Soft-baked and simple Banana Nut Bread Cookies. In less than 30 minutes, you can have cookies that taste just like banana nut bread!
I am a sucker for a good banana bread. However, for me, good is simply… “Simple”. And by simple I mean, I don’t want the banana flavor to be smothered by spices. I like my banana bread to taste like bananas and nothing else.
So I took this concept and packed it into these little bite-sized banana nut bread cookies.
This is now my new favorite cookie. They are soft and heavily flavored with banana. In each bite, you get little crunchy bits of banana chips and walnuts. They are honestly the best cookie I’ve ever created!
This post may contain affiliate links. Please see my disclosure policy for more details.
This pillowy soft cookie dough starts with creaming softened butter and light brown sugar. I used all brown sugar instead of white sugar or a combination of both. Brown sugar holds in more moisture that white sugar which results in a softer textured cookie. This is what I was aiming for since I wanted these cookies to be like tiny pieces of banana bread.
I smashed up one banana that was extra ripe; I mean the skin was so ugly you wouldn’t even consider eating it. But bananas this ripe are perfect for baking! The one banana should give you a fourth cup of smashed banana which is all you need. I mixed the banana in with the creamed butter followed by vanilla extract and one egg.
I combined unbleached all-purpose flour with salt, baking powder, baking soda, and cornstarch. Yes, cornstarch! It makes the cookies extra thick while leaving them super soft-baked. When mixing the flour mixture into the butter mixture you want to stir just until the flour is moistened.
For extra flavor and texture, I crushed up some banana chips and folded those into the batter along with chopped walnuts. The banana chips add a punch of banana flavor with each bite of the cookie. You can also add in any other goodies you desire. Chocolate chips, maybe?
The dough should be thick and sticky. And while typically I would suggest chilling the dough before baking, there is no need to do that with these cookies. They will hold their shape well during baking.
Shape dough into balls, about one tablespoon each. I use a cookie scoop to measure out my dough. Here is the one I use. I scoop the dough into my hand and then roll it into a ball. You don’t have to roll the ball in your hands if you are using a cookie scoop, I’m just particular.
Bake the cookies until they are lightly browned. This could take anywhere from 9 to 11 minutes depending on your oven. It took my cookies exactly 10 minutes. The center of the cookie may look slightly under bake and that’s okay. They will set once they cool.
I am positive that these cookies will be a huge hit for whoever you bake them for. Or you may just want to keep them all for yourself. Whatever the case may be, I do hope you fall in love with my favorite banana nut bread cookies!
Banana Nut Bread Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 and 2/3 cups (216 grams) all-purpose flour
- 1 and 1/2 tablespoons cornstarch
- 1 and 3/4 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 cup (220 grams) light brown sugar, packed
- 5 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
- 1/4 cup (56 grams) ripe banana, mashed
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 large egg
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup (85 grams) banana chips, crushed
- 1/2 cup (58 grams) walnuts, chopped
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375ºF. Combine the flour, cornstarch, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a mixing bowl.
- In a large mixing bowl beat butter and brown sugar until fluffy. Beat in the mashed banana, vanilla extract, and egg until well blended.
- Using a silicone spatula, stir the flour mixture into the banana mixture until well combined. Place banana chips in a small zip top bag. Lightly crush the chips using a rolling pin or meat mallet. Gently fold in the crushed banana chips and walnuts.
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone mat. Using a 1 Tbs cookie scoop, drop cookies onto the prepared baking sheet about 2 inches apart.
- Bake for 10 minutes or until cookies are lightly browned. Cool the cookies on the pan for 5 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely.
Nutritional values here on my recipes should be used as a general guide only. Since different brands of ingredients have different nutritional information, the values shown are just an estimate.
NinaW says
December 15, 2018 at 3:12 pmVery flavorful. I used pecans rather than walnuts; then toasted them before chopping. I also subbed Trader Joe’s Flatten Dried Banana for the banana chips. I diced and lightly floured them before folding into the batter. It gave the cookie a nice chewiness. Overall this is a keeper recipe. Thanks for sharing.
Jen Sobjack says
December 17, 2018 at 10:44 amThanks for sharing your feedback! I’m thrilled you enjoyed the recipe!
Letty says
June 23, 2018 at 10:45 amLove love your ideas… going to try these as we speak….
Jen Sobjack says
June 25, 2018 at 8:24 amI hope you enjoy them!
Rose bross says
May 22, 2018 at 9:07 amDo I have to use banana chips
Jen Sobjack says
May 23, 2018 at 1:51 pmThey definitely add tons of flavor but you can omit them if needed.
Jamie says
February 21, 2017 at 3:40 pmI was about to give up completely on baking recipes online or starting to doubt my baking ability. Every recipe I’ve tried turned out to be a disaster. These cookies turned out amazing. (Little clouds of banana goodness) Just bookmarked your site, thanks Jen!!
Sarah says
May 14, 2016 at 7:49 pmPerfect. Originally i thought the sugar to butter ratio was going to be too large but its just right, no changes needed. These cookies turned out delicious. I plan on making these again. Thank you for sharing!
Jen says
May 16, 2016 at 11:22 amI’m happy to hear you enjoyed the cookies. Thank you for the feedback!
Alicia says
February 2, 2016 at 9:43 pmI’m making these banana nut bread cookies for the second time! I followed the recipe as is, no changes needed! Thank you for sharing the delicious recipe!
Jen Sobjack says
February 3, 2016 at 10:41 amI’m so glad you like the recipe! They are some of my favorite cookies!
Christa says
March 17, 2015 at 10:35 pmI don’t have corn starch in my cupboard. Can I still do the recipe without the corn starch?
Jen says
March 18, 2015 at 1:39 pmYou can, Christa. Just add about a tablespoon of flour to the recipe.
Bekah says
June 25, 2014 at 6:44 pmThese look fantastic! I’ve never seen banana bread cookies…what a great idea. I would love to try these sometime. Yum! Oh and by the way I love your site!
Jen says
June 25, 2014 at 8:21 pmThank you Bekah! I am always looking to do something different. I would love for you to try the recipe and give me your feedback. Usually my husband will take my baking to work with him so I can get feedback but he refused to take these cookies; he wanted them all for himself! Also, thanks for noticing my site. I’ve put a ton of work into.