Soft & Chewy Banana Bread Cookies Recipe (Easy!)

We’ve all been there: a single, lonely, overripe banana sitting on the counter, past its prime for eating but not quite enough for a full loaf of banana bread. What’s a baker to do? What if you could capture all the comforting, spiced flavor of classic banana bread in a soft, chewy, handheld treat?

Enter these incredible Banana Bread Cookies! This recipe is the perfect solution for using up that one ripe banana, transforming it into a batch of unbelievably soft and moist cookies. Loaded with warm spices like cinnamon and nutmeg, plus hearty rolled oats, these banana cookies are everything you love about banana bread, just faster, easier, and perfectly portioned. They are the ultimate comfort cookie!

Ingredients

This recipe uses simple pantry staples to create a soft, flavorful, and wonderfully textured cookie.

Ingredient	Amount/Quantity	Notes
Unsalted Butter, softened	½ cup	Let sit at room temp for about 30 mins
Packed Brown Sugar	½ cup	Adds moisture and caramel flavor
Granulated Sugar	¼ cup	For sweetness and crisp edges
Large Egg	1	Room temperature preferred
Pure Vanilla Extract	1 teaspoon
Mashed Ripe Banana	½ cup	About 1 large or 1-2 small bananas
All-Purpose Flour	1 ½ cups	Spooned and leveled
Baking Soda	½ teaspoon
Salt	¼ teaspoon	Balances the sweetness
Ground Cinnamon	1 teaspoon
Ground Nutmeg	½ teaspoon
Rolled Oats	1 cup	Old-fashioned, not instant, for best texture
Chopped Walnuts or Chocolate Chips	½ cup (Optional)	Use your favorite mix-in!

this now & bake later ❤️

Timing

This is a fantastic, quick cookie recipe with no chilling required, perfect for an afternoon baking session.

• Preparation Time: 15 minutes
• Cooking Time: 10-12 minutes per batch
• Total Time: Approximately 30-40 minutes (including baking in batches)

Step-by-Step Instructions

Follow these simple steps to create soft, cakey, and delicious banana bread cookies.

Step 1: Preheat Oven and Prepare Pans

First, preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C). Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper. This prevents the cookies from sticking and ensures even baking.

Step 2: Cream the Butter and Sugars

In a large mixing bowl, using an electric hand mixer or a stand mixer, beat the softened butter, packed brown sugar, and granulated sugar together on medium-high speed. Continue creaming for 2-3 minutes until the mixture is light, pale, and fluffy.

• Actionable Tip: Don’t rush this step! Creaming the butter and sugars properly whips air into the dough, which is key for a lighter, softer cookie texture.

Step 3: Add the Wet Ingredients

Add the egg and vanilla extract to the creamed butter mixture and beat until well combined. Scrape down the sides of the bowl, then add the mashed ripe banana. Stir or mix on low speed until the banana is fully incorporated. The mixture might look slightly curdled at this point – that’s perfectly okay!

• Actionable Tip: For the best flavor, use a banana that is heavily speckled or even mostly brown. The riper the banana, the sweeter and more flavorful your cookies will be.

Step 4: Combine the Dry Ingredients

In a separate medium bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, baking soda, salt, ground cinnamon, and ground nutmeg. Whisking ensures the leaveners and spices are evenly distributed.

Step 5: Mix the Cookie Dough

Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, mixing on low speed just until combined. Be careful not to overmix the dough.

• Actionable Tip: Do not overmix! Overworking the flour will develop gluten and can lead to tough, dense cookies instead of soft, tender ones. Stop mixing as soon as the last streaks of flour disappear.

Step 6: Fold in Oats and Mix-Ins

Using a spatula, gently fold in the rolled oats and the optional chopped walnuts or chocolate chips until they are evenly distributed throughout the dough. The dough will be soft.

Step 7: Scoop the Cookies

Using a tablespoon or a small cookie scoop, drop rounded spoonfuls of the dough onto your prepared baking sheets, spacing them about 2 inches apart to allow for spreading.

• Actionable Tip: These cookies have a soft, slightly cake-like texture. A cookie scoop is highly recommended to create uniform, rounded cookies.

Step 8: Bake and Cool

Bake in the preheated oven for 10-12 minutes. The cookies are done when the edges are lightly golden brown and the centers are set (they should no longer look wet or shiny). Allow the cookies to cool on the baking sheet for 3-5 minutes before carefully transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely.

• Actionable Tip: For a soft, chewy cookie, be careful not to overbake. Pulling them out when the centers are just set is perfect. They will continue to firm up as they cool.

Nutritional Information

Nutritional information is an estimate per cookie, assuming the recipe yields approximately 2-3 dozen cookies, and does not include optional mix-ins.

