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Soft Banana Cookies

These soft banana cookies are a new favorite of mine! They bake up so tender and soft and are topped with tangy cream cheese frosting.

They taste like the softest banana bread, but in cookie form. It’s truly the best of both worlds!

image of soft banana cookies that have been frosted with cream cheese frosting and topped with a banana chip

Why is it Better to Use Overripe Bananas to Make Banana Cookies?

Most banana recipes insist on using only the ripest bananas, including this one. But why are overripe bananas better to bake with??

image of overripe bananas on a counter

There are actually several reasons! The first is that as a banana ripens, more of its starch is converted into sugar. This creates sweeter, more tender baked goods.

Another benefit of baking with super ripe bananas is that they’re super easy to mash up. This ensures your banana cookies have a uniform, even texture without any unexpected chunks of banana.

Overripe bananas are also more aromatic and give baked goods a more intense banana flavor than yellow bananas.

image of overripe banana and chocolate chips being mixed into banana cookie batter

The final and best reason (in my opinion) is that it uses up overripe fruit that would otherwise go to waste!

With all that in mind, this recipe will still turn out if you use yellow bananas. It just won’t have as intense of a banana flavor!

Baking Hack: How to Quickly Ripen Bananas

If you only have yellow bananas and want that intense banana flavor, don’t worry!

You can easily turn yellow bananas brown in a matter of minutes. Preheat your oven to 300 F / 150 C and place your unpeeled bananas on a foil-lined baking sheet.

image of unripe bananas that have been placed on a foil lined baking sheet to be quickly ripened in the oven

Bake them for about 15 minutes, or until the banana skin is uniformly dark in color.

Let them cool on that pan for 10 minutes, then carefully peel and mash them.

image of unripe bananas that have been placed on a foil lined baking sheet to be quickly ripened by being baked the oven

I use this hack all the time for banana bread and it works like a charm.

Substitutions and Swaps

While I love this soft banana cookie recipe just the way it is, I know some of you might not have all these ingredients on hand!

Below are some swaps and substitutions that can be made in this recipe:

  • Unsalted Butter – If you only have salted butter, on hand you can use it in place of the unsalted butter in this recipe. Just be sure to omit the salt that this recipe calls for. You can also use vegan butter in its place.
  • Brown Sugar – I prefer using light brown sugar in this recipe, but you can use dark brown sugar too!
  • Granulated Sugar – This recipe turns out best with a combination of granulated sugar and brown sugar. However, you can use additional light brown sugar in place of the granulated sugar if needed.
  • Egg – If you don’t have an egg on hand or can’t eat eggs, you can try using a flaxseed egg.
  • Sour Cream – You can also use full-fat yogurt, Greek yogurt, or alternative yogurt or milk (almond, soy, oat) if you’re dairy free.
  • All-Purpose Flour – This recipe turns out best with AP flour, but you can use a cup-for-cup gluten free flour blend in its place if needed.
  • Corn Starch – Corn starch helps these cookies bake up nice and soft. I don’t recommend skipping it!
  • Overripe Bananas – If you don’t have overripe bananas on hand, bake your bananas at 300 F for about 15 minutes or until the skins of the bananas are black.
image of butter and brown sugar being creamed together with an electric hand mixer

Making These Banana Cookies in Different Sizes

This recipe makes pretty large cookies. Each cookie is made with 3 Tbsp of cookie dough.

image of banana cookie batter being scooped on a baking sheet with a cookie scoop

If you want to make smaller cookies or use a smaller cookie scoop, decrease the bake time based on the size of the cookie.

For example, if you use 1 1/2 Tbsp of dough per cookie, bake them for half as long as the recipe calls for.

Making These Banana Bread Cookies in Advance & Storage Tips

Frosted cookies can sit at room temperature for 4 hours or be stored in an airtight container for up to a week in the fridge. I recommend letting them warm to room temperature before eating them if they’ve been stored in the fridge.

If you need to stack them on top of each other, separate them with a piece of parchment paper to prevent them from sticking to each other.

image of soft banana cookies that have been frosted with cream cheese frosting and topped with a banana chip

If you want to make these soft banana cookies in advance, baked (and unfrosted) cookies can be frozen in an airtight container for up to a month.

