Go Back Email Link
image of soft banana cookies that have been frosted with cream cheese frosting and topped with a banana chip
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
Cook Time12 minutes
Total Time27 minutes
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

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