Chewy Banana Bread Cookies (Bakery Style!)
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My banana bread cookies are not what you’d expect. They’re somewhere between a fudgy brownie and a classic banana loaf – super chewy in the middle, crisp at the edges, and that banana slice on top comes out of the oven looking literally bakery-worthy. If you’re into budget-friendly bakes like my banana bread cookies recipe, these Banana Blueberry Muffins are right up your street too.
A Quick Look At The Recipe
- ✅ Recipe Name: Chewy Banana Bread Cookies (Bakery Style!)
- 🕦 Ready in: 22 minutes
- 🤝 Serves: 12
- 🍴 Calories: 200kcal
- 🧑🍳 Main ingredients: ripe bananas, light brown sugar, salted butter, mixed spice
- ✨ Summary: These banana bread cookies have a fudgy centre, crisp edges & a caramelised banana slice on top. Pure bakery vibes!
Why you’ll love this recipe
I’ve tested a lot of versions of this banana bread cookie to get the texture right, because most versions turn out cakey and sad. Here’s what makes this one different:
- Unique flavour: Light brown sugar and ground mixed spice together give you this warm, almost molasses-y depth that plain banana bread cookies just don’t have.
- Cheap & easy: Two ripe bananas and a handful of pantry staples – that’s genuinely all you need for these soft banana cookies.
- You can adapt it easily: Chocolate chips, walnuts, dairy-free butter – this banana bread cookie recipe takes all of it. It’s just as flexible as my Easy Chocolate Tiffin Recipe if you’ve made that one before.
If you’ve got more bananas than you know what to do with, Mini Pancakes with Biscoff, Chocolate Protein Muffins (Fudgy & High Protein), and Simple Blueberry Oatmeal Bars (On The Go Breakfast!) are all worth a look.
Table of Contents
Ingredients
Three ingredients that really make a difference in these banana bread cookies:
- Ripe bananas: This recipe for banana bread cookies asks for exactly 90g of mashed banana in the dough. I know it sounds fussy but it’s the difference between a chewy banana cookie and a cakey one. The second banana is for the slices on top, or you can save it for my Baked Oats with Chocolate Chips.
- Ground mixed spice: This is what makes these taste a bit more like a banana loaf rather than a basic banana cookie. The nutmeg and cloves in mixed spice add a depth that cinnamon alone doesn’t give you.
- Lemon juice: Dip your banana slices in a little lemon juice before they go on top. It stops them oxidising and going grey in the oven, and keeps them looking golden & caramelised instead. I always have some in the fridge for this and The Best Moist Lemon Drizzle Cake Recipe.
See the recipe card for full information on all ingredients and quantities.
Variations/ Adaptations
- Chocolate chip banana bread cookies: Fold in 50g of dark chocolate chunks when you add the flour for a melty, fudgy middle. This is such a classic combination, and it also works brilliantly in my Giant Chocolate Cornflake Cake.
- Add some crunch: A handful of chopped walnuts or pecans stirred into the dough would give your banana bread cookies a nice textural contrast.
- Dairy-free: Swap the salted butter for a plant-based block butter and that’s it. For another dairy-free sweet recipe after these easy banana bread cookies, make sure to try my Healthy Apple Pie Porridge with Walnuts.
How to make Banana Bread Cookies
Step 1: Beat the sugar and soft butter until creamy, then mix in 90g of mashed banana, the egg yolk, vanilla, mixed spice, flour, and bicarbonate of soda to form the cookie dough.
Step 2: Roll the dough into small golf-ball-sized portions and place them together on a tray to refrigerate for at least one hour.
Step 3: Preheat the oven to 160°C fan, then place the chilled dough balls well apart on a parchment-lined baking tray so they have plenty of room to spread.
Step 4: Peel and thinly slice the remaining banana, then coat the slices in a little lemon juice.
Step 5: Flatten the dough balls slightly and arrange the freshly cut banana slices directly on top of each cookie.
Step 6: Bake for 12 to 14 minutes until brown, allowing them to firm up as they cool on the tray before moving them to a wire rack.
Looking for more quick oven recipes? Oven Baked Salmon Steaks (Ready In Under 20 Minutes), Crispy Soy Chicken Wings (No Frying Needed!), and Crunchy Shake and Bake Chicken (17-Minute Recipe!) are good ones.
Tips for the best result
- Exactly 90g of banana in the dough is non-negotiable if you want a chewy banana cookie rather than a cakey one. Even a small banana varies wildly in weight.