I recommend waiting to frost them until they’re thawed and ready to be enjoyed.

When you’re ready to eat them, transfer the cookies to the fridge the night before you want to eat them to let them gradually thaw.

Then set them on the counter for an hour the next day to bring them to room temperature, frost them, and enjoy!

You can also make the cream cheese frosting ahead of time or save any leftover frosting! It can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a month.

This frosting can also be stored in the freezer for up to 3 months! Just be sure to give it a good mix once it thaws to make it nice and smooth again.

Tips for Making the Best Soft Batch Banana Cookies:

  • Use overripe bananas! They have a higher sugar content and stronger banana flavor.
  • Properly measure your flour (fluff, then spoon into the cup measure and level) or use a kitchen scale to measure your dry ingredients.
  • Ingredients at room temperature mix together better! Set any cold ingredients ahead of time.
  • Use a large cookie scoop to make sure your cookies are uniformly sized.
  • Space your cookies about 2 inches apart before baking them. They will spread as they bake.
  • Don’t over-bake your cookies! They don’t really brown much. Even if they seem a bit soft coming out of the oven, they will continue to bake and set on the tray once they’re out of the oven.
image of a soft banana cookie that's been bitten into to show it's super tender and soft texture

Let Me Know What You Think!

If you make these soft banana cookies with cream cheese frosting, I’d love to hear what you think of them! Please leave a rating and comment below.

Don’t forget to tag me @chelsweets and #chelsweets so that I can see your amazing creations on social media!

Yield: 15 cookies

Soft Banana Cookies

image of soft banana cookies that have been frosted with cream cheese frosting and topped with a banana chip

These soft banana cookies are so delicious! They bake up so tender and soft and are topped with tangy cream cheese frosting. They taste like the softest banana bread, but in cookie form. It's truly the best of both worlds!

Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 12 minutes
Total Time 27 minutes

Ingredients

Soft Banana Cookies

  • 1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature (113g)
  • 1/2 cup packed light brown sugar (100g)
  • 3 Tbsp granulated sugar (36g)
  • 1 large egg, room temperature (56g)
  • 2 Tbsp sour cream (32g)
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract (4g)
  • 1 1/2 cups all purpose flour (190g)
  • 1 Tbsp cornstarch (7g)
  • 2 tsp ground cinnamon (5g)
  • 1/2 tsp baking soda (3g)
  • 1/2 tsp fine salt (3g)
  • 1/2 cup mashed bananas, about 2 medium-sized bananas (125g)
  • 1/3 cup mini chocolate chips or chopped chocolate - optional (60g)

Cream Cheese Frosting

  • 1/2 cup cream cheese softened, room temperature (113g)
  • 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar (190g)
  • 2 tsp vanilla extract (8g)

Optional Garnish

  • 2 Tbsp light brown sugar (25g)
  • 12 Banana chips

Recommend Tools & Equipment

Instructions

Soft Banana Cookies

  1. Preheat the oven to 350 F/175 C and line 2 large baking sheets with either parchment paper or silicone mats. I prefer using silicone mats.
  2. Mix 1/2 cup of butter, 1/2 cup of brown sugar, and 3 Tbsp of granulated sugar together on a high speed for 2 minutes in a large bowl. This can be done with a stand mixer and whisk attachment or a hand mixer. I recommend setting a timer to make sure you mix it long enough! The mixture should become lighter in color as air is incorporated into it.
  3. Next, mix in 1 large egg, 2 Tbsp of sour cream, and 1 tsp of vanilla extract on a medium speed until combined.
  4. Sift 1 1/2 cups of flour, 1 Tbsp cornstarch, 2 tsp cinnamon, 1/2 tsp baking soda, and 1/2 tsp salt into the bowl and mix on a medium-low speed just until you can no longer see streaks of flour. If you don't have a sifter, place these ingredients in a separate bowl and whisk them together before adding them into the butter / egg mixture. Scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl as needed with a rubber spatula.
  5. Mix in 1/2 cup of mashed bananas and 1/3 cup of mini chocolate chips (optional) on a low speed until incorporated. The cookie batter should be a bit softer/stickier than normal cookie dough, but that's exactly how we want it to be!
  6. Use a large cookie scoop (mine is 3 Tbsp) to scoop out about 15 cookie dough balls onto the prepared baking sheets (7-8 cookies per pan). These cookies spread a decent amount as they bake so place each cookie about 2 inches apart. If you don't have a cookie scoop, use a large spoon. Try to make the cookie dough balls as equal in size as possible so that they bake evenly.
  7. Bake one tray of cookies at a time for 12-13 minutes and rotate the pan halfway through to help the cookies bake more evenly. Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for 30 minutes, then transfer them to a cooling rack to finish cooling. The cookies might seem a bit soft coming out of the oven, but they will continue to bake as they cool on the pan.

