These banana bread cookies are made with a soft banana cookie, topped with cream cheese frosting, and chopped toasted pecans.
These soft, chewy cookies are made with ripe bananas, giving them a sweet and comforting flavor that tastes just like classic banana bread.
The cookies are then taken to the next level with a generous dollop of creamy cream cheese frosting on top, adding a tangy and smooth contrast to the banana-flavored base.
To finish these off, chopped and toasted pecans are sprinkled over the frosting, providing a satisfying crunch and nutty taste.
The combination of soft cookie, creamy frosting, and crunchy nuts creates a perfect balance of textures and flavors that will surely please any banana bread lover.
For more cookie recipes check out my 5 ingredient peanut butter cookies, coffee cookies, Oreo chocolate chip cookies, mini chocolate chip cookies, chocolate crinkle cookies, and tiramisu cookies.
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Why this recipe works
- Texture- these cookies have a soft, cake-like texture with the satisfying chewiness of a traditional cookie that goes perfectly with the creamy cream cheese frosting and crunchy pecans.
- Banana bread flavored cookies- these cookies have the same flavors of banana bread. The natural sweetness of ripe bananas complements the rich, tangy cream cheese frosting perfectly.
- Crunchy pecans on top- each cookie is topped with a cream cheese frosting and crunchy toasted pecans that add a perfect texture of crunchy and nutty texture.
- Versatility- these are suitable for various occasions, from casual snacking to elegant dessert presentations. They can be enjoyed with morning coffee, as an afternoon pick-me-up, or as a sophisticated after-dinner treat.
- No chill- this cookie recipe is a no-chill recipe so it's super quick and doesn’t require extra waiting time to allow the dough to chill!
Ingredients
Before you start to make this recipe, measure and prepare your ingredients so the cooking process will go smoothly and easily.
Full measurements are in the recipe card below.
Butter- use unsalted butter for this recipe. Only butter will work for this recipe, no margarine, and no coconut oil. Margarine has a weird taste and can ruin the flavor of these delicious cookies.
Flour– we used all-purpose flour for this recipe. Cake flour will work great as well.
Baking soda – baking soda allows the cookies to rise and spread. Make sure that your baking soda isn't expired. Don't replace baking soda with baking powder!
Cinnamon- adding cinnamon to these cookies enhances the flavor and cinnamon goes perfectly with banana. You can skip it if you are allergic or don’t like cinnamon.
Sugar- we used granulated sugar for this recipe. You can use caster sugar as well.
Brown sugar- I like using light brown sugar for this. The brown sugar adds a caramel flavor and chewy texture to the cookies.
Eggs- you will need 1 large egg and 1 egg yolk for this recipe. Make sure that your eggs are at room temperature.
Vanilla extract- Vanilla extract Is an essential ingredient for chocolate cake and adds flavor.
Ripe bananas- use only ripe bananas for this recipe! Overripe bananas are more sweet, moist, and easy to mash into a pudding consistency.
Kosher salt- you will need about ½ teaspoon of kosher salt for this recipe.
For the glaze
Powder sugar- You don’t have to buy powdered sugar, you can simply make it at home by blending granulated sugar in a blender or food processor.
Cream cheese– you will need to get your cream cheese to room temperature. Use full fat cream cheese for this.
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 180c (350f) and prepare a baking sheet with parchment paper.
In a large mixing bowl, add the softened butter, granulated sugar, cinnamon, brown sugar, vanilla extract, and kosher salt, and mix with an electric hand mixer until well combined.
In a large mixing bowl, add the ripe bananas and mash them into a pudding-like consistency with a fork or a potato masher. Add them to the mixture and mix until smooth and creamy.
Add the egg, and egg yolk, and mix until combined and creamy.
Then, add the flour, and baking soda, and mix with the hand mixer until just combined and there are no visible lumps of flour showing. Do not overmix the cookie dough.
Use a large cookie scooper to scoop out the cookies or scoop the cookies with a regular tablespoon, 1 ½ tablespoons at a time. Place them on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet.
Bake in a 180c (350f) preheated oven for 10 minutes or until the edges of the cookies are light golden brown. Do not overbake them, we want to keep these cookies soft and chewy.
Let the cookies cool for 5 minutes, and then transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely.
