BANANA BREAD COOKIES with cream cheese frosting

These Banana Bread Cookies are so good, and they’re so easy to make, but look like a bakery made them! They’re really a pretty cookie to serve, and so festive they’ll dress up any party or buffet table. 

Banana bread cookies

These simple but elegant banana bread cookies are my new addiction! They’re crunchy and a little chewy, and the butter cream frosting is so delicious. It melts in your mouth, and is such a pretty finish to this cookie. Keep these banana cookies in your favorites!

Banana bread is a quintessentially, classic recipe in any baker’s repertoire. It’s the perfect way to use up any browning bananas on your kitchen counter and delivers the consumer with a sense of comfort in every delicious bite. To top it off, banana bread is typically one of the easier recipes to bake making it an approachable recipe for any skill level.

Not to mention that everyone seems to have their own banana bread recipe these days. Whether you’re subbing in banana pudding to add moistness, making a gluten free version, a dairy free version, adding a brown sugar topping, you name it, there’s a banana bread recipe out there for you. In fact, I may even be so bold as to claim that 2020 was the year of banana bread and baking in general.

Other cookies you will love:

• Cranberry white chocolate cookies
• Lemon almond cookies
• Banana chocolate oatmeal cookies
• Strawberry cookies with cream cheese frosting
• Pecan turtle cookies

So as we all baked and self reflected the past year, I couldn’t help but think what’s better than banana bread? The phrase “don’t mess with a good thing” is generally good advice except when it comes to whipping up new recipes in the kitchen. Case in point, this recipe for banana bread cookies.

Banana bread evokes sensations of coziness, comfort, hominess. Personally, I envision being bundled up on a rainy morning with a chai tea latte in hand and a warm slice of banana bread to accompany. But, as much as I love banana bread I found myself craving something that lies more explicitly on the dessert side of the spectrum of baking that could be enjoyed in a more social capacity, enter these easy banana cookies.

This recipe took a bit of testing because the banana-y goodness that fills your mouth from a typical bite of banana bread needed to be captured in cakey, cookie form. And I couldn’t help but feel that there was something missing to really give that ‘wow factor’ to this recipe. So what really sets these frosted banana cookies apart is the cream cheese frosting, which if we’re being honest you could probably eat with a spoon. The frosting really adds that ‘je ne sais quois’ that will have you coming back time and again to this recipe.

These banana bread cookies can be thought of as banana bread’s quirky, yet sophisticated older sister. The same banana bread flavors that you know and love are combined with a little extra pizzazz and sparkle, while all being whipped up in almost no time with no fancy kitchen tools necessary. They’re fluffy, cakey, and quite frankly insanely addicting.

Some Pro Tips

Patience

I highly recommend that you allow these cookies to cool appropriately even though I know that may require some serious will power and patience. If the cookies are not completely cool and you try to ice them, the cookies may cave in on themselves and while still delicious will not win any prizes for presentation.

Dietary Swaps

If you are looking for a dairy free recipe, you can very easily swap in vegan cream cheese for the frosting or omit it all together. Alternatively if you are gluten free, I’d recommend using Bob’s Red Mill Gluten Free Flour but do be mindful that this recipe was tested using the ingredients listed below.

To make these cookies “healthier”, you can of course choose not to use the cream cheese frosting and/or use some lower glycemic sweeteners in the cookie batter. For instance, you could swap in some Monk Fruit sweetener or coconut sugar. I would advise against using a liquid sweetener like maple syrup, date syrup, or honey in your healthy cooking swaps as using any of these ingredients may result in a more runny batter than we are looking to achieve with this cookie recipe.

How to Ensure Perfect Cookies

Everyone’s oven is different so the cook time provided in the recipe can be thought of as more of a guideline than a mandate. As you get closer to the proposed cook time (I would recommend about 5 minutes prior), you should begin checking on the cookies in the oven to ensure they reach the color and consistency you desire.

If you desire crispier cookies, you may want your cookies to bake in the oven a bit longer, but do be mindful that you don’t want them to dry out and lose their cakiness so I would test by poking with a toothpick and observing the top color of the cookies.

How to store banana bread cookies

Because these cookies are individually frosted, storage can prove tricky and be a bit of a mess if not done properly. I would recommend placing cookies in a tin or tupperware container that you have on hand in a single layer.

If you are low on storage containers, you can separate rows of cookies with parchment paper or something similar to minimize the frosting from sticking to the bottoms of other cookies. Once baked, cooled, and frosted, these cookies will stay fresh for about a week in the storage situation described.

What do you need to make these banana cookies

• Butter – softened
• Sugar
• Vanilla extract
• Egg
• Flour
• Baking Powder
• Ripe Banana – Mashed

For the frosting:

• Butter – softened
• Cream Cheese
• Powdered Sugar
• Yellow Food Coloring Gel
• Banana Slices to top Cookies

How to make these cookies

To make the cookies

1. In the mixing bowl of a stand mixer, using the whisk attachment, add the butter, sugar, vanilla and egg, and blend until light and fluffy.
2. Add the mashed banana, and blend.
3. In a separate bowl, add the flour and baking powder, and stir well to blend.
4. Add the flour a little at a time and mix on low to blend until all the flour is added. Remove the whisk attachment, and use the paddle. Continue to blend the cookie dough until it’s completely blended and a smooth ball starts to form. Scrape down the mixing bowl as needed.
5. Line two cookie sheets with parchment paper. Roll the cookie dough into small balls, about 1 inch balls, and place the balls on the parchment paper. Bake at 350 degrees for about 15 minutes, or just until the cookies start to turn a light golden brown around the edges. About half way through baking the cookies, check the oven. The cookies may have started to crack a little. Take a flat bottom glass, dip it in sugar before lightly applying to each cookie. Smash the cookies very gently and slightly, making them a little flatter, and spread out a little more.  This will give the cookies the crinkle look.
6. When the cookies are done, remove from the oven to a wire rack to cool completely.