Cream Cheese Frosting

  1. Use an electric mixer to beat 1/2 cup of cream cheese in a medium-sized bowl until smooth.
  2. Add in 1 1/2 cups of powdered sugar and 2 tsp of vanilla extract. Mix on a low speed until combined. Scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl with a rubber spatula as needed.
  3. Once the cookies are fully cooled, use an offset spatula or butter knife to gently spread a dollop of cream cheese frosting onto each cookie. Garnish with a sprinkle of brown sugar and a banana chip, then enjoy!
  4. These cookies can sit at room temperature for 4 hours or be stored in an airtight container for up to a week in the fridge. I recommend letting them warm to room temperature before eating them if they've been stored in the fridge.

Notes

Tips for Making the Best Banana Cookies

  • Use overripe bananas! They have a higher sugar content and stronger banana flavor.
  • Properly measure your flour (fluff, then spoon into the cup measure and level) or use a kitchen scale to measure your dry ingredients.
  • Ingredients at room temperature mix together better! Set any cold ingredients ahead of time.
  • Use a cookie scoop to make sure your cookies are uniformly sized.
  • Space your cookies about 2 inches apart before baking them. They will spread as they bake.
  • Don't over-bake your cookies! Even if they seem a bit soft coming out of the oven, they will continue to bake and set on the tray once they're out of the oven.

Making These Banana Bread Cookies in Advance

If you want to make these cookies in advance, baked cookies can be frozen in an airtight container for up to a month. I recommend waiting to frost them until they're thawed and ready to be enjoyed.

When you're ready to enjoy them, transfer them to the fridge the night before you want to eat them to let them gradually thaw. Then set them on the counter for an hour the next day to bring them to room temperature.

Frosted cookies can sit at room temperature for 4 hours or be stored in an airtight container for up to a week in the fridge. I recommend letting them warm to room temperature before eating them if they've been stored in the fridge.

If you need to stack them on top of each other, separate them with a piece of parchment paper to prevent them from sticking to each other.

Nutrition Information

Yield

15

Serving Size

1

Amount Per Serving Calories 268Total Fat 11gSaturated Fat 7gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 4gCholesterol 38mgSodium 162mgCarbohydrates 39gFiber 1gSugar 25gProtein 3g

Shareana

Friday 19th of January 2024

Not sure what went wrong since I own a bakery and make cookies daily but these spread into giant blobs. Any tips? Thanks!!

Chelsweets

Saturday 20th of January 2024

I'm so sorry to hear that Shareana! Are you by chance using frozen bananas? Sometimes that can add moisture to the cookie batter and make the cookies spread more than normal. Are you using a scale to measure the ingredients? Hopefully we'll be able to figure out what happened together!

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Deneen

Tuesday 26th of December 2023

I had these cookies but with a different twist. Omit chocolate chips and banana chip and instead put a pecan halve or walnut half on top of the icing. It’s delicious.

Chelsweets

Sunday 31st of December 2023

That does sound delicious Deneen!!

Ellie

Sunday 4th of June 2023

These were a massive hit!!! Omg! Absolutely adding them to my menu! But I am not entirely sure I'm following the step about rotating correctly? ? Maybe that's just my autism reading into it?

Chelsweets

Sunday 11th of June 2023

Yay, so happy to hear that Ellie!!!

If they're baking up well the way you're doing it then just keep doing that :) The step to rotate the pan is just to help the cookies bake evenly in case your oven has hot spots or bakes unevenly. Keep up the amazing baking!!

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