« Baked Scallops | Recipe Home | Asparagus Risotto »

Print Options

Banana Cookies

Posted by Garrett McCord of Vanilla Garlic on Mar 2, 2008

Filed under Cookie

Banana Cookies

This banana cookie recipe came from my grandmother, Sybil Capune; she was a spry woman who made me fresh orange juice in the mornings, loved her toast burnt, and was an amazing home cook. When I inherited her recipe boxes, each filled with yellowed hand-typed note cards, I began exploring my family's culinary history. This particular recipe, now about 70 years old, is one of the best in the bunch and has become one of my favorite cookie recipes ever.

These banana cookies are what I consider to be a staple for any home. Who hasn't had plenty of instances where some bananas have gotten a bit overripe? Banana bread and muffins aren't the only way to use up ripe bananas, and these cookies are a great new alternative. With a fresh banana taste and enhanced with spices and pecans they're a perfect treat for any brown paper bag lunch.

So good, I guarantee they won't last long.

Print Options

Banana Cookies Recipe

Ingredients

  • 1/2 cup of unsalted butter, room temperature
  • 1 cup of sugar
  • 1 egg, room temperature
  • 1 cup of mashed bananas (about 2 ½ large bananas)
  • 1 teaspoon of baking soda
  • 2 cups of flour
  • pinch of salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon of ground cinnamon
  • 1/2 teaspoon of ground mace or nutmeg
  • 1/2 teaspoon of ground cloves
  • 1 cup of pecans (walnuts and chocolate chips are fine alternatives)

Method

1 Preheat the oven to 350°F. Cream the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Add the egg and continue to beat until the mixture is light and fluffy.

2 In a bowl, mix the mashed bananas and baking soda. Let sit for 2 minutes. The baking soda will react with the acid in the bananas which in turn will give the cookies their lift and rise.

3 Mix the banana mixture into the butter mixture. Mix together the flour, salt, and spices and sift into the butter and banana mixture and mix until just combined.

4 Fold into the batter the pecans or chocolate chips if using. Drop in dollops onto parchment paper-lined baking sheet. Bake for 11-13 minutes or until nicely golden brown. Let cool on wire racks.

Makes about 30 cookies.

Indexed: Banana, Cookie

  • Print (no photos)
  • Print (with photos)
  • Share on Facebook

You might also like...

119 Comments

Absolutely guaranteed to not last long in my house! Ingredients sound perfect for my tastes. Handed-down recipe boxes filled with precious memories---thanks!

Posted by: JEP on March 2, 2008 2:36 PM

Oh my goodness, I LOVE banana anything and I have bananas that are a bit overripe at this very moment! As soon as I go to the grocery store (I'm a student, I don't keep a well stocked kitchen) I will be trying these cookies :) Thanks for the fabulous recipe!

Posted by: Laura Marschke on March 2, 2008 4:40 PM

These are right up my alley, thanks for posting! I'll soon try them with peanut butter in place of regular butter. Thanks!

Posted by: Nick on March 2, 2008 5:18 PM

Made these as soon as I saw the recipe. They are fantastic. Guaranteed to make the office happy tomorrow!

Posted by: Eric on March 2, 2008 8:05 PM

Oh my my! Those 3 slightly overripe bananas from 2 weeks ago are coming out of the freezer tomorrow for this recipe! Must remember to stop at the store for pecans though...thanks for the recipe Garrett!

Posted by: Irene on March 2, 2008 8:46 PM

Meh... I found them too dry. If I were to try them again I'd add a couple of tablespoons of oil.

Posted by: Chin on March 2, 2008 9:02 PM

We made these with chocolate chips and some almonds that I had. Very good!!!

Posted by: Amanda on March 2, 2008 9:09 PM

Oh my Gosh! I love banana recipes....!

Posted by: Walker on March 3, 2008 3:05 AM

These are on my to try list!

Posted by: Patricia Scarpin on March 3, 2008 5:37 AM

Oh...those recipe boxes are so wonderful! What a treasure!

Posted by: Jessica on March 3, 2008 6:17 AM

I make my own variation of banana cookies, but these sound great. However, I make a banana icing to put on top of the cookies that makes them that much better. It's basically a mixture of mashed bananas, powdered sugar, milk and butter.

Posted by: Chad on March 3, 2008 6:38 AM

Hi Garrett, I just wondered if I could sub white whole wheat flour and maybe add a little applesauce to the recipe. This looks so good, but I've tried to cut out white flour from my cooking/baking when possible. Thanks!

I think the flour might work fine, but not sure about the applesauce. Give it a go and let us know how it works out! ~Garrett

Posted by: Erin on March 3, 2008 7:06 AM

How about peanut butter chips as an add-in?

Posted by: Nicole on March 3, 2008 7:40 AM

Oh my gosh!!! This is such a wonderful gift. I will make these very soon and follow the recipe as is. Then the next time I make them, I will replace the butter with peanut butter. Thanks!

