If you love the flavor of banana bread, then you're going to love this recipe for banana bread cookies. Same homey banana and spice flavor, but in a bite-size cookie with cream cheese icing!
You'll love everything about these soft banana bread cookies, including their chewy texture, spiced banana flavor, tangy cream cheese frosting, and how this is such an easy recipe to make!
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Essential Ingredients
Bananas: Use very ripe bananas for this recipe. The peel should have a lot of brown spots and the banana should smell very fragrant. The blacker the banana, the sweeter and more intense the flavor will be. Nothing like using your old bananas in these delicious cookies.
Pecans: I like to use pecans for the cookies, but walnuts would also be a good option. You can also toast the nuts ahead if you prefer, to add a bit more flavor.
Cream cheese: Use a full fat brick of cream cheese for this icing, it will give you the best flavor and creamiest texture.
How to make the cookies
1. Mash 2 ripe bananas until smooth, you will need enough to measure one cup. Transfer it to a small saucepan and bring to a simmer over medium heat, stirring often to prevent sticking until it's reduced to ½ cup. The mixture will thicken and darken. Remove the pan from the heat and let cool.
2. In a large mixing bowl using an electric mixer, beat the butter and brown sugar on medium speed until pale and creamy, about 2 minutes. Reduce the speed to medium-low and beat in the cooled, reduced banana, the egg, and vanilla extract just until blended (wet ingredients).
3. Add the dry ingredients (flour, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda, and salt) and beat just until blended, stopping to scrape the bottom and sides of the bowl as needed.
4. Fold in the nuts until mixed.
5. Line a baking sheet (cookie sheet) with parchment paper. Scoop the dough by rounded tablespoons (use a cookie scoop if you have one; see recipe tips), roll each into a ball and place about 2 inches apart onto the prepared baking sheet. Flatten the cookies slightly with your hand.
6. Bake for 9 to 11 minutes or until the tops are set and a toothpick can be inserted in one and comes out clean. Let the cookies cool on the baking pan for 10 minutes, then transfer them to a cooling rack to cool completely.
7. Make the cream cheese frosting: In a medium bowl and using an electric mixer, beat the cream cheese, butter, and vanilla on medium speed until light and fluffy, 2 to 3 minutes, scraping down sides of bowl as needed. With the mixer on low speed, beat in the confectioners' sugar (powdered sugar) until creamy. Spread the icing over the cooled cookies and garnish with finely chopped nuts, if desired.
Recipe Tips
- You don't have to cook the mashed banana to reduce it, but I highly recommend this step as it gives these homemade cookies an intense banana flavor.
- If you have overripe bananas, but aren't ready to use them for baking, freeze them for later. Peel, mash and then freeze in an airtight container for up to 3 months.
- The quickest, easiest way to scoop cookie dough is with a quick-release cookie dough scoop. Not only is the easy, it also will give you cookies that are uniform in size.
How to store the cookies
Store the soft banana cookies in an airtight container in the refrigerator up to 5 days. Bring to room temperature before serving. Store un-iced cookies in an airtight container at room temperature.
FAQs
Yes, you can. Mix the dough as directed. Scoop out the cookies and shape them and freeze them individually. You can bake the cookies straight from the freezer, but you'll need to add a couple minutes to their bake time and watch to make sure the edges aren’t over-baking. Frozen cookie dough will keep for up to 6 weeks.
Sure, you can add items to these cookies just like you would banana bread, such as mini or dark chocolate chips, orange zest, chopped dried fruit, or shredded, sweetened coconut.
More cookies to try
Comments and ratings
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Banana Bread Cookies with Cream Cheese Icing
Ingredients
- 1 cup mashed banana (about 2 ripe medium)
- 1 cup packed light brown sugar
- ½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
- 1 ¼ tsp. ground cinnamon
- ¼ tsp. grated nutmeg
- 1 large egg
- 1 tsp. vanilla extract
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- ½ tsp. baking powder
- ½ tsp. baking soda
- ½ tsp. salt
- 1 cup chopped pecans or walnuts, plus more for topping the cookies
Cream Cheese Icing
- 4 oz. cream cheese, softened
- 4 Tbs. unsalted butter, softened
- ¾ cup confectioners' sugar
- 1 tsp. vanilla extract
Instructions
- Using a fork or potato masher, mash the bananas until smooth, and you have enough to measure one cup. Transfer the banana to a small saucepan and bring to a simmer over medium heat, stirring often to prevent sticking, until reduced to about ½ cup, about 8 minutes. The puree will thicken and darken. Remove the pan from heat and let cool. (It's hot, so resist tasting!)
- Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 375°F. Line a baking sheet or two with parchment paper and set aside.
- In a large bowl using an electric mixer, beat the butter and brown sugar on medium speed until pale and creamy, about 2 minutes. Reduce the speed to medium-low and beat in the cooled, reduced banana, the egg and vanilla just until blended. Add the flour, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda, and salt and beat just until blended, stopping to scrape the bowl as needed. Fold in the nuts.
- Scoop the dough by rounded tablespoons, roll each into a ball and place about 2 inches apart onto the cookie sheet. Flatten the cookies slightly with your hand.
- Bake until the tops are set and a toothpick can be inserted in one and comes out clean, 9 to 11 minutes. Let the cookies cool on the baking pan for 10 minutes, then transfer them to a cooling rack to cool completely.
- Make the icing: In a medium bowl and using an electric mixer, beat the cream cheese, butter, and vanilla on medium speed until light and fluffy, 2 to 3 minutes, scraping down sides of bowl as needed. With the mixer on low speed, beat in the powdered sugar until creamy. Spread the icing over the cooled cookies and garnish with finely chopped nuts, if desired.
Notes
Nutrition
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Teri says
yum, so good, and I didn't even frost them!
Trudy says
What a great idea and yum!
elisa says
omg! so good, thank you 😊
Jessica says
Yum, these cookies are so good!
Chelsea says
My new favorite cookie - thanks (or maybe not ; ) !
Priya says
These cookies are so good! Thanks for the recipe. I'll be making them again for holidays.