Banana Bread Chocolate Chip Cookies bring together everything you love about warm banana bread and classic chocolate chip cookies. They’re soft in the center, lightly chewy around the edges, and packed with ripe banana, cinnamon, rich brown butter, and plenty of melty chocolate.
These cozy banana chocolate chip cookies are especially useful when you have one ripe banana sitting on the counter but don’t want to bake an entire loaf of banana bread. A sprinkle of flaky sea salt balances the sweetness and makes every chocolate-filled bite even better.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
These cookies have the familiar warmth of homemade banana bread in an easy, shareable cookie. Browned butter gives them a deep, nutty flavor, while brown sugar and ripe banana help create wonderfully soft centers.
They’re also simple enough for everyday baking and family-friendly. The dough can be prepared ahead of time and chilled until you’re ready to bake, making these brown butter banana cookies convenient for weekends, gatherings, or an after-dinner treat.
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter, cut into tablespoon-size pieces
- 2/3 cup brown sugar
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1 large egg yolk
- 1/3 cup mashed ripe banana
- 1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 1 2/3 cups all-purpose flour, spooned and leveled
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 cup chocolate chips or chocolate chunks
- Flaky sea salt, for sprinkling
Instructions
- Place the butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Allow it to melt, then continue cooking while stirring frequently. Once the butter becomes foamy, golden brown, and fragrant with small brown specks on the bottom of the pan, remove it from the heat.
- Let the browned butter cool to room temperature for about 20 minutes. For faster cooling, place it in the refrigerator briefly, but don’t allow it to become solid.
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the cooled browned butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar until smooth and glossy.
- Add the egg yolk, mashed ripe banana, and vanilla extract. Whisk until evenly combined.
- Add the flour, baking soda, kosher salt, and cinnamon. Mix gently just until a soft cookie dough forms. Avoid overmixing.
- Fold in the chocolate chips or chunks until evenly distributed throughout the dough.
- Cover the bowl and refrigerate the dough for at least 1 hour. For deeper flavor, you can chill it for up to 24 hours.
- When ready to bake your Banana Bread Chocolate Chip Cookies, preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Line baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Scoop approximately 2 tablespoons of dough for each cookie and roll or gently shape into balls. Arrange them on the prepared baking sheets, leaving enough room for spreading.
- Bake for 10–12 minutes, until the edges look set but the centers remain soft.
- Remove the baking sheet from the oven and carefully tap it against a heat-safe counter once or twice. This encourages attractive ripples and helps create chewy chocolate chip cookies with soft centers.
- Sprinkle the warm cookies with flaky sea salt. Leave them on the baking sheet for about 5 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to finish cooling.
Tips & Tricks
Use a very ripe banana with plenty of brown spots for the strongest natural banana flavor. Mash it until mostly smooth before measuring so it blends evenly into the cookie dough.
Watch the butter carefully while browning it. Once the milk solids become golden brown and smell nutty, remove the pan from the heat so they don’t burn.
Don’t skip chilling the dough. Banana adds considerable moisture, and chilling helps control spreading while improving the cookies’ texture and flavor.
For especially soft banana cookies, remove them from the oven while the centers still look slightly underdone. They’ll continue setting as they rest on the hot baking sheet.
Chocolate chunks create larger pockets of melted chocolate, while regular chocolate chips distribute chocolate more evenly. Either option works well.
Details
Prep Time: 20 minutes, plus at least 1 hour chilling
Cook Time: 10–12 minutes per batch
Total Time: About 1 hour 40 minutes
Yield: Approximately 18–20 cookies
Category: Dessert
Method: Baking
Cuisine: American-inspired
Difficulty: Easy
Dietary Notes: Vegetarian and halal-friendly when made with halal-certified ingredients where applicable
Notes
For a sweeter cookie, use milk chocolate chips. Semisweet or dark chocolate works particularly well if you prefer a richer chocolate flavor that balances the sweetness of the banana.
You can add chopped walnuts or pecans for extra crunch. These easy banana cookies are delicious served slightly warm when the chocolate is still soft, alongside milk, coffee, or tea.
