Banana Cookies

These soft banana cookies are tender, flavorful, and topped with tangy cream cheese frosting. If you love banana bread, this banana cookie recipe has a very similar cozy flavor, but in a softer, more snackable cookie form.

The cream cheese frosting takes them over the top and makes them taste a little like banana bread cookies crossed with banana cake.

This Banana Cookie Recipe at a Glance

• Texture: soft, tender, and almost cake-like
• Flavor: banana bread meets soft frosted cookie
• Frosting: tangy cream cheese frosting
• Yield: about 15 large cookies
• Cookie size: 3 tablespoons of dough each
• Make-ahead friendly: yes

Why You’ll Love This Banana Cookie Recipe

If you’re looking for a banana cookie recipe that feels soft, cozy, and a little different from the usual chocolate chip or sugar cookie situation, this one is such a good one.

The cream cheese frosting adds a little tang that balances the sweetness and makes the whole cookie feel extra special.

I also love that this recipe is a great way to use up overripe bananas when you don’t feel like making banana bread again. It’s simple, comforting, and always a crowd-pleaser.

Why Overripe Bananas Work Best in Banana Cookies

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.

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 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.

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.

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

Substitutions and Swaps

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.

Making These Banana Cookies in Different Sizes

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

If you want to make smaller cookies, use 1 1/2 Tbsp of dough per cookie and start to check on them in the oven a few minutes earlier than the recipe card calls for.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why did my banana cookies spread too much?

These cookies are supposed to have a soft, scoopable dough, but they should not spread into flat blobs. If your dough seems unusually loose, the most likely causes are extra-large or extra-wet bananas, butter that was too soft, or flour that was undermeasured.

I recommend weighing the mashed banana, measuring the flour carefully, and using room-temperature butter rather than very soft butter. If your dough still seems especially loose, try chilling the scooped dough balls for 15 to 20 minutes before baking.

Can I use yellow bananas?

Yes, you can. These cookies will still turn out with yellow bananas, but they will not have as strong a banana flavor. If you want a deeper banana flavor and only have yellow bananas on hand, you can quickly ripen them in the oven first (see the section on that above).

Do banana cookies need to be refrigerated?

If they are frosted with cream cheese frosting, yes. Frosted cookies can sit at room temperature for about 4 hours, but after that, I recommend storing them in an airtight container in the fridge. They taste best once they’ve had a little time to come back to room temperature before serving.

Can I leave out the chocolate chips?

Definitely. The chocolate chips are optional, and the cookies are still delicious without them. Leaving them out lets the banana flavor stand out even more, and you can always swap in something else if you want a little texture, like chopped nuts.

Making These Banana 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.

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 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 (3 Tbsp) 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.

Let Me Know What You Think!

If you make this banana cookie recipe, I’d love to hear what you think! 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!

Print Recipe

4.96 from 21 ratings

Banana Cookie Recipe

These 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 Time15 minutes mins

Cook Time12 minutes mins

Total Time27 minutes mins

Course: Cookies

Cuisine: American

Servings: 15 cookies

Calories: 268kcal

Author: Chelsey White

Ingredients

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 full-fat sour cream, room temperature 32g
• 1 tsp vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste 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 or vanilla bean paste 8g

Optional Garnish

• 2 Tbsp packed light brown sugar 25g
• 12 Banana chips

Recommend Tools & Equipment

• Electric hand mixer or stand mixer
• Large bowl
• Sifter
• 2 large baking sheets
• 2 Silicone mats or parchment paper
• Large Cookie Scoop

Instructions

Soft Banana Cookies

• 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.
• 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.
• Next, mix in 1 large egg, 2 Tbsp of sour cream, and 1 tsp of vanilla extract on a medium speed until combined.
• 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.
• 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!
• 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.
• 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

• Use an electric mixer to beat 1/2 cup of cream cheese in a medium-sized bowl until smooth.
• 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.
• 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!

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

Serving: 1 | Calories: 268kcal | Carbohydrates: 39g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 11g | Saturated Fat: 7g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 4g | Cholesterol: 38mg | Sodium: 162mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 25g

Other Recipes You Might Like