Posted by: Donna on March 3, 2008 8:20 AM

Hello, I would love to make the banana cookies but you don't write it in ounces or if it's plain or self-rising flour.

I used all-purpose flour. As for the ounces, there is a measurement converter on the left side bar of the Simply Recipes homepage. ~Garrett

Posted by: mavis rudge on March 3, 2008 8:49 AM

When bananas go south of ripe at our house, I just pop them in the freezer in their entirety, for use later. This gives me a good excuse to use those two bananas I saw lurking in the bottom my freezer drawer yesterday! Thank you Garrett & Elise!

Posted by: Mari on March 3, 2008 9:31 AM

Great recipe! Just took these out of the oven and they are delicious - I followed the recipe exactly. Each week we have leftover bananas and I usually make Elise's banana bread recipe. This recipe will also be added to the rotation. Thank you!

Posted by: Beth on March 3, 2008 12:25 PM

Banana cookies are a great idea! They sound really good.

Posted by: Kevin on March 3, 2008 4:14 PM

My grandmother's banana bread recipe calls for mixing the mashed bananas with some warm water and baking soda. I've never known why, I just do it because Nonnie's recipe said to! When Nonnie died, my aunt photocopied all of her recipes (in alphabetical order) and put them in 3-ring binders, with a wonderful picture of my grandmother in the front cover's sleeve, for each family. Since nearly all are in Nonnie's own handwriting, it's a very special treasure. Thanks for sharing a bit of your family's history with us, Garrett, I can't wait to try this recipe.

Posted by: Patty on March 3, 2008 4:30 PM

These came out pretty well! I just tried out the recipe this afternoon and my house smells just divine right about now! I added a teaspoon of vanilla because I love the flavor of vanilla. Very light and a little cake-like - a keeper!

Posted by: PaniniKathy on March 3, 2008 5:55 PM

With chocolate chips? Oh yum!

Posted by: Tea on March 3, 2008 10:05 PM

I'm a volunteer in the Peace Corps and can usually only find bananas that are overripe at the local markets. I love bananas and was disappointed I couldn't find anything fresh here. I can't bake bread so I am extremely happy to find this cookie recipe to add the flavor I've been craving but couldn't get. Thanks!

Posted by: Rikki on March 3, 2008 10:33 PM

Hi! I loved this recipe! We tried it with chocolate chips. We also took out the ground cloves because we didn't have any and they were too expensive to buy, and then added 3/4 to 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract. They were AMAZING! Thanks!

Posted by: Charley on March 4, 2008 12:50 PM

Oh, these would be great with chocolate chips. Brilliant.

Posted by: Elise on March 4, 2008 11:31 PM

Since I am allergic to eggs, I used to think that most cookies and pies would forever be out of my reach. (This is good news for my waistline, but not for my tastebuds) Recently I finally found a cookbook for allergic people with tips on how to alter recipes so that you can still enjoy them! I applied this to Garrett's lovely recipe and the cookies turned out great. So, thank you Garrett!

For those interested in knowing what I did:

I omitted the egg and replaced it with a bit more baking powder (baking soda is hard to find where I live, but an ingredient of the powder), a tiny amount of vanilla sugar (vanilla can be substituted for the eggflavor to some extent) and to be on the safe side, a tiny bit of potato flour (dissolved in about a tablespoon of water). The cookies still turned out great, so don't be afraid you have to suffer once again for being allergic.

Posted by: Ingrid on March 5, 2008 6:46 AM

Wow, I recently discovered how good banana bread is and now you can make cookies out of them? I better not make them or I might become an addict!

Posted by: Utah on March 5, 2008 11:47 AM

You are a life-saver! I have two ziploc bags of overripe bananas in my freezer! These cookies look like I will gain some freezer room!

Posted by: Deborah Dowd on March 5, 2008 6:51 PM

Has anyone tried them with peanut-butter chips yet? I loved bananas and peanut butter when I was a kid, and it's the first thing I thought of when I saw this recipe.

Posted by: kelly on March 6, 2008 10:38 AM

That's so wonderful.Thanks for sharing, and I want to share my recipe for peanut butter & banana cookies.
Banana Cookies with Peanut Butter Filling

1 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1/2 cup sugar
1 cup butter or margarine, softened
1 cup mashed bananas (about 2 medium)
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla
2-3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt

Filling
1 cup Smucker's Natural Creamy Peanut Butter
1/2 cup butter
1 cup powdered sugar

Heat oven to 350° F. Beat brown sugar, sugar, and butter in large mixer bowl until creamy; add banana, egg, and vanilla. Beat until well mixed. Combine flour, baking soda, and salt in medium bowl; mix well. Add flour mixture to banana mixture; mix until soft dough forms.

Drop dough by rounded teaspoonfuls onto greased cookie sheets. Bake 11 to 13 minutes or until lightly browned. Cool on wire racks.