Make the cream cheese frosting
In a medium-sized mixing bowl, add the softened butter, cream cheese, vanilla extract, and salt, and mix with an electric hand mixer until fluffy and creamy, for about 3 minutes.
Add the powdered sugar, and mix until smooth and creamy. If your frosting is too thick, add a teaspoon of milk at a time and mix until you get the right consistency.
Use an offset spatula to frost each cookie with the desired amount of frosting. Top with chopped and toasted pecans and serve!
Expert Tips
- Use room temperature ingredients. You must use room-temperature ingredients like eggs and butter. This step ensures that your mixture mixes into a homogenous mixture and bakes perfectly.
- Don’t overmix the batter, you don’t want to develop the gluten in the flour. This step ensures you have moist cookies and not dense and dry cookies.
- Use overripe bananas for maximum flavor and natural sweetness. The riper the bananas, the more intense the banana flavor will be in your cookies.
- Make sure that your butter is at room temperature. The butter should be soft to the touch. If your butter is too cold, it will be harder to mix and there will be lumps of butter in the dough.
- Toast pecans before adding them to enhance their flavor. Toasting brings out the nuts' natural oils and creates a deeper, more complex taste.
- Measure your flour correctly! When measuring your flour, avoid scooping it with a measuring cup. Instead, stir the flour with a spoon to create as many air pockets as possible, and spoon it into your measuring cup. Finally, level it with the back of a knife.
- Line your sheet pan with parchment paper or a silicone mat! This step helps the cookies to bake evenly, and it makes sure that your brown butter chocolate chunk cookies release easily from the pan.
- Use a cookie scoop to scoop out the cookies, that way you will have even-sized cookies, it ensures that your cookies bake evenly.
- Allow cookies to cool completely before frosting. This prevents the cream cheese frosting from melting and sliding off the cookies.
Faq's
They contain mashed bananas, flour, sugar, butter, and eggs, vanilla, baking soda, and salt. In some recipes add nuts and chocolate chips.
To quickly ripen bananas in the oven, place unpeeled bananas on a baking sheet and bake them at 300°F (150°C) for about 15-20 minutes, or until the skins turn black and the fruit becomes soft and sweet.
This usually means that there is too much flour in the dough. It is very important to measure your flour correctly. Check out our expert tips for how to measure flour correctly.
Storing
Since these cookies have cream cheese in them, they need to be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days.
Freezing
For baked cookies- first allow the cookies to cool completely. Then, place the cookies in a single layer on a baking sheet and freeze for about 1-2 hours until solid.
Once frozen, transfer the cookies to an airtight container or freezer bag, separating layers with parchment paper to prevent sticking.
To thaw baked cookies, simply remove them from the freezer and let them sit at room temperature for about 30 minutes.
Freezing the cookie dough- for unbaked cookie dough, shape it into individual portions and place them on a parchment-lined baking sheet.
Freeze until solid, then transfer to a freezer bag. To bake frozen cookie dough, place the frozen balls on a baking sheet and bake as directed in the recipe, adding a few extra minutes to the baking time.
Both baked cookies and unbaked dough can be stored in the freezer for up to 3 months. For best results with frosted cookies, consider freezing the cookies and frosting separately, then assembling them after thawing.
Substitutions
Gluten-free- you can swap the flour with gluten-free flour to make these gluten-free. I never tested this recipe with gluten-free flour, but it should work.
Dairy-free- replace the butter with vegan butter. Also, swap the heavy cream with vegan heavy cream and the cream cheese with vegan cream cheese.
Variations
Nuts- fold ½ cup of chopped walnuts into the cookie dough before baking. This adds a delish crunch and complements the banana flavor perfectly.
Chocolate Chip- mix in ½ cup of semi-sweet chocolate chips to the batter. The melted chocolate creates pockets of gooey goodness in every bite.
Cinnamon swirl- before baking, sprinkle a mixture of 2 tablespoons sugar and 1 teaspoon cinnamon over the cookie dough. Use a toothpick to create a swirl pattern for a visually appealing and flavorful twist.
Peanut butter frosting- replace the cream cheese frosting with a peanut butter version. Mix ½ cup creamy peanut butter into the same cream cheese frosting recipe.
Caramel- after frosting the cookies, drizzle warm caramel sauce over the top. This adds a rich, sweet element that pairs wonderfully with the banana and pecans.
