Banana Bread Cookies

Soft, fluffy, Banana Bread Cookies topped with cream cheese frosting are the perfect miniature banana bread treats! You will fall in love with the cake-like texture and comforting flavors in this easy to make cookie recipe.

If you think Banana Bread is tasty, then these Banana Bread Cookies are going to blow you away! They taste just like a freshly baked quick bread loaf, with the same light, airy texture and slightly sweet banana flavor. Topped with a tangy and sweet cream cheese frosting, Banana Bread Cookies are melt-in-your-mouth perfection.

This recipe comes from trying a bunch of different banana cookie recipes and figuring out the best way to get the perfect texture and banana flavor. I’m very happy with the results and I know you will be too.

If you’re here for all of the delicious banana flavor, you should definitely try my Banana Pudding Cookies too! There’s also a recipe for Banana Pudding Lasagna, or check out this recipe for making an Easy Banana Cake!

Why You’ll Love These Cookies

1. Cake Texture – While I am calling these cookies based on their size and shape, the texture of banana bread cookies is much closer to that of a muffin or a cupcake. You might even want to call it a cake-y. In the end, I don’t think it matters what you call them, it just matters that they are delicious! Soft, light, and delicate.
2. A New Way to Use Bananas – You know the bananas I’m talking about… The ones heading toward being overripe that have been sitting on the counter for too long. You can’t possibly make another loaf of banana bread, so make banana bread cookies instead!
3. Not Too Sweet – If you don’t add the frosting to these, you might notice that they are sweet, but not overly so. Feel free to add an additional 1/4 cup of sugar if you want to make the cookies sweeter. With the cream cheese frosting, the sweetness level is perfect just as it is.
4. Cream Cheese Frosting – I love a good cream cheese frosting, and I put it on anything that it fits, like on my Pumpkin Cupcakes. The tanginess is a perfect match to the light sweetness of banana cookies.

Key Ingredients

• Bananas: Be sure that you are using very ripe bananas for this recipe. The bananas should be yellow and just starting to get brown spots on the peels.
• Butter and Eggs: Unsalted butter and a large egg are needed. Be sure that your butter is softened at room temperature, and let the egg come to room temp as well.
• Sugar: Brown sugar adds richness, moisture, and sweetness to the cookie dough. White sugar can be used as well.
• Vanilla: Use pure vanilla extract for best results. I suggest using the best quality vanilla that you can reasonably afford – it makes a difference in your baked goods.
• Flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt: Basic dry ingredients for the cookie dough. Using both baking soda and baking powder is what gives these cookies their cake-like feature.
• Oats: Quick oats bulk up these cookies just enough.

For the Cream Cheese Frosting

You don’t have to make this delicious frosting, but you’ll be glad that you did!

• Cream Cheese: The base of our frosting. You only need two ounces, softened at room temperature.
• Vanilla Extract and Salt: To add flavor to the cream cheese, these two work together perfectly.
• Powdered Sugar: For sweetness, powdered sugar is the ideal choice for frosting since it’s fine enough to dissolve without much liquid.

How to Make Banana Bread Cookies

1. Get Ready: Preheat the oven to 350°F/180°C. If using a fan oven, then set it to 325°F/160°C. Line cookie sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats.
2. Mash: In a large bowl, use a fork to mash the bananas until they are pureed.
3. Mix: Add the butter and sugar to the bowl with the bananas and cream together using a hand mixer. At this point the mixture won’t look very smooth, and that’s normal. Add in the egg and vanilla and beat again until combined.
4. Add Dry Ingredients: Add flour, oats, baking soda, baking powder, and salt to the bowl. Mix on low speed until well combined. Be sure to get everything from the bottom and sides of the bowl mixed in.

5. Bake: Use a medium cook scoop to portion out 1-inch cook balls that are about 2 tablespoons. Bake for 10 minutes in the preheated oven. The cookies are ready when the bottoms are lightly browned, but the cookies are still soft. They will continue to set up as they cool.
6. Cool: Allow the cookies to cool on the cookie sheet for 10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

7. Make the Frosting: In a bowl, beat the cream cheese with vanilla and salt using a hand mixer. Then gradually add the powdered sugar, and mix on low speed to avoid creating a sugar storm! If needed, add an additional 1-2 tablespoons of milk to thin the frosting out.
8. Frost: When the cookies are cooled completely, use a small spatula or butter knife to spread a layer of frosting on each one. Sprinkle with chopped nuts before the frosting hardens.

Recipe Tips

• For easy portioning: Make life easier by using a cookie scoop to portion out the cookies rather than trying to measure out tablespoons. A medium-sized cookie scoop is the perfect size.
• These cookies are delicate: Don’t rush to remove the cookies from the pan after they are done cooking. It’s best to let them cool most of the way still on the pan so that they won’t fall apart in transport.
• Don’t frost warm cookies: Be sure that the cookies are completely cool before adding the creamy frosting. Otherwise, the frosting will melt.
• Nuts are optional: Optional, but delicious! I like the texture of the crunchy nuts plus creamy frosting plus soft cookie. It all works so well. Without the nuts on top, you’ll still have amazing banana bread cookies too.
• Store Banana Bread Cookies: Keep these cookies in an airtight container and in a single layer in the fridge for up to 4 days. Stacking frosted cookies will cause them to stick together.

More Recipes to Try

• Banana Blueberry Muffins
• Soft Orange Cookies
• Soft and Chewy Sugar Cookies
• Ombre Spritz Cookies
• Butterscotch Oatmeal Cookies

Recipe FAQs

Come back and tell me how awesomely your banana bread cookies turned out! And be sure to pin this so you can find it the next time you have ripe bananas to use up.