Beat peanut butter, butter and powdered sugar until well mixed. Spread about one tablespoon filling on bottoms of half of cookies. Gently press bottoms of remaining cookies against filling to form sandwiches.

Tip: Cookies can be frosted. Add one to two tablespoons milk to peanut butter filling, stirring until smooth. Frost tops of cookies.

Makes two to 2-1/2 dozen sandwich cookies.

I hope everyone enjoys it!

Posted by: foodaq on March 6, 2008 10:51 PM

Made these tonight, and they were delicious. I omitted the nutmeg and cloves, using only cinnamon (not a big lover of those spices). They are like little banana bread cookies of joy.

Thanks Garrett for such an awesome recipe. I'm gonna see if I can use the base of this recipe to make up a sweet potato cookie! I'm not sure if the sweet potatoes will be acidic enough to get a rise out of the baking powder, but it can't hurt to try. I already have 2 failures under my belt. :)

Posted by: sasha r on March 7, 2008 1:55 AM

Mmm... looks like a banana bread cookie! I think I know what I'm doing this weekend! Thanks so much for sharing this family recipe!

Posted by: Art on March 7, 2008 7:11 AM

We liked them, but I seem to have had a problem that nobody else has had. I made a double batch. The problem is that after I made them and they had cooled, I put them in containers and covered them, and they lost all crispness and became... soggy! Everybody ate them anyway. Is the sogginess something I have to put up with, because of the bananas? Did I do something wrong?

The bananas make these cookies very, very moist. If you package them up and they aren't completely cooled, the container will act like a greenhouse, and the moisture will circulate and make the cookies soggy. Even when cooled, I would leave the container lid slightly ajar the first day or two. ~Garrett

Posted by: Nancy on March 10, 2008 9:16 AM

This cookie recipe is delicious! The cookies were so good I had to share them with my neighbor and she has sent me a note telling me how much she and her little boy enjoyed the cookies. At my house we always end up with brown bananas and I feel guilty throwing them away. Now I will just whip up this fabulous recipe. THANK YOU!

Posted by: Asya on March 10, 2008 3:00 PM

Do you think these cookies can be frozen for later use?
Thanks!

Not sure, I've never had them around long enough. ~Garrett

Posted by: Anna on March 11, 2008 5:45 AM

I am making them right now, and they sound great! Thanks for the recipe! I just ate my first one and they are superb!!

Posted by: Lauren on March 11, 2008 10:51 AM

I vote these be renamed Banana Muffin Top "Cookies"! Mine came out thick, cakey, and absolutely fantastic - but not too cookie-ish! I used very, very rounded tablespoons and baked till they browned on top, maybe twenty minutes at 350°. Fantastic!

Next time I may cut the sugar, replace the c.chips with rehydrated apricots, and sprinkle turbinado sugar on top for crunch - really maximize their muffin-ness!

Posted by: Keeley on March 12, 2008 12:39 PM

Delicious! This recipe became one of my favourites for what to do with ripe bananas! :)

Posted by: dagny on March 17, 2008 5:21 AM

These sound absolutely divine. I do believe I will add a *secret* ingredient of mine to them and see how they turn out for me... ok, you twisted my arm, I'll share. Add a small box of pudding to the recipe and a tablespoon of half-and-half... moist and delicious!!!

Posted by: Darby "the Dessert Diva" on March 18, 2008 11:45 AM

Great recipe! Made it over the Easter weekend and was devoured right away by kids and adults alike. The crowd was actually clamoring for more... more!

I'll definitely double the batch next time.

Posted by: eej on March 26, 2008 10:13 AM

Thank you for sharing this wonderful recipe. I found it through StumbleUpon, and I just knew I'd have to make them. I added a little vanilla, and used chocolate chips instead of pecans (I'm allergic to nuts). I had to add a little milk to the original recipe because the batter got very sticky when I was adding the last of the flour (I think the reason is that I live in Finland and we probably have slightly different kind of flour here). The cookies turned out great: soft and delicious. Next time I'll replace the chocolate chips with butterscotch chips. I think they'll go nicely with bananas.

Posted by: Kristiina on April 11, 2008 11:49 AM

Thank you so much for this recipe. It sounds like your grandmother was a wonderful cook. Our family loves my banana bread, but I think I'll be making these cookies a staple around our house from now on. Absolutely delicious!

Posted by: Peri Knabel on April 11, 2008 4:00 PM

Made these last night with walnuts - yum! There's only 1 left as the family descended upon them as soon as they were cool enough to grab. Guess I'll be making them again soon! Thanks for the recipe!

Posted by: April on April 25, 2008 11:18 AM

Have just made these as a late night treat but found they turned out quite soft. I would have liked them to be a little more crispier round the edges whilst still soft in their centres. I noticed that I used baking powder instead of soda, but how do you think I could get the consistency I'm after...is it more flour/sugar? more baking soda? higher heat? lower heat but longer cooking time? less banana? smaller cookie dollop size? or a combination of all of these? Any suggestions would be appreciated. Or is it because I'm too eager to taste them straight out the oven that should I just wait for them to cool? :)

Posted by: Gez on April 30, 2008 4:24 PM

I really did not like these cookies. The cookies were too soft and tasted more like bread. Not the cookie texture and taste I was looking for.

