Banana chocolate chip cookies are a cross between banana bread and soft chewy cookies. Enjoy the best of both worlds!
There is never a shortage of bananas in our kitchen. Bananas are a staple fruit.
We primarily use bananas for breakfast: oatmeal, yogurt, pancakes, or smoothies.
And of course, once the bananas have turned brown, spotty, and soft- they are given new life as banana bread!
Here’s another way to use up those soft, ripe bananas.
Banana Cookies
I introduce you to banana cookies!
Unlike my other chocolate chip cookie recipes, the dough for banana chocolate chip cookies does not need to be chilled or rested. Bake the dough as soon as it is mixed together!
They look like your regular old chocolate chip cookie from the outside.
Upon closer inspection and a quick sniff test, you’ll be hit with the sweet aroma of banana bread.
Eggless Cookies
These banana chocolate chip cookies contain no eggs! Eggs serve many purposes in baked goods.
Generally, eggs act as a binder or emulsifier thanks to the lecithin in egg yolks.
This recipe uses the moisture of mashed bananas to help bind the cookie dough together.
Does that mean you can eat this raw cookie dough?
Technically, you shouldn’t eat raw cookie unless you heat up the raw flour.
Yes, raw eggs pose Salmonella risks. But, so does raw flour.
Raw flour may be exposed to Salmonella and Escherichia coli (E. coli).
Check the bag your flour was purchased in. I guarantee the label will have a warning about consuming raw flour as well.
How to make eggless raw cookie dough safe to eat?
Signs of a Ripe Banana Ready for Baking
Similar to making banana bread, this recipe requires use of ripe bananas.
Use bananas with deep yellow skin spotted with brown freckles throughout, or bananas that have already turned brown all over.
The brown spots indicate sugar content has risen. More spots means sweeter bananas!
The riper the banana, the sweeter and more flavorful the banana chocolate chip cookies will turn out.
The best indicator of whether the bananas are ready for this recipe- you should be able to easily smash bananas with a fork.
The resulting mashed bananas should be loose in texture similar to apple puree, like the image above.
- Beat together butter, sugar, brown sugar, and vanilla until smooth and creamy.
- Add in mashed bananas. Mix together.
- Do not be alarmed. The mixture may look curdled (broken or separated) after mixing in the mashed bananas. The dough will come together when the dry ingredients are added.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together all the dry ingredients. Add to mixing bowl. Stir until almost combined.
- Add in chocolate chunks. Fold until chocolate is evenly distributed.
- Use a size 24 scoop to portion dough into 17 equal balls. Size 24 is roughly 2 2/3 tablespoons.
How to Portion Cookie Dough
Use a cookie scoop or ice cream scooper to evenly portion out dough.
Equal sized cookie dough balls result in evenly sized baked cookies. More importantly, equal size portions cook at the same rate.
I recommend using a size 24 scoop for this recipe. That is roughly 2 2/3 tablespoons of dough.
NOTE: The number of a scoop is located inside the scooper!
Cookie Scoop Sizes
Bang Baking Sheet Directly Out of the Oven
The cookies will look a bit puffy at first. Immediately after removing baking sheet from the oven, bang the sheet against a heat-safe hard surface.
Yes, it will be loud. But this step is crucial!
That force will deflate the puffed up cookie. It will flatten the fresh baked cookie slightly to give them the traditional chocolate chip cookie look.
Otherwise, you’ll end up with puffy muffin top looking cookies.
Importance of Using a Cool Rack
Hot cookies fresh from the oven will be soft and fragile.
Cool cookies on the baking sheet for about 5 minutes before transferring cookies to wire rack or cooling rack.
Cooling rack allows air to circulate around the cookies.
Cookies left too long on a hot baking sheet will build steam, causing the cookies to turn soggy.
Chocolate Chips vs Chocolate Chunks
I highly recommend using chocolate chunks. Chocolate chunks simply refers to chopped chocolate bars. Take a large chocolate bar and use a sharp knife to chop off chunks.
Melted chocolate is the biggest difference between using chips versus chunks.
Chocolate chunks melt during baking to create large puddles and pockets of luscious chocolate.
Packaged chocolate chips or “chocolate morsels” tends to have a lower amount of cocoa butter compared to chocolate bars.
Along with stabilizers and emulsifiers, chocolate chips can withstand heat and maintain their dollop shape during baking.
Cookie Storage and Leftovers
Cool banana cookies to room temperature on wire rack. Cookies will keep in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
Keep in the fridge for longer storage, up to 5 days. Enjoy chilled or warm cookies to room temperature.
Due to the mashed bananas, cookies will remain soft and moist even days after baking.
Banana Chocolate Chip Cookies
Ingredients
- ½ cup unsalted butter (113 g) softened
- ½ cup brown sugar (100 g) packed
- ¼ cup granulated sugar (50 g)
- 1 ½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- ½ cup mashed ripe banana (120-125 g)* 1 medium banana
- 2 cup all-purpose flour (260 g)
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 6 oz chocolate chunks or chocolate chips
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Line baking sheets with parchment paper or reusable silicone baking mats. Set aside.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment (or using an electric hand mixer), cream together butter, brown sugar, granulated sugar, and vanilla extract until smooth. Scrape down bowl as needed.
- Add mashed banana. Mix on low speed until combined. *Do not be alarmed. The batter may look separated or curdled after incorporating the banana.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, kosher salt, and ground cinnamon. Add to mixing bowl. Mix on low speed until almost combined. Fold in chocolate chunks until well distributed and there are no longer any dry streaks of flour.
- Portion out cookie dough using a size 24 scoop (2 ⅔ Tbsp). Place on prepared baking sheet, spacing them about 2-inches apart.
- Bake for 12-15 minutes, rotating baking sheet midway through baking. Immediately out of the oven, bang the hot baking sheet against a heat-proof hard surface. *This will deflate the puffed up cookie and help them flatten slightly like a traditional chocolate chip cookie.
- Cool in pan for 3-5 minutes. Then, transfer cookies to wire rack. Enjoy cookies warm or cool to room temperature.
Notes
- I highly recommend using a kitchen scale to weigh out the ingredients for this recipe.
- Test recipe has been tested three times using different banana weights. Medium banana anywhere from 120-125 grams works best. This is about 1/2 cup mashed.
- The cookies will look a bit puffy at first. Immediately after removing baking sheet from the oven, bang the sheet against a heat-safe hard surface.
- That blunt force will deflate the puffed up cookie. It will flatten the fresh baked cookie slightly to give them the traditional chocolate chip cookie look. Otherwise, you’ll end up with puffy muffin top looking cookies.
- Cool cookies to room temperature. Store in an airtight container for up to 3 days. Keep in the fridge for longer storage.
- Enjoy chilled or warm to room temperature.
