Banana Bread Cookies with Cream Cheese Icing

Banana Bread cookie with bite out on wire rack.

5 from 8 votes

Banana Bread Cookies with Cream Cheese Icing

If you love banana bread, then you’re going to love these cookies.They have all of the homey banana flavor but in a cookie with a tangy cream cheese icing. You won’t be able to stop at one!

Prep Time20

Cook Time10

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Servings: cookies

Calories: 214kcal

Author: Kathy Kingsley

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

You don't have to cook the mashed banana to reduce it, but I highly recommend this step as it gives the cookies an intense banana flavor.

If you have ripe 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.

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