Posted by: Kate on May 3, 2008 6:07 PM

I just made this recipe with chocolate chips. My son had it and he said my mum is the best cook ever. Thanks Elise for a really great recipe!

All credit goes to Garrett for this one. ;-) ~Elise

Posted by: Khun Ying on May 4, 2008 10:07 AM

Thank you for this delicious recipe. My daughter is an extremely picky eater so anything I can find that includes healthy ingredients is wonderful. To make it even healthier, I added 1/2 cup of diced apples as well....they turned out DELICIOUS. They were moist, soft, and healthy too. Thank you.

Posted by: Jennifer on May 22, 2008 11:52 AM

Thank you, thank you, thank you, These cookies are exactly what I was looking for. I didn't need another banana bread recipe, and I don't have the patience to coddle a pudding recipe, but needed a recipe to use up my over ripe bananas. Perfect.

Posted by: Catherine on June 9, 2008 7:15 AM

I found this through google: I was looking for a banana bread recipe to use up what we've got on the counter. I can't wait to try this now! It's inspiring me to get up and actually cook! Thanks

Posted by: Leslie on June 16, 2008 7:17 PM

My mom made these cookies about a week ago, and they were so good. They didn't last to see the next morning. My sister who hates bananas even ate a few and enjoyed them. Thanks :)

Posted by: Grace Bramfitt on June 23, 2008 3:27 PM

I love this recipe! The one who said they're dry may have skipped a step or mismeasured? They were perfect, even at high altitude. I took them out at 11 min because the brown-ness looked right. Yummmmy!

FYI: stick whole, unpeeled, overripe bananas in the freezer in the skin, unbagged. They're so easy to peel when you thaw them for later use in yogurt, etc.

Posted by: Rita Lenser on June 24, 2008 3:20 PM

Very good.

It was humid when I made them so they became soft and I called them muffin top cookies.

Flipping them over, and then toppped with fresh strawberries and whipped cream, was delicious too!

Posted by: Mark C on June 24, 2008 8:58 PM

These came out a bit too bread-like to be cookies.

Posted by: KellyKelly on July 6, 2008 11:29 AM

Thank you so much! I made them and they are delicious! I even mentioned them and this site on my blog, go check it out! :)

Posted by: Ana on July 13, 2008 9:08 AM

I substituted brown sugar instead of white and whole wheat flour instead of all-purpose, and used eggbeaters. They're delicious and I'll definitely be making them again!

Posted by: Ava on July 20, 2008 2:18 PM

To make these more cookie-like and less like muffin tops, I cooled them and threw them back in the oven (325ish, 10 minutes or so) and baked them again. The edges came out crispy but the centers were still chewy. Same great flavor, but easier to dunk in coffee!

Posted by: Ashley Holmen on August 9, 2008 9:01 AM

Just wanted to stop by and say these are wonderful! Everyone loved them! I too blogged about them, linking back. :)

Posted by: Rachelle ~ "Mommy? I'm Hungry!" on September 19, 2008 7:47 PM

My gosh! These were so good! So light and fluffy, they're almost like little cakes! I used vegan ingredients, no cloves (don't have any) and some chocolate chips. This is definitely getting printed off and saved. Thanks for sharing!

Posted by: Jessica on September 22, 2008 1:34 PM

I used the recipe except replaced 1/2 cup flour with 1 cup oatmeal and used 3 whole bananas and added an egg.
I agree with everyone else, these did not come out as cookies.
But delicious little mini banana breads!!
I always save uneaten bananas in my freezer.. so I had to use them up, I had about 10.

Posted by: Beth on September 24, 2008 1:14 PM

Thanks for this lovely recipe. I enjoyed the chewiness of the cookies.

Posted by: mindy on September 26, 2008 1:02 PM

I made the recipe and shared the cookies with friends. They thought these tasted like muffin tops---yum!

Posted by: MC on October 1, 2008 10:14 AM

I made these Banana Cookies for my daughters girls scout troop yesterday and they absolutely loved them!!!

Bri
Recipebuddys.com

Posted by: Bri on October 22, 2008 12:28 PM

I just made these banana cookies and followed this recipe exactly, with chocolate chips. The cookies came out very soft and moist but a bit bland for my family's taste. I bake a lot. Next time I would add another 1/4-1/2 cup of sugar, and 1-2 tsp vanilla. Maybe even a tsp of cinnamon instead of 1/2 a tsp.

Posted by: A on October 24, 2008 1:07 PM

Thanks a lot for the recipe, my baby loves it.

