Soft, chewy and fudgy Banana Bread Cookies that are not cakey at all. These are buttery and full of banana flavor! Top them with cream cheese frosting and they are sure to disappear fast!
We don't always got exact 3 counts of bananas lying on the counter do we? Well if you do, make this Banana Bread that has no dry crumbs in sight and stays moist for days!
Got only one or two very dark spotted bananas bake these cookies and this one minute Banana Mug Cake!
If just like me, you are also done baking cakey banana cookies, let me tell you these ones are a far cry from being cakey! There are two things that makes it happen. Lets find out how this happens.
Science behind Chewy Banana Cookies:
Moisture content in banana when acts with flour while baking, cookies tend to rise and fluff up. This results in cakey cookies. To reduce moisture we do two things:
Precision Moisture Ratios: Instead of using two or three bananas, this recipe relies on half cup of mashed banana (roughly one medium-to-large banana). This provides maximum flavor without overwhelming the dough with liquid.
Use Brown Butter: Instead of creaming softened butter, we melt and brown the butter first. Browning cooks off the water content naturally found in butter. This leaves behind pure, nutty fat. This brown butter creates a dense, chewy crumb structure rather than a cakey rise.
Recipe Ingredients:
Banana: One dark spotted and over-ripened banana is what you will need to make this recipe. You can even look for banana that has gotten completely black on the outside. Trust me, it will impart lots of banana flavor to your cookies.
Flour: Fluff your flour before measuring it in the measuring cup. Never stuff flour in the cup. Either spoon it or measure it by weight to avoid over measuring the flour.
Butter: Using brown butter as opposed to normal creamed butter is a total game changer here. Brown butter adds even more depth to cookies that compliments banana flavor.
Sugar: We are using granulated sugar to sweeten this dough. Also spread some sugar on a plate to roll cookie dough balls in before baking.
Egg Yolk: You will need one room temperature egg yolk instead of a whole egg. Egg yolk will make sure your cookies bake up soft and chewy.
How to make Banana Cookies:
Full recipe is mentioned in the recipe card below. Here is an overview of steps to achieve that perfect chewy, crinkly top every single time.
Brown the Butter
Place sliced butter into a light-colored skillet over medium heat. Light-colored pans make it much easier to watch the color change so you don't accidentally burn it.
Allow the butter to melt completely. It will begin to bubble, sputter and foam up. Keep stirring gently with a heat-proof spatula. After about 5 minutes, the sputtering will quiet down. Tiny golden speckles will form at the bottom of the pan.
The second it turns a rich golden-amber brown, pour it out of the hot skillet into a heat-safe bowl. Pop the bowl into your freezer for 15 minutes to cool it down so it doesn't melt the sugar or scramble the egg yolk later.
Whisk Dry Ingredients
While the butter is cooling, whisk together the all-purpose flour, baking soda and ground cinnamon in a medium mixing bowl until uniformly combined.
Prepare the Wet Ingredients:
Add cooled brown butter and sugar to the bowl of a stand mixer. Beat for few minutes till the mix gets fluffy. Next goes in egg yolk and vanilla extract. Beat till it gets fully incorporated.
Then add in the mashed banana. Remember to add in egg yolk first and allow it to mix first before adding in mashed banana.
Combine Wet and Dry:
Dump the prepared dry ingredients into the wet mixture. Fold with a spatula using hands or on low speed using mixer. Over-mixing at this stage develops gluten, which will make the cookies tough instead of tender and chewy.
Roll in Cinnamon Sugar
Roll each ball between your palms until smooth. Then drop it into the sugar, coating it completely. Space the balls about 2 inches apart on your prepared baking sheets.
Crucial Baking Insight: When you pull these cookies out of the oven, they will look puffed up and slightly soft in the center. This is normal! Do not overbake them waiting for them to look flat. As the cookies sit on the hot pan outside the oven for 5 minutes, they will settle. Then cookies collapse slightly and form those irresistible crinkles across the top.
Fun Recipe Variations:
While these cookies are a total showstopper completely on their own, they also serve as a fantastic base canvas for customization:
The Chocolate Chunk Twist: Fold ½ cup of dark chocolate chunks or mini semi-sweet chocolate chips into the dough right at the end. Chocolate and brown-butter banana are a match made in heaven!
Maple Glaze Drizzle: Whisk together ½ cup of confectioners' sugar, 1 tablespoon of pure maple syrup, and 1 teaspoon of milk. Drizzle lightly over the cooled cookies with a fork.
Nutty Crunch: Fold in ⅓ cup of finely chopped toasted pecans or walnuts for a classic "banana nut bread" cookie feel.