Nutrition
Approximate nutrition per cookie, based on 20 cookies:
Calories: 175
Protein: 2 g
Carbohydrates: 24 g
Fat: 8 g
Nutrition values are estimates and will vary depending on the chocolate and other ingredients used.
FAQ
Can I use very ripe bananas for banana chocolate chip cookies?
Yes. Very ripe bananas are ideal because they’re naturally sweeter, softer, and more flavorful. Bananas with plenty of brown spots work particularly well.
Why do I need to chill banana cookie dough?
Banana adds moisture to cookie dough. Chilling firms up the butter and hydrates the flour, helping reduce excessive spreading and giving the finished cookies a thicker, chewier texture.
Can I make banana bread cookies without browning the butter?
Yes. You can use melted butter instead, although you’ll lose some of the toasted, nutty flavor that makes brown butter banana cookies especially rich.
Why are my banana cookies cakey?
Too much banana or flour can make the cookies more cake-like. Measure the mashed banana carefully and spoon the flour into your measuring cup before leveling it rather than packing it down.
Can I make the cookie dough ahead of time?
Yes. Cover the prepared dough tightly and refrigerate it for up to 24 hours before baking.
Can I add nuts to these cookies?
Absolutely. Chopped walnuts or pecans pair naturally with banana, cinnamon, brown butter, and chocolate. Fold them into the dough with the chocolate chips.
Storage
Store completely cooled cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for about 3 days or refrigerate them for up to 5 days.
For longer storage, freeze the baked cookies in a freezer-safe container for up to 2 months. Place parchment paper between layers to prevent sticking.
You can also freeze portioned cookie dough. Freeze individual dough balls until firm, then transfer them to a freezer-safe container or bag. Bake from frozen, adding a little extra baking time as needed.
To recreate that freshly baked texture, gently warm a cookie in the microwave for several seconds or place it in a low oven until just warm.
Similar Recipes
Banana Bread Chocolate Chip Cookies
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter cut into tablespoon-size pieces
- 2/3 cup brown sugar
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1 large egg yolk
- 1/3 cup mashed ripe banana
- 1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 1 2/3 cups all-purpose flour spooned and leveled
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 cup chocolate chips or chocolate chunks
- Flaky sea salt for sprinkling
Instructions
- Place the butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Allow it to melt, then continue cooking while stirring frequently. Once the butter becomes foamy, golden brown, and fragrant with small brown specks on the bottom of the pan, remove it from the heat.
- Let the browned butter cool to room temperature for about 20 minutes. For faster cooling, place it in the refrigerator briefly, but don’t allow it to become solid.
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the cooled browned butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar until smooth and glossy.
- Add the egg yolk, mashed ripe banana, and vanilla extract. Whisk until evenly combined.
- Add the flour, baking soda, kosher salt, and cinnamon. Mix gently just until a soft cookie dough forms. Avoid overmixing.
- Fold in the chocolate chips or chunks until evenly distributed throughout the dough.
- Cover the bowl and refrigerate the dough for at least 1 hour. For deeper flavor, you can chill it for up to 24 hours.
- When ready to bake your Banana Bread Chocolate Chip Cookies, preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Line baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Scoop approximately 2 tablespoons of dough for each cookie and roll or gently shape into balls. Arrange them on the prepared baking sheets, leaving enough room for spreading.
- Bake for 10–12 minutes, until the edges look set but the centers remain soft.
- Remove the baking sheet from the oven and carefully tap it against a heat-safe counter once or twice. This encourages attractive ripples and helps create chewy chocolate chip cookies with soft centers.
- Sprinkle the warm cookies with flaky sea salt. Leave them on the baking sheet for about 5 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to finish cooling.
Notes
You can add chopped walnuts or pecans for extra crunch. These easy banana cookies are delicious served slightly warm when the chocolate is still soft, alongside milk, coffee, or tea.
Conclusion
These Banana Bread Chocolate Chip Cookies turn a ripe banana into a warm, chocolate-filled dessert with the best qualities of two classic bakes. Brown butter adds richness, cinnamon brings cozy banana-bread flavor, and flaky sea salt provides the perfect finishing contrast.
With their soft centers, chewy edges, and pockets of melted chocolate, they’re an approachable recipe to keep on hand whenever you’re craving something a little more special than an everyday chocolate chip cookie.