Posted by: Rina on October 28, 2008 11:05 PM

I wish I read the comments beforehand, because I definitely was expecting a cookie out of this recipe. Instead, I got more of a bread consistency. I knew they wouldn't bake like cookies when I saw the batter - but I did a test anyway... and I was right.

So I just pulled out my mini-muffin tin and went to town. Like the above poster MC - I called them muffin tops. :-)

Good recipe -but they're just not cookies.

Posted by: veggiegirl on November 12, 2008 12:55 PM

My husband and I just ate a few of the cool cookies I made today. I added grated orange-peeling to the last 1/2 mixture, we enjoyed it better.

I like the idea of peanut butter added to the bananas...a must try for me!

Posted by: babs on November 17, 2008 1:05 PM

I agree with the posters who said they came out a bit too bread-like. I might use less flour if I ever make them again.

Posted by: Lisa on November 30, 2008 7:21 PM

This recipe is fantabulous! The cookies were so moist, and loved the fact that they were not overly sweet like most recipes are.
Thank you for sharing this awesome recipe!

Posted by: Nanci on December 12, 2008 8:32 PM

Not my favorite. The flavor was good and they keep really well, but they were a little on the sticky soft side... a condition definitely not improved over time. The bright side is they don't seem to be going stale.

Posted by: Zoe on December 14, 2008 4:40 PM

Okay, so I made these yesterday and commented. Today, the cookies were a little too moist and sticking to each other. They are so delicious, but the texture truly isn't that of a cookie. SO...what I did was cut the cookies into slices, laid them on their sides on a greased cookie sheet and baked them in a 375 oven and now I have crispy, delicious petite banana walnut biscotti. I highly recommend this if anyone makes them and found them to be too cakey and prefers a crispy cookie. YUMMMMM.

Tina, I think that idea is genius! ~Garrett

Posted by: Tina on December 21, 2008 10:45 AM

I made these cookies almost as soon as I saw the recipe. I followed the recipe except I substituted chocolate chips for the nuts. They're dreamy! Yes, they're a little "breadier" than most cookies, but my boyfriend and I are enjoying the unusual texture. Thanks for posting your grandmother's recipe!

Posted by: Diane on January 11, 2009 5:28 PM

I made these tonight - half with walnuts and half with chocolate chips - and thought they were delicious.

Posted by: Miriam on January 14, 2009 2:06 PM

I got shivers when I read your description about how you obtained the recipe. I got mine the exact same way, from the exact same type of memere. thanks. I had lost track of my copy over many moves, and this one sounds remarkably like the one I used to make with my grandmother. I can't wait to try them. I will make them this afternoon, with my 3 year old, when she wakes up from her nap. thank you !

Posted by: JoAnne on January 18, 2009 10:52 AM

Hi Elise, I'm new to the blogosphere, so I'm not sure of protocol. Just wanted to let you know I linked to this most wonderful recipe. It's a favorite cookie of mine and I had to share. Thanks!

Posted by: Charley on January 21, 2009 5:58 PM

Perfect cookies!! I didn't have regular pecans, so I opted for candied pecans instead. DELICIOUS!!

Posted by: tawn on January 27, 2009 2:33 PM

Hi,
Made these as soon as I read the recipe. Unfortunately was disappointed because I like my cookies not to be soft and cakey. Another recipe that is similar calls for more
flour. I bake a lot and I think that may make a difference. Not every recipe can please us all. Dee.

Hey Dee, the recipe and comments make it pretty clear that these are soft and cakey cookies. Maybe you can double bake them like biscotti to get a texture you prefer? ~Garrett

Posted by: Dee on February 18, 2009 3:32 PM

I was so excited to try this recipe but was disappointed with them as they came out too dry. I did add toasted coconut to the recipe which gives it a nice flavour. I have to say my house smells incredible. I will try these again but I will add more liquid too them next time.

Posted by: Willa on February 20, 2009 4:44 PM

Oh my goodness, these are awesome! I love banana bread and cookies and this is the perfect marriage of the two. The cookies are so light and fluffy. Even my 3 year old loves them. We are trying them with pecans & chocolate chips and another batch with pecans & raisins (my daughters suggestion). Maybe a powdered sugar glaze drizzled over the top too! As far as people having issues with their cookies, I have found if you don't whip the butter & sugar enough, cookies never come out right. Mine came out the picture of perfection.
Thank you for this recipe Garrett, I will probably never make Banana Bread again! YUMMY!

Posted by: Kristine on March 3, 2009 10:18 AM

Great recipe. I added in some choclate chunks, raisins and pecans and it is very yummy. You have the crunchiness from the pecans, the chewy raisins and the melt in your mouth choclate all in a fluffy, cake like cookie. Yum-o!

Posted by: Tanja on March 7, 2009 4:08 PM

Just made these and substituted "glazed pecans" for the walnuts - they are amazing. I have some with just pecans and some with pecans and chocolate chips...they are all so good. I am into soft cookies so this recipe really fits that style.