• Calories: Approx. 80-100 kcal
• Protein: 1-2 g
• Carbohydrates: 12-15 g
• Fat: 3-4 g
• Saturated Fat: 2-3 g
• Sugar: 7-9 g

Notable Benefit: These cookies contain fiber from the rolled oats and potassium from the bananas!

Healthier Alternatives

This recipe is already packed with oats and fruit, but you can make other adjustments:

• Whole Wheat Flour: Substitute half of the all-purpose flour (¾ cup) with white whole wheat flour or whole wheat pastry flour for added fiber. The cookies may be slightly denser.
• Reduce Sugar: You can slightly reduce the brown and granulated sugar (by 1-2 tablespoons each) since the ripe banana adds natural sweetness.
• Oil Swap: Replace the softened butter with an equal amount of melted and cooled coconut oil for a dairy-free version.
• Vegan Option: Use melted coconut oil, replace the egg with one flax egg (1 tbsp ground flaxseed + 3 tbsp water, let sit 5 mins), and use dairy-free chocolate chips.

Serving Suggestions

These Banana Bread Cookies are perfect just as they are, but here are a few fun ideas:

• Brown Butter Glaze: For a truly decadent treat, whisk together 1 cup of powdered sugar, a splash of milk, and 2 tablespoons of browned butter (cooled). Drizzle this over the cooled cookies.
• Cream Cheese Frosting: Top cooled cookies with a simple cream cheese frosting (like you’d find on a carrot cake) for a truly indulgent dessert.
• Breakfast Cookie: Enjoy one or two with your morning coffee or tea for a perfect, easy-to-grab breakfast.
• Ice Cream Sandwiches: Sandwich a small scoop of vanilla bean or coffee ice cream between two cookies.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

For the softest, chewiest banana cookies, avoid these common mistakes:

• Using Underripe Bananas: Green or yellow bananas lack the moisture and intense flavor needed. Solution: Be patient! Wait until your banana is very ripe, soft, and covered in brown spots.
• Overmixing the Dough: This is the #1 cause of tough, bready cookies. Solution: Fold in the dry ingredients and oats gently, stopping as soon as they are just combined.
• Overbaking: This will dry out the cookies and make them hard instead of soft and chewy. Solution: Keep a close eye on them and pull them from the oven when the centers are just set.
• Flat Cookies: This can happen if your butter was too warm (melted instead of softened) or if your baking soda is expired. Solution: Use properly softened butter (you can press an indent in it, but it’s not greasy) and check the date on your baking soda.

Storing Tips

These cookies are very moist, so they need to be stored properly to maintain their soft texture and prevent them from getting sticky.

• Room Temperature: Store the completely cooled cookies in an airtight container at room temperature. Placing a sheet of parchment or wax paper between layers is recommended to prevent sticking. They are best enjoyed within 3-4 days.
• Refrigeration: Due to their high moisture content, you can also store them in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to a week.
• Freezing: These cookies freeze wonderfully! Place them in a single layer on a baking sheet to freeze solid, then transfer them to a freezer-safe bag or container, separating layers with parchment paper. Freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw at room temperature.

Conclusion

This Banana Bread Cookies recipe is the perfect, delicious solution for that lone ripe banana on your counter. They are incredibly soft, chewy, and loaded with the warm, comforting flavors of cinnamon, nutmeg, and sweet banana. Easy to make and even easier to eat, these cookies are a fantastic way to enjoy the taste of banana bread in a fun, new form!

Ready to turn that one banana into a delicious batch of cookies? Give this recipe a try and let us know what you think in the comments below! Did you add walnuts or chocolate chips? We love hearing your feedback! Don’t forget to rate the recipe and subscribe for more easy and delicious cookie ideas!

FAQs

Q1: Can I make these cookies without oats?

Yes, you can, but they will have a different texture – more like a very soft, cakey cookie. You can try replacing the 1 cup of oats with an additional ½ to ¾ cup of all-purpose flour, but the oats are highly recommended for the classic “banana bread” chewy texture.

Q2: How ripe do my bananas need to be?

The riper, the better! You are looking for bananas that are soft to the touch and heavily speckled with brown or even mostly black. These bananas are much sweeter and provide more moisture, which is ideal for baking.

Q3: Can I make this recipe gluten-free?

Yes. You can substitute the all-purpose flour with a good quality measure-for-measure gluten-free baking blend. Also, be sure to use certified gluten-free rolled oats, as regular oats can be cross-contaminated with wheat.

Q4: My cookies are more cakey than chewy. Why?

These cookies naturally have a soft, slightly cake-like texture due to the moisture from the banana. However, if they are very cakey, you may have slightly overmixed the flour or over-creamed the butter and sugar, incorporating too much air. For a chewier cookie, try using melted butter (as in a chocolate chip cookie recipe) and adding an extra egg yolk, though this will change the recipe’s original texture.

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