Tips for Recipe Success:
The Banana Choice Matters: Do not try this recipe with a green or bright yellow banana! You need an overripe banana whose skin is heavily streaked with dark spots or completely black. Overripe bananas have higher sugar concentrations and softer solids, which dissolve seamlessly into the dough.
Room temperature Brown Butter please: If you dump hot melted butter straight from the skillet into your sugar and egg yolk, you will melt the sugar structure. These can cause cookies to turn greasy and create flat puddles in the oven. Make sure the brown butter feels cool or room-temperature before mixing.
Use the Right Pan: Dark baking sheets absorb heat too quickly. This can scorch the sugary bottoms of these cookies before centers set. Use light-colored sheets for an even, golden bake.
More Banana Recipes that you will love:
If you liked this Bread recipe, please give it a star review. Also, tell me in the comments below, how did it turn out for you! How did your family or guests like it? How did you personalize it? And don’t forget to share your wonderful creations with me on Instagram at #greedyeatsblog Let's be friends on Pinterest and Facebook too!
Recipe
Banana Cookies Recipe
Equipment
- 1 Stand mixer
- 2 Large Cookies Sheets
Ingredients
- 10 Tablespoons Butter (unsalted)
- 1 Cup Granulated sugar
- ½ cup Very ripe Banana (About 1 medium-large Banana)
- 1 Egg Yolk (room temperature)
- 1 and ½ teaspoons Pure vanilla extract
- ¼ teaspoon Salt
- 2 Cups All purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon Baking Soda
- 2 and ½ teaspoons Cinnamon
For Rolling Cookie Dough Balls:
- ⅓ cup Granulated sugar
- ½ teaspoon Cinnamon
Cream Cheese Frosting:
- 4 ounces Cream Cheese Block (at room temperature, not cream cheese spread)
- 1 and ½ cups Granulated sugar
- 1 and ½ teaspoons Pure vanilla extract
To Top:
- ½ cup Chopped Pecans
Instructions
- Place your cubed/sliced butter into a light-colored skillet over medium heat. Light-colored pans make it much easier to watch the color change so you don't accidentally burn it.Once the butter melts, It will begin to bubble and foam up. Keep stirring gently with a heat-proof spatula. After about 5 minutes, the sputtering will quiet down. Tiny golden speckles will start forming at the bottom of pan.The second it turns a rich golden-amber brown, pour it out of the hot skillet into a heat-safe bowl. Pop the bowl into your freezer for 15 minutes to chill it down. (This step can be done in advance as well.
- Whisk together the all-purpose flour and baking soda in a medium mixing bowl. Set them aside.
- Add your cooled brown butter and granulated sugar to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (or use a large bowl with a hand mixer). Beat on high speed for 2 full minutes or until the mixture becomes pale and slightly fluffy.10 Tablespoons Butter, 1 Cup Granulated sugar
- Add the egg yolk and vanilla extract. Beat on high speed for another minute until smooth and fully incorporated.Add ½ cup of mashed banana and mix on medium-low just until combined, stopping to scrape down the sides of the bowl once.1 Egg Yolk, 1 and ½ teaspoons Pure vanilla extract, ½ cup Very ripe Banana
- Mix in salt and cinnamon too. I like to mix cinnamon and salt in butter sugar mixture. You can also whisk them with flour if you prefer it that way.¼ teaspoon Salt, 2 and ½ teaspoons Cinnamon
- Dump flour and baking soda into the wet mixture. Turn your mixer to its lowest speed and mix just until the flour disappears. Over-mixing at this stage develops gluten, which will make the cookies tough instead of tender and chewy.2 Cups All purpose flour, 1 teaspoon Baking Soda
- Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C) and line two large baking sheets with parchment paper. Pour and mix granulated sugar and cinnamon into a small bowl or shallow plate.Using a 1 and ½ tablespoons cookie scoop, portion out round balls of dough. Roll each ball between your palms until smooth, then drop it into the sugar, coating it completely. Space the balls about 2 inches apart on your prepared baking sheets.⅓ cup Granulated sugar, ½ teaspoon Cinnamon
- Bake at 350°F for 12 to 13 minutes. When you pull these cookies out of the oven, they will look puffed up and slightly soft in the center. As the cookies sit on the hot pan outside the oven for 5 minutes, they will settle, collapse slightly, and form crinkles across the top.After a few minutes transfer them to a wire cooling rack to cool completely.
To make Frosting:
- Beat room temperature cream cheese block until smooth, about 1-2 minutes. Add confectioners' sugar and vanilla then mix again just until you get a smooth and spreadable frosting.4 ounces Cream Cheese Block, 1 and ½ cups Granulated sugar, 1 and ½ teaspoons Pure vanilla extract
- Top with chopped pecans and enjoy!½ cup Chopped Pecans
Leave a Reply