Posted by: BPanz on March 15, 2009 2:27 PM

These were awesome! I used all whole wheat flour, added a teapsoon of vanilla, and substituted unsweetened applesauce for a half of the butter (1/4 cup), since I am trying to cut down on saturated fat intake (I do this in almost all baked recipes that use butter and its always great!)...

These are definitely cakey cookies, but my boyfriend and I loved them! Light and fluffy and not at all greasy!

Not sure how anyone had these cookies come out dry, the batter is super-moist, I almost added more flour but went ahead with it and I'm glad I didn't. I will definitely make these again. Thanks a lot!

Posted by: Erin on April 2, 2009 9:09 PM

Love these. I lost my recipe and thank goodness I found it straightaway online, very moist and wonderful flavor, thanks for sharing this fabulous recipe.

Posted by: Chris on April 5, 2009 7:10 AM

Loved them! My cookies cam out much thinner, and looked exactly like regular cookies. I had let the baking powder sit for 20 minutes in the bananas, as I was preparing the rest of the ingrediants, if that made any difference. I did add a full tsp of cinnamon and nutmeg, and used the regular half for the cloves. I also added a tsp of vanilla extract for more flavor. I will make them again, they are great for anyone who loves bananas and is tired of banana bread!
Next time I make them I will add 1/2 tsp of maple extract,instead of the vanilla.

Posted by: Janice on April 15, 2009 4:16 PM

Loved them! My cookies came out much thinner, and looked exactly like regular cookies. I had let the baking powder sit for 20 minutes in the bananas, as I was preparing the rest of the ingredients, if that made any difference. I did add a full tsp of cinnamon and nutmeg, and used the regular half for the cloves. I also added a tsp of vanilla extract for more flavor. I will make them again, they are great for anyone who loves bananas and is tired of banana bread!
Next time I make them I will add 1/2 tsp of maple extract,instead of the vanilla.

Posted by: Janice on April 15, 2009 4:17 PM

I didn't read all the posts, but I added chocolate chips to these because my family doesn't like nuts. They are delicious!!!

Aren't they though? Can't go wrong with banana and chocolate. ~Garrett

Posted by: COOKIEGRAMS on May 7, 2009 9:20 PM

Hi, just wanted to say an awesome add in for these if you can find them (usually I find them around the holidays) are cinnamon chips! My husband loves oatmeal cookies and I try to get a few bags around the holidays to use up into the following year for his oatmeal cookies, sprinkling them into these was just as amazing. Really, try to find some cinnamon chips! I know around the holidays some cherry chips can be found too, I wonder how those would be?

Posted by: rink on May 13, 2009 8:31 AM

I'll be making these either tonight or tomorrow. Thanks for this recipe. I've added it to my collection.

Posted by: Mrs. B on May 13, 2009 12:30 PM

I am going to be making these tonight or tomorrow myself... I am going to be putting peanut butter chips mixed in and walnuts on top... I will be sure to share what my co-workers say about them this way on Tuesday!

Posted by: Leira on May 16, 2009 6:13 AM

I made these last night with 2 mashed bananas (that's all I had), 1 tsp. vanilla, chocolate chips,and left out the spices. They taste yummy!

They sorta taste like a banana-bread-muffin cookie. They're incredibly soft and moist. Thanks for the recipe.

Posted by: Clara on May 17, 2009 12:14 PM

These cookies are very good -- they have a cakey texture. The spices are subtle but really compliment the banana flavor. I used mini chocolate chips instead of nuts.

Posted by: Lisa on May 27, 2009 11:18 AM

I avoid banana bread because I either make it fluffy or I make it flat... Searched for something else to make and came across this recipe. Mr. McCord, pure genius. The only thing I didn't follow exactly was "one cup" of mashed bananas; I just mashed up all three of my bananas and put them into the dough. Is this why my cookies stuck so tight to the cookie sheet? I don't know what parchment paper is or where to find it in my town, so I just put them on my airbake sheet directly. I've also been staring at them for over an hour wondering how I'm going to put them in the cookie jar without turning my 3 dozen golden brown cookies into one giant mass of banana yumminess, as they're so soft and moist, they're sticking to each other on the cooling rack. Guess we'll just have to eat them faster... This recipe is awesome, and I cannot wait to try your others!!

Posted by: cuppy on May 27, 2009 3:52 PM

Thank you so much for posting this recipe. It's a great way to salvage ignored bananas in your pantry.

Posted by: Kris on June 4, 2009 9:16 AM

We love these cookies! I have made then multiple times and are always a hit in my home!

Posted by: Elisabeth Taulbee on June 10, 2009 10:27 AM

YUMMY!!!!!!!!!!! The Banana and baking soda technique is new to me, but WOW! My family has a 3 (4?) generation banana bread recipe. I would loathe to change a step. Just wait till I bring this to the next family get together. Whoo Hooo.

