Banana chocolate chip cookies are moist banana bread cookies filled with melty chocolate chips. These chocolate chip banana cookies are soft and chewy with the perfect balance of cake like texture. What I love most about these brown butter banana chocolate chip cookies is how easy they are to make with minimal ingredients. They’re the perfect cozy cookie everyone will love!
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Why Should You Make This Recipe
There are few things I love more than a soft, chewy and cozy chocolate chip cookie. My Biscoff Butter Cookies, Chocolate Chip Pecan Cookies, Coffee Cookies and Caramel Chocolate Chip Cookies are just a few chocolate chip cookie recipes I love from the blog. I know you’ll love these banana chocolate chip cookies because:
- Layers of flavors and textures. From the soft and chewy brown butter banana cookie filled with cinnamon, banana bread and butty brown butter flavor to the sweet and classic taste of melty chocolate chips, these brown butter banana cookies will delight your senses and satisfy your cookie cravings.
- Easy to make, bake and eat. This easy chocolate chip banana cookie recipe is quick and easy to make. All you need is two bowls and a whisk or spoon to make the cookie dough. Then simply chill for a bit, scoop, bake and enjoy!
Ingredients
This recipe for banana chocolate chip cookies requires only a handful of simple ingredients to make and you probably already have them in your pantry and fridge. Here’s what you’ll need.
Banana Chocolate Chip Cookies
Dry Ingredients: Gather all purpose flour, baking soda, ground cinnamon and salt.
Wet Ingredients: Gather browned butter, light brown sugar, granulated sugar, mashed banana, an egg yolk, vanilla extract and chocolate chips.
Substitutions
Here are my recommended substitutions to make these easy banana chocolate chip cookies if you need them.
- All purpose flour: Make these soft and moist banana bread cookies, gluten free, by using a good 1-1 gluten free flour. I recommend using the one from Bob’s Red Mill. Oat flour would also work well in this recipe. Make sure to measure the flour based on weight (180 g) versus cup for cup.
- Baking Soda: Baking soda gives the cookies a bit of a rise and also brings chewiness to the banana cookie with chocolate chips. Although the texture will be slightly different, the best substitute for baking soda is a double acting baking powder. For this recipe use 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder.
- Ground Cinnamon: Feel free to replace ground cinnamon with a teaspoon of any warming spices or spice blends you love. I recommend apple pie spice or chai spice.
- Brown Butter: Brown butter gives a wonderful nutty background to these chocolate banana cookies. It takes 15 - 20 minutes to make, but is worth the extra time. If you would like to use regular unsalted butter instead of browning the butter, melt ½ cup (113 g) unsalted butter, vegan or plant based butter and cool in the fridge for 15 minutes before using in the recipe.
- Granulated Sugar and Light Brown Sugars: Maple sugar would also work well to make these cookies refined sugar free.
- Ripe Banana: Make sure the banana is soft with lots of brown spots. The perfect banana to make these the best banana chocolate chip cookies is one you would use to make banana bread.
- Egg Yolk: This recipe has not been tested without eggs.
- Vanilla Extract: This is more for background flavor and nicely enhances the flavors of the other ingredients.
- Chocolate Chips: Feel free to use any combination (or just one) kind of chocolate chips or bars to make these the best banana cookies for you!
How To Make
Learn how to make banana chocolate chip cookies in a few easy steps.
- In a sauce pan or pot, melt the butter on low heat until the butter to begins to foam. Once it starts to foam, whisk or stir the liquid butter frequently. The butter will begin to smell nutty and very fragrant. Once the foam has subsided, the butter should have some brown, lightly toasted bits floating at the bottom. Pour the brown butter in a heat safe bowl to cool for about 15 - 20 minutes to room temperature.
- In another bowl whisk together the flour, baking soda, ground cinnamon and salt until well combined.
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk in the cooled browned butter with the light brown and granulated sugars until well combined. Whisk in the mashed banana, egg yolk and vanilla extract until smooth and well combined. Stir the dry ingredients into the wet until just combined. I like to do this about ½ of the dry ingredients at a time. Fold in most of the chocolate chips. Reserve about ½ cup (85 g) for topping the cookies right before baking.
4. Cover the cookies with plastic wrap and transfer to the fridge to chill for 1 hour or up to overnight. 30 minutes before baking the cookies, preheat the oven to 350 F (190 C). Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. Using a medium cookie scoop (2 tablespoons, 30 ml), scoop the chocolate chip banana cookie dough and place the cookie dough balls onto the lined baking sheet about 3 inches (8 cm) apart. Top with the reserved chocolate chips. Bake for 10 - 12 minutes or until the edges of the cookies are set and the centers are slightly puffed. Cool the chewy chocolate chip cookies with banana on the baking sheet for 5 minutes. Then transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely to room temperature and enjoy!
How To Store, Freeze and Thaw
- Store: Place the banana chocolate chip cookies in an airtight container. Store at room temperature for up to 5 days. If you would like to store the cookies for longer, I recommend freezing them.
- Freeze Dough: Prepare the banana cookies through the chilling step. Chill for 60 minutes then scoop the dough into balls onto small lined baking sheet or large plate. Freeze the cookie balls for 20 minutes then transfer them to a freezer proof container for up to 2 months. Thaw the cookie dough balls in the fridge overnight, set out at room temperature for 20 - 30 and proceed with the cookie recipe as written starting with baking.
- Freeze Baked Cookies: Once the cookies have cooled to room temperature transfer them to a freezer proof container in a single lined with parchment paper between each layer. Freeze for up to one month. Thaw in the fridge overnight or at room temperature for a few hours.