Equipment
- Baking sheet and rack set (our fave)
- Cookies scoop set of 3 (the best cookie scoop we used)
- Whisk Set (pack of 3) to whisk the ingredients together
- Electric hand mixer
- Rubber spatula
More banana desserts
Banana Pudding Cupcakes- These banana pudding cupcakes are made with a moist, tender, and light banana cupcake base, filled with a banana pudding filling, and topped with stabilized whipped cream.
Bananas Foster Cheesecake- This bananas foster cheesecake features a cinnamon graham cracker crust, banana cheesecake filling, and a decadent caramelized banana topping.
Banana Chocolate Chip Cake- This banana chocolate chip cake is moist and filled with melty pockets of chocolate and topped with smooth chocolate frosting.
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If you liked this recipe
📖 Recipe
Banana Bread Cookies w/ Cream Cheese Frosting
Ingredients
For the cookies
- ¾ cup Butter soft, unsalted
- ½ cup Granulated sugar
- ⅓ cup Brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon Kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon Cinnamon optional
- ⅓ cup Banana
- 1 Egg
- 1 Egg yolk
- 2 ½ cups Flour
- 1 teaspoon Baking soda
For the cream cheese frosting
- ⅓ cup Butter room temp, unsalted
- 5.7 oz Cream cheese room temp
- 2 ½ cup Powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla extract
- ⅓ teaspoon Kosher salt
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 180c (350f) and prepare a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- In a large mixing bowl, add the softened butter, granulated sugar, cinnamon, brown sugar, vanilla extract, and kosher salt, and mix with an electric hand mixer until well combined.
- In a large mixing bowl, add the ripe bananas and mash them into a pudding-like consistency with a fork or a potato masher. Add them to the mixture and mix until smooth and creamy.
- Add the egg, and egg yolk, and mix until combined and creamy.
- Then, add the flour, and baking soda, and mix with the hand mixer until just combined and there are no visible lumps of flour showing. Do not overmix the cookie dough.
- Use a large cookie scooper to scoop out the cookies or scoop the cookies with a regular tablespoon, 1 ½ tablespoons at a time. Place them on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet.
- Bake in a 180c (350f) preheated oven for 10 minutes or until the edges of the cookies are light golden brown. Do not overbake them, we want to keep these cookies soft and chewy.
- Let the cookies cool for 5 minutes, and then transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely.
Make the cream cheese frosting
- In a medium-sized mixing bowl, add the softened butter, cream cheese, vanilla extract, and salt, and mix with an electric hand mixer until fluffy and creamy, for about 3 minutes.
- Add the powdered sugar, and mix until smooth and creamy. If your frosting is too thick, add a teaspoon of milk at a time and mix until you get the right consistency.
- Use an offset spatula to frost each cookie with the desired amount of frosting. Top with chopped and toasted pecans and serve!
Notes
- Use room temperature ingredients. You must use room-temperature ingredients like eggs and butter. This step ensures that your mixture mixes into a homogenous mixture and bakes perfectly.
- Don’t overmix the batter, you don’t want to develop the gluten in the flour. This step ensures you have moist cookies and not dense and dry cookies.
- Use overripe bananas for maximum flavor and natural sweetness. The riper the bananas, the more intense the banana flavor will be in your cookies.
- Make sure that your butter is at room temperature. The butter should be soft to the touch. If your butter is too cold, it will be harder to mix and there will be lumps of butter in the dough.
- Toast pecans before adding them to enhance their flavor. Toasting brings out the nuts' natural oils and creates a deeper, more complex taste.
- Measure your flour correctly! When measuring your flour, avoid scooping it with a measuring cup. Instead, stir the flour with a spoon to create as many air pockets as possible, and spoon it into your measuring cup. Finally, level it with the back of a knife.
- Line your sheet pan with parchment paper or a silicone mat! This step helps the cookies to bake evenly, and it makes sure that your brown butter chocolate chunk cookies release easily from the pan.
- Use a cookie scoop to scoop out the cookies, that way you will have even-sized cookies, it ensures that your cookies bake evenly.
- Allow cookies to cool completely before frosting. This prevents the cream cheese frosting from melting and sliding off the cookies.
Billy says
The most delish cookies!