Posted by: Jacquie on June 28, 2009 4:00 PM

I made these cookies over the weekend... Let me just say this recipe will NOT disappoint! The cookies are perfect!!!

The cookies are soft and fill you with a warm feeling; they smell & taste like autumn! I love them! I topped mine with cream cheese icing - I think next time I may top them with a regular icing. Click on "Yvie" to see a picture of my cookies. =)

Everyone LOVED these cookies! When I bake, I make everyone at work try my food. This recipe is PERFECT! Thank you SO MUCH for sharing this!

Posted by: Yvie on July 30, 2009 9:53 AM

These were great. Yes, they were more breadlike, but it's very hard to make a banana cookie with fresh bananas because they make everything so moist. You could just add banana extract to another hard cookie recipe, but that doesn't sound as good.

I had been wanting to make some banana cookies and was thinking this mace I had just bought from Penzey's Spices would be great in them and lo and behold I found this recipe. I didn't have any cloves, so I just used the mace, some freshly grated nutmeg and cinnamon. I also added a bit of vanilla. I used both almonds and pecans. Perfect. I think orange zest would be great. So would crushed banana chips and chocolate chunks. If you like banana bread or muffins, you will like these.

Be sure to leave a lot of room because they spread out. I believe each mound was about 1 1/2 to 2 tablespoons.

Posted by: Mike on August 1, 2009 3:49 PM

These cookies are great!!!
Instead of butter I used Smooth Peanut butter (same amount)
As well instead of the ground clove I used 1 tablespoon of vanilla extract. (as someone else mentioned above)

They turned out awesome!! My 2 year old keeps begging me for more cookies!!!

Posted by: Angie R on August 2, 2009 8:48 AM

So I was going crazy trying to look for a unique and creative cookie recipe for my boyfriend's grandma whom I adore when I came across this recipe. I knew it was the one. I made a batch of 15 and kept 5. WOW, we're they delicious!!! I put walnuts and instead of mixing in the chocolate chips. I put them on top of them right when they came out the oven. EVEN BETTER! I hope she enjoys her batch and tastes the sprinkle of love I mixed in there. :)

Posted by: Ana on August 22, 2009 10:46 PM

These cookies were very good although I wouldn't consider them cookies they were more like cakey banana cakes shaped as cookies. Nonetheless I enjoyed them thoroughly!

Posted by: Anna K on September 3, 2009 10:53 PM

Have a few over ripe bananas I was wondering what to do with... Too lazy to bake bread, but hate to be wasteful. This is perfect!!!!

Posted by: Jennifer on September 5, 2009 4:25 PM

This was a good recipe, I am a big banana fan. It was cakey, I reput one of the pans in the oven after it had cooled, so it got a little harder. But it was still good because the texture was cakey from the begininng so it didnt get to hard, it was great.

Posted by: Mimi on September 6, 2009 9:14 AM

Got a hug and thanks from my kids for these (with the add-in of choc/carmel chips). I'll leave out the ground cloves next time; not my fave spice for a delicate cookie. I will make again.

Posted by: Donna on September 8, 2009 4:38 PM

I made these today, omitting the cloves and using the walnut and ch. chip option. I subbed 1/2 whole wheat flour for some of the white, and added a dusting of icing sugar straight out of the oven.They were wonderful, very soft and cakelike. My family has devoured them, even my husband who hates banana anything. Thank you for sharing this.

Posted by: Alicia on October 2, 2009 11:35 AM

Great way to use up soft bananas. I used 2 tsp. pumpkin pie spice instead of the spices listed, added flax seed meal and raisins along with walnuts. Great flavor, turned out wonderful. 5 stars!!

Posted by: Johanna on October 9, 2009 5:26 PM

I was surprisingly very disappointed with this recipe. They came out more like little banana muffins rather than cookies. Very cake-like, spongey mounds even when I tried to flatten some of them in the 2nd batch. This is the first recipe I really did not like and tossed. I don't think these should be called cookies, it's misleading, IMHO.

Hope, sorry you found the cookies not to your taste, however, the introduction and the comments make it very clear what the texture of these cookies are like. ~Garrett

Posted by: Hope on October 15, 2009 7:19 AM

Well, last pregnancy I was into cleaning... this one I am into cooking! I love buying my daughter Bananas but sometimes the ones from WalMart go south quicker than expected. So I was digging around for some good banana recipes and found this little delight! I didn't have the spices or the nuts but I went ahead made it anyway and even added some vanilla because I just love the flavor. My father in law had 1 before dinner and like 6 after LOL They where gobbled down before everyone went to bed between 5 people. What I like about them is that they're not too sweet, the banana isn't overpowering and they are very light. I sorta expected them to be more on the crunchy cookie side rather than the light bread-like quality but I'm starting to think they are a whole lot better this way. I will have to try it with the spices and split the batter 3 ways so I can have plain, pecans and chocolate chip (different home preferences).
Thanks for this wonderful recipe, I'm glad I tried it! I think I will be bringing this to the church's Thanksgiving meal.