To make the frosting

1. In the mixing bowl of a stand mixer, using the whisk attachment, add the softened butter and cream cheese and blend to combine.
2. Add the powdered sugar a little at a time, blending after each addition, until the frosting is smooth and fluffy.
3. Divide the frosting evenly into two bowls. In one bowl, add a couple drops of the yellow food coloring gel, and stir well to blend. If the frosting thinned a bit add a tablespoon of powdered sugar, and stir to blend. The other bowl of frosting remains white, to swirl with the yellow.

To decorate the cookies

1. Using plastic wrap tear off a piece about 10 inches wide. Place the frosting length-wise in the middle of the plastic wrap; it will look like two long ribbons of Frosting.
2. Then, roll the plastic wrap around the frosting, making sure to keep it long, or length-wise like a long ribbon.
3. Snip the end off of the plastic wrap, on one end only. Place it in a pastry bag with the large star tip.
4. Pipe the Frosting onto the cookies, using a swirl, and bring it up to a point. Place a Banana slice on the top of each cookie.  Allow the Frosting to set or firm up a bit, about 30 minutes.

So before you make this banana bread cookies recipe, I kindly ask that you be prepared for the consequences. This likely will be the fan favorite recipe you’re asked to bring to any and all events from this day forward.

Overall, these cookies are great for any season and almost any occasion. I hope you’ll enjoy making them as much as I did! And don’t be shy about letting me know how they turned out in the comments below.

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Banana bread cookies with frosting

petro

These Banana Bread Cookies are so good, and they're so easy to make, but look like a bakery made them.

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 20 minutes mins

Cook Time 15 minutes mins

Total Time 35 minutes mins

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Servings 40 cookies

Calories 187 kcal

Equipment

• mixing bowl
• hand mixer
• cookie sheet
• parchment paper

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

For the cookies

• 2 sticks Butter softened
• 1 cup Sugar
• 1 tbsp Vanilla extract
• 1 Egg
• 3 cups Flour
• 1 tbsp Baking Powder
• 1 Banana ripe, mashed

For the frosting

• 4 tbsp Butter softened
• 4 oz Cream Cheese
• 4 cups Powdered Sugar
• Yellow Food Coloring Gel
• Banana Slices to top Cookies

Instructions

 

To make the cookies

• In the mixing bowl of a stand mixer, using the whisk attachment, add the butter, sugar, vanilla and egg, and blend until light and fluffy.
  
• Add the mashed banana, and blend.
  
• In a separate bowl, add the flour and baking powder, and stir well to blend.
• Add the flour a little at a time and mix on low to blend until all the flour is added. Remove the whisk attachment, and use the paddle. Continue to blend the cookie dough until it's completely blended and a smooth ball starts to form. Scrape down the mixing bowl as needed.
• Line two cookie sheets with parchment paper, and roll the cookie dough into small balls, about 1 inch balls, and place the balls on the parchment paper. Bake at 350 degrees for about 15 minutes, or just until the cookies start to turn a light golden brown around the edges. About half way through baking the cookies, check the oven, and the cookies may have started to crack a little. Take a flat bottom glass, dip it in sugar before lightly applying to each cookie - smash the cookies very gently and slightly, making them a little flatter, and spread out a little more.  This will give the cookies the crinkle look.
  
• When the cookies are done, remove from the oven to a wire rack to cool completely.

To make the frosting

• In the mixing bowl of a stand mixer, using the whisk attachment, add the softened butter and cream cheese and blend to combine.
• Add the powdered sugar a little at a time, blending after each addition, until the frosting is smooth and fluffy.
• Divide the frosting evenly into two bowls. In one bowl, add a couple drops of the yellow food coloring gel, and stir well to blend. If the frosting thinned a bit add a tablespoon of powdered sugar, and stir to blend. The other bowl of frosting remains white, to swirl with the yellow.

To decorate the cookies

• Using plastic wrap tear off a piece about 10 inches wide and place the frosting length-wise in the middle of the plastic wrap; it will look like two long ribbons of frosting.
• Then, roll the plastic wrap around the frosting, making sure to keep it long, or length-wise like a long ribbon.
• Snip the end off of the plastic wrap, on one end only, and place it in a pastry bag with the large star tip.
• Pipe the Frosting onto the cookies, using a swirl, and bring it up to a point. Place a Banana slice on the top of each cookie.  Allow the Frosting to set or firm up a bit, about 30 minutes.

Nutrition

Serving: 1cookieCalories: 187kcalCarbohydrates: 25gProtein: 2gFat: 9gSaturated Fat: 6gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 2gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 22mgSodium: 96mgPotassium: 59mgFiber: 1gSugar: 16gVitamin A: 222IUVitamin C: 1mgCalcium: 33mgIron: 1mg

Keyword banana bread cookies, banana cookies, frosted banana bread cookies

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