- Chill the dough! At least an hour in the fridge stops the banana bread cookies spreading too thin and keeps them thick through the middle.
- Don’t skip the lemon, as it’s the only thing standing between a beautiful caramelised topping and a grey oxidised one.
- These healthy banana bread cookies are very soft straight out of the oven but they firm up into the right texture as they sit, just like these Banana Blueberry Muffins.
How to Make Banana Bread Cookies Chewy (Not Cakey!)
The reason most banana bread cookie recipes end up with a cakey, muffin-like texture is the egg. A whole egg brings in moisture and protein that puffs the cookie up and gives it that spongy bite, which is great for a loaf… but not great here. Using just the yolk keeps the dough dense and fudgy.
The other thing that trips people up is banana quantity. “One medium banana” means nothing when bananas come in every size imaginable. Weighing exactly 90g is what actually keeps the dough from getting too wet, and combined with the chill time, it’s what gives you those crisp edges and that concentrated banana flavour in the middle that makes these banana bread cookies so unbelievably good.
Serving Suggestions
These banana bread cookies are the kind of thing you make on a Sunday and find yourself eating all week. They’re great as a lunchbox treat, an afternoon snack, or something to put out with a cup of tea when people come over.
Try also:
Leftover Storage and Reheat Instructions
Because of the fresh banana on top, storage is slightly different to your standard banana bread cookies.
Refrigerator: Put it in an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 3 days. The fridge keeps the banana topping stable.
Freezer: Freeze the raw dough balls for up to 3 months and bake from frozen – just add 2 minutes to the bake time.
Reheat: You just need ten seconds in the microwave and the centre goes gooey again!
Recipe FAQs
That’s not an issue you’ll have with these soft banana bread cookies at all. If your cookies are not the right texture, that’s either because of too much egg white or too much banana in the dough. My recipe uses only the yolk and a strict 90g of mashed banana, which keeps the texture fudgy rather than sponge-like.
You can, but they’ll spread a lot on the tray and lose that thick bakery-style shape. An hour in the fridge makes a real difference when you’re making this easy banana bread cookie recipe so I wouldn’t skip it.
Just dip each slice in lemon juice before it goes on the cookie. The acidity stops the fruit oxidising during the bake and keeps them looking golden.
Definitely – add about 50g of whatever mix-ins you want at the same time as the flour. Those are classic banana bread additions that work really well here.
If you’d like some main dish ideas, try this Buldak Soup (5-Minute Recipe), Crispy Baked Bacon Pudding (No Steaming Required!), and Mediterranean Pasta Salad {Roasted Vegetables and Chorizo}.
If you tried this Easy Banana Bread Cookies recipe, it would mean so much to me if you could leave a review & a star rating to let me know how you found it! I love hearing about your experiences – it motivates me to keep creating more and more recipes for you guys 💛 Let’s get cooking! – Mimi x
Bakery-Style Banana Bread Cookies
Ingredients
- 175 g light brown sugar
- 100 g salted butter, at room temperature
- 2 small ripe bananas
- 1 egg yolk
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- ¼ tsp ground mixed spice
- 200 g plain flour
- 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
- 1 tsp lemon juice
- Flaky salt, to finish
Method
- Place the sugar and very soft butter into a mixing bowl and beat with an electric hand mixer or wooden spoon until soft and creamy.
- Peel and mash 1 banana, and weigh 90g of banana into the mixing bowl. Add the egg yolk and vanilla and beat until smooth, then add the mixed spice, flour and bicarbonate of soda. Beat together until your cookie dough forms.
- Roll into small golf-ball-sized balls and place in a container. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour.
- Preheat the oven to 160°C fan, Gas 4 and line 2 baking trays with parchment paper. Place on the baking tray, spaced well apart as they spread a lot. Flatten slightly. Peel and thinly slice the other banana, dip slices in lemon juice, then arrange on top of the cookies.
- Bake for 12-14 minutes until brown. Allow to cool on the baking tray, they are quite soft but will harden as they cool.
Notes
- You can bake these straight away, but refrigerating the cookie dough for one hour creates the best texture if you have time!
- Make sure you dip the banana slices in lemon juice or they will go brown.
- These keep just 2-3 days, but the dough can be frozen for up to 3 months.
- Freeze the dough uncooked in balls for up to 3 months and bake from frozen, allowing an extra minute or two.
Nutrition
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