- Thaw: The easiest and tastiest way to thaw the chewy banana bread chocolate chip cookies is to let them sit out at room temperature until thawed or thaw overnight in the fridge. I like to heat them in the microwave for 20 - 30 seconds to get that “fresh from the oven” taste.
M’s Expert Tips
- Brown the butter: I highly recommend taking the time to brown the butter. Browning butter creates a more flavorful cookie. If you want to skip this step and use regular melted butter, melt ½ cup (8 tablespoons, 113 g) butter and follow the recipe directions as written.
- Measure the flour properly. I highly recommend using a food scale to get perfectly measured ingredients every time.
- Chill the dough. Not only do the cookies have more flavor overall, but chilling the dough is a necessary step for creating the perfect chewy banana chip cookies.
- Don’t overmix the batter. Make sure to mix the dry ingredients into the wet until just combined.
- Top with more chocolate chips. Reserve about ½ cup (85 g) of chocolate chips for topping the cookies.
- Give your cookies a “cookie scoot.” Within the first 3 - 5 minutes of removing the cookies from the oven, use a large biscuit cutter (wider than the cookies) to help shape any cookies back into a more round shape. Place the cutter over the cookies so the edges of the cookie are inside the cookie/ biscuit cutter. In a circular motion, gently nudge the edges back into a round shape.
FAQs
A very ripe banana with lots of brown spots (like you would use to make banana bread) is the perfect banana to make these chocolate chip banana cookies.
I find that a medium cookie scoop, with about 2 tablespoons of cookie dough makes the perfect chewy banana cookie with chocolate chips. However, you can make a small (1 tablespoon, 15 ml) cookie if you like. Bake this size cookie for 8 - 10 minutes. For a larger cookie, use a large 3 tablespoon (45 ml) cookie scoop and bake for 14 - 16 minutes.
Soften butter whipped with sugar traps air in the cookie dough creating a more cake like cookie. Melted butter creates a chewy, dense interior cookie with crisp outer edges.
Make sure all the ingredients are the same temperature (usually room temperature), chill the dough, use a cookie scoop, don’t crowd the oven (bake one batch or cookie sheet at a time), bake the cookies until the edges are set, but before the center fully bakes through, cool the cookies on the hot cookie sheet for a few minutes before transferring them to a cooling rack to room temperature.
Other Banana Recipes To Try
- Banana French Toast
- Banana Bars with Cream Cheese Frosting
- Banana Mini Muffins
- Pumpkin Banana Muffins
If you try this Banana Chocolate Chip Cookies recipe please rate the recipe and leave a comment below. Doing so helps other readers decide if this is a great recipe to bake. Don’t forget to tag me on Instagram using @olivesnthyme so I can see what you’re baking! - M
Banana Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe
Equipment
- 1 small sauce pan
- 2 baking sheets
- 2 parchment paper
- 1 medium (2 tablespoon, 30 ml) cookie scoop optional
Ingredients
- 10 tablespoons (141 g) unsalted butter
- 1½ cups (180 g) all purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup (100 g) light brown sugar
- ¼ cup (50 g) granulated sugar
- ½ cup (118 ml) mashed banana (about 1 large ripe banana)
- 1 large egg yolk (US), room temperature
- 1 teaspoon (5 ml) vanilla extract
- 1¼ cup (212 g) chocolate chips, divided
- 1 tablespoon flaky salt for topping, optional to taste
Instructions
- In a sauce pan or pot, melt the butter on low heat until the butter to begins to foam. Once it starts to foam, whisk or stir the liquid butter frequently. The butter will begin to smell nutty and very fragrant. Once the foam has subsided, the butter should have some brown, lightly toasted bits floating at the bottom. Pour the brown butter in a heat safe bowl to cool for about 15 - 20 minutes to room temperature.10 tablespoons (141 g) unsalted butter
- In another bowl whisk together the flour, baking soda, ground cinnamon and salt until well combined.1½ cups (180 g) all purpose flour, 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon, ½ teaspoon baking soda, ½ teaspoon salt
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk in the cooled browned butter with the light brown and granulated sugars until well combined. Whisk in the mashed banana, egg yolk and vanilla extract until smooth and well combined.½ cup (100 g) light brown sugar, ¼ cup (50 g) granulated sugar, ½ cup (118 ml) mashed banana (about 1 large ripe banana), 1 large egg yolk (US), room temperature, 1 teaspoon (5 ml) vanilla extract
- Stir the dry ingredients into the wet until just combined. I like to do this about ½ of the dry ingredients at a time. Fold in most of the chocolate chips. Reserve about ½ cup (85 g) for topping the cookies right before baking.1¼ cup (212 g) chocolate chips, divided
- Cover the cookies with plastic wrap and transfer to the fridge to chill for 1 hour or up to overnight. 30 minutes before baking the cookies, preheat the oven to 350 F (177 C). Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Using a medium cookie scoop (2 tablespoons, 30 ml), scoop the chocolate chip banana cookie dough and place the cookie dough balls onto the lined baking sheet about 3 inches (8 cm) apart. Top with the reserved chocolate chips. Bake for 10 - 12 minutes or until the edges of the cookies are set and the centers are slightly puffed.
- Cool the chewy chocolate chip cookies with banana on the baking sheet for 5 minutes. Top with a sprinkle of flaky salt if you like. Then transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely to room temperature and enjoy!1 tablespoon flaky salt for topping, optional to taste
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