Posted by: Autumn on November 4, 2009 5:46 AM

Mmm, they were delicious. I made them and my kids just started running to eat them and they werent even cooled down yet. I made at least 60 of them and they were gone before the day was over.

Posted by: jessica on November 5, 2009 9:32 AM

I just made these cookies today. I love them. They seem like a really good breakfast cookie (I'm always looking for an excuse to eat cookies for breakfast, haha)

Posted by: julie on December 12, 2009 11:58 AM

I just made these cookies for the first time after going gluten-free (sigh). The normal, delightfully gluten-filled version has been a huge hit around my house and I was nervous about adapting the recipe. However, it went swimmingly!
Here are my adjusted ingredients using the same process.

* 1/2 cup of butter, room temperature
* 1 cup of sugar
* 2 eggs, room temperature
* 1 cup of mashed bananas
* 1 teaspoon of baking soda
* 1 cup of white rice flour
* 1 cup of sweet rice flour
* 1/4 teaspoon of salt
* 1/2 teaspoon of ground cinnamon
* 1/2 teaspoon of ground nutmeg
* 1/2 teaspoon of ground cloves
* 1 cup of walnuts
* 1 cup of chocolate chips

The extra egg helps act as a binder and make the cookies a little fluffier. The taste is the same, the cake like quality is a little lacking, but if you are craving these cookies and have to eat gluten-free, this is a good alternative!

Posted by: Britt on December 13, 2009 12:23 PM

They are delicious!! I made them with dried cranberries instead of the nuts!! mmmmmmm

Posted by: Erin on December 19, 2009 2:11 PM

Just wanted to say I've tried foodaq's banana sandwich cookies (from a comment near the top) and I love them! Though I usually use nutella instead of pb in the frosting. Thanks for sharing, foodaq!

Posted by: maria on December 20, 2009 5:05 PM

I made these the other day and they are awesome! I am planning to make them again tomorrow, but realized that I don't have any butter! I haven't done a whole lot of baking, so could you tell me if it is okay to sub in marg instead? Thanks!

You could, but I wouldn't suggest it. ~Garrett

Posted by: Briony on January 23, 2010 9:35 PM

Hi Elise,
I just had to tell you I baked up these cookies the other night as a quick way to use those leftover bananas. They were absolutely delicious. Don't tell anyone, they are gone! I used 4 small bananas and more chocolate chips than nuts and like was said above, they were like cute little moist muffins tops! I'm sure I will relish their taste. Thank you so much for sharing.

Posted by: louise on January 29, 2010 2:37 PM

These cookies are delicious fresh out of the oven. I'm glad my children are here to help me munch, otherwise I know I would have snarfed the lot myself! Thanks for a treat!

Posted by: Sasha on February 6, 2010 4:55 PM

These cookies are the best. I can't wait to share them with the girls at the bank. I like making up little care packages and these would be wonderful to add to them. To make them a little more moist I added a teaspoon of mayonnise. They rock! I also can't wait to share them with my girl friend and my son; unless I eat them all before they get any. :)

Posted by: Pamela on February 17, 2010 11:25 AM

I just made these cookies today. I couldn't believe how good their were. They turned out perfectly. Thanks for this recipe.

Posted by: michelle on March 1, 2010 10:58 PM

Thank you Garrett! Last night I made these to the letter and they were soft and delicious. Has anyone thought of using Splenda to make it diabetic friendly (in general for all desserts and cookies) or is that a lost cause?

Posted by: pedro on March 2, 2010 9:46 AM

My son wanted to make banana cookies. I'm so glad it was this recipe I found and used. These cookies are delicious!!! I'm not even a big fan of bananas, but I can't stop eating them. Both kids like them, of course. I used butterscotch chips in this batch.

Posted by: rita on March 11, 2010 2:01 AM

This is the second time I made these cookies. They were tasty the first time around but I made them yesterday and they turned out even better. The thing is I forgot to add the egg. They were less cake and more cookie like. A happy accident, for sure.

Posted by: Sarah L. on March 14, 2010 7:59 AM

Great recipe and I agree that they are more like muffin tops or mini banana breads. I wish my family liked nuts in their cookie because I think the contrast in texture of the crunch of the nut to the cake of the cookie would be great. I used chocolate chips which is a distant second to nuts. I used less cloves than called for because I think this spice can overpower a recipe easily however I will use the full amount next time. Thank you for sharing!

Posted by: Amy M on March 16, 2010 11:04 AM

Post a comment

(Your comment may need to be approved before it will appear on the site. Thanks for waiting. First time commenting? Please review the Comment Policy.)

Link to this recipe

Bookmark this page using the following link: http://simplyrecipes.com/recipes/banana_cookies/

Do you have a website? You can place a link to this page by copying and pasting the code below.

<a href="http://simplyrecipes.com/recipes/banana_cookies/">Banana Cookies</a>