Fluffy Banana Bread Cookies (One Bowl!)

Have overripe bananas and looking for the perfect treat to whip up so you don’t waste them? These Banana Bread Cookies are a delightful cross between fluffy, moist banana bread and chewy, crisp-on-the-edges cookies.

Now, I’ve been known to love an easy banana bread recipe (my 4-Ingredient Banana Bread is one of my all-time most popular!), but bread isn’t the only delicious treat ripened bananas are good for!

These cookies are fragrant and aromatic, have an undeniably delicious texture, and are naturally eggless (see also: Eggless Chocolate Chip Cookies!). The banana flavor comes through delightfully and is perfectly complemented by the cinnamon and nutmeg.

Plus, they come together in under an hour, chilling time included and in just one bowl. As a time-pressed mom who loves to bake, I LOVE a quick, no-fuss cookie recipe!

Banana Bread Cookies Ingredient Highlights

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As your banana ripens, it actually gets a bolder, fruitier flavor. So, in order to get these cookies, well, banana-y, it’s best to use riper bananas.

In fact, even if they are overripe and the peel is showing brown spots, they’re great for this recipe! Not only will the overripe bananas be packed with flavor, and a little bit softer, which makes them easier to mash.

If you have some bananas that aren’t quite overripe yet, don’t fret! You can quickly brown them in the oven. Set your oven to the “keep warm” or “warming” setting (if you don’t have this setting, 200°F will do), and set your bananas, still in their peels, on a baking tray.

Keep them in the oven for about 3 minutes or until the peel turn dark brown (almost black!).

I like to use unsalted butter and add my own salt, but you can easily just use salted butter instead.

Remember we want it softened, not melted! The best way to tell if your butter is softened is to poke it with a clean finger. If your finger leaves an imprint, it’s ready! For help, see How to Quickly and Easily Soften Butter.

The cornstarch in the cookies helps soak up excess moisture to give you that fluffy “bread-y” texture on the inside and avoid too much spreading.

Nutmeg and cinnamon perfectly complement the banana flavor and add extra oomph to your cookie. For a more Fall feel, you can substitute pumpkin pie spice here.

Banana Bread Cookies Tips and Tricks

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How to Make Banana Bread Cookies

Peel the bananas and place them in a large bowl. Since they are overripe, it should be very easy to use a fork to mash them. Continue to crush your bananas until they are broken down and almost liquefied. It’s okay to have some clumps!

Cream the butter with the mashed banana, brown sugar, and vanilla extract. Use a hand or stand mixer to beat for about 2-3 minutes until combined. You may still see some banana clumps, but that’s okay.

Next, add the flour, baking soda, cornstarch, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Use your mixer again to combine until smooth.

Use a rubber spatula to scrape down the sides, making sure to integrate any dry ingredients that are stuck to the bowl.

You’ll be left with thick and sticky cookie dough.

Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper or a reusable baking mat.

A large cookie scoop is the easiest way to shape your cookies. If you don’t have one, use 4 tablespoons of cookie dough per cookie. Use wet hands to avoid the dough sticking to your fingers.

Make sure to leave space in between each cookie to allow some room for slight spreading. On a large, 18 x 26-inch baking tray, you can comfortably fit 8 cookies.

You will need at least two cookie trays to bake up all these cookies.

Once you’ve shaped your dough, place the trays with the cookie dough in the refrigerator or freezer to chill. If you want the cookies as quickly as possible, put them in the freezer to chill for 30 minutes.

If you’re making these ahead of time and plan to chill them for more than 2 hours, then put them in the refrigerator. You can rest them in the fridge for up to 24 hours if you want to make these the day before.

These cookies bake at a higher heat than most cookies and are best baked on the top rack of the oven. Heat rises, and the oven temp is hottest on the top rack.

Cooking these at a higher heat gives them that inner texture that resembles banana bread, with a chewy top and outer edges that you love in any cookie!

This means, if you can’t fit both trays on the top rack, it’s best to bake them in two rounds, back-to-back.

Banana Bread Cookie Storage

At room temperature, these delicious banana bread cookies will last for 5-7 days. In the refrigerator, they can last up to three weeks. Keep them in an airtight container to keep their texture.

You can freeze the cookies once they are baked for up to a year and allow them to thaw before enjoying them.

You can also freeze the dough for up to a year so you can have freshly baked cookies whenever you have a craving for them.

Just make sure to transfer the dough to the refrigerator at least 12 hours before you want to bake them or add an extra minute or two to your baking time if you are baking them straight out of the freezer.