cookie structure.
  • Vegan-Friendly Modification: Substitute butter with coconut oil, use a flax egg instead of a regular egg, and choose dairy-free chocolate chips. These simple swaps create a plant-based version that's just as delicious as the original.
  • Flavor Adventure Boosters: Experiment with mix-ins like toasted coconut, dried cranberries, or white chocolate chips to create unique flavor combinations that complement the banana bread profile. Sprinkle sea salt on top for an unexpected flavor twist that enhances the cookie's sweetness.

Ways To Serve Banana Bread Cookies

  • Sweet Breakfast Companion: Pair these banana bread cookies with a warm cup of coffee or tea for a delightful morning treat that melts in your mouth.
  • Dessert Extravaganza: Serve these cookies alongside vanilla ice cream or crumble them over a creamy yogurt parfait for a decadent dessert experience.
  • Gift-Worthy Presentation: Stack the cookies in a cute mason jar with a ribbon, creating a charming homemade gift that showcases your baking skills and spreads delicious joy.
  • Afternoon Snack Upgrade: Create a simple cookie platter with these banana bread cookies, adding fresh berries or a light dusting of powdered sugar for an elegant touch.

How To Keep Banana Bread Cookies Fresh

  • Smart Refrigeration Strategy: Store cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days, keeping them soft and fresh without losing their delightful texture.
  • Make-Ahead Magic: Prepare cookie dough in advance and refrigerate for 24 hours, allowing flavors to develop deeper richness and enhanced banana essence.
  • Freezing Fantastic: Freeze unbaked dough balls on a baking sheet, then transfer to freezer bags for convenient future baking. Frozen dough can last up to 3 months, offering quick homemade treats anytime.
  • Moisture Maintenance: Place a small piece of bread inside the storage container to help cookies retain their moisture and prevent them from becoming dry or crumbly.
Print
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Soft Banana Bread Cookies Recipe

Soft Banana Bread Cookies Recipe


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4.5 from 8 reviews

  • Total Time: 27 minutes
  • Yield: 23 1x

Description

Scrumptious banana bread cookies blend classic comfort with portable charm. Crisp edges and chewy centers make this treat perfect for sharing with friends and family.


Ingredients

Scale
  • 2 cups (250g / 8.8 oz) all-purpose flour
  • 1 cup (200g / 7 oz) granulated sugar
  • 1 cup (240g / 8.5 oz) mashed overripe bananas (about 2 large bananas)
  • ½ cup (113g / 4 oz) unsalted butter, softened
  • 1 cup (120g / 4.2 oz) chopped walnuts or pecans
  • 1 cup (175g / 6.2 oz) semisweet chocolate chips
  • 1 large egg
  • 1 tsp ground cinnamon
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • ½ tsp ground nutmeg
  • ½ tsp ground cloves
  • ½ tsp salt

Instructions

  1. Oven Preparation: Calibrate the oven to 350F (175C) and strategically line baking sheets with parchment paper or apply a delicate grease layer to prevent adhesion.
  2. Creaming Foundation: Vigorously blend softened butter and sugar until the mixture achieves a voluminous, cloud-like consistency with a pale, silky appearance.
  3. Liquid Integration: Incorporate egg and vanilla, whisking until the components marry into a seamless, homogeneous blend.
  4. Banana Infusion: Gently fold mashed bananas into the creamy base, ensuring an even distribution that captures the fruit’s robust, sweet undertones.
  5. Dry Ingredient Fusion: Sift flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves in a separate vessel, creating an aromatic dry mixture that will provide depth and complexity to the cookies.
  6. Dough Formation: Delicately marry wet and dry ingredients, stirring with a gentle hand until just combined. Carefully fold in nuts and chocolate chips, distributing them evenly to maximize flavor complexity.
  7. Portioning and Baking: Deposit tablespoon-sized dough mounds onto prepared sheets, spacing them two inches apart. Bake for 10-12 minutes, monitoring until edges transform into a golden-brown signature of culinary perfection.
  8. Cooling Protocol: Allow cookies to rest on baking sheets for a brief 5-minute interlude before transferring to a wire rack, permitting them to cool to room temperature and develop their ultimate texture.

Notes

  • Manage Moisture: Ensure bananas are ripe and well-mashed to provide natural sweetness and prevent dry cookies. Overly firm bananas can compromise the soft, tender texture.
  • Avoid Overmixing: Stir dry and wet ingredients gently until just combined. Aggressive mixing develops gluten, resulting in tough, dense cookies instead of light, fluffy treats.
  • Control Spreading: Chill dough for 30 minutes before baking to minimize excessive spreading and maintain compact, uniform cookie shapes.
  • Customize Dietary Needs: Swap all-purpose flour with gluten-free alternatives like almond or oat flour. Replace butter with coconut oil for dairy-free version. Use monk fruit sweetener for low-sugar adaptation.
  • Prep Time: 15 minutes
  • Cook Time: 12 minutes
  • Category: Snacks, Desserts
  • Method: Baking
  • Cuisine: American

Nutrition

  • Serving Size: 23
  • Calories: 150
  • Sugar: 8 g
  • Sodium: 150 mg
  • Fat: 7 g
  • Saturated Fat: 4 g
  • Unsaturated Fat: 2 g
  • Trans Fat: 0 g
  • Carbohydrates: 21 g
  • Fiber: 1 g
  • Protein: 2 g
  • Cholesterol: 20 mg
Liam O’Sullivan

Liam O’Sullivan

Founder & Culinary Content Creator

Expertise

Recipe Development​, Traditional Irish and European Cuisines, Food Styling and Photography, Culinary Education​

Education

Dublin Institute of Technology (DIT) – School of Culinary Arts and Food Technology

  • Degree: Bachelor of Arts in Culinary Arts
  • Focus: Comprehensive training in classical and modern cooking techniques, kitchen management, and menu development.​

Ballymaloe Cookery School

  • Program: 12-Week Certificate Course
  • Focus: Intensive, hands-on experience emphasizing farm-to-table cooking and sustainable practices.​

Isabella brings a global spark to the Craft Meats table. Born in Florence and trained at the Apicius International School of Hospitality, she blends classic Italian flavor with modern writing that’s easy to follow and hard to forget. 

Her additional training at the Italian Chef Academy fueled her love for well-crafted dishes, especially ones that spotlight beautiful cuts of meat.

She’s a food writer with heart, and a deep love for storytelling through single recipes. Her goal? To help you cook with more confidence and a little more joy, no matter where you start.

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