In this Banana Chocolate Chip Cookies recipe, flavorful banana bread meets chewy chocolate chip cookies for a match made in heaven! For a double dose of banana, we use it in 2 forms: ripe mashed banana and banana chips.
If you like moist, flavorful banana bread and chewy chocolate chip cookies, these are for you!
They’re definitely a mashup (pun intended) of both.
With two forms of banana (mashed ripe banana and banana chips) and warm spices, the banana bread factor is definitely there. Plus you can add chopped nuts if you like (which I love adding to banana bread).
Chocolate chips make these decadent in the best way possible.
And this one-bowl Chocolate Chip Banana Cookies recipe is really easy to make!
Banana Bread Cookies or Chocolate Chip Banana Cookies?
These cookies can be whatever you want! There’s only one thing to do differently if you want Banana Bread Cookies or if you want Banana Chocolate Chip Cookies.
For Banana Bread Cookies, omit the chocolate chips and use chopped nuts.
And for Banana Chocolate Chip Cookies, use chocolate chips!
There’s a lot of overlap in flavors here. (And side note, I actually love chocolate chips in my banana bread too!)
What Does a Ripe Banana Look Like?
This one falls under the category of "there is no such thing as a stupid question"!
A ripe banana for baking is a little different than a ripe banana for eating.
Generally, when a banana is yellow with a couple brown spots it's considered good to eat.
However, for baking things like banana bread or banana cookies, it's best to let the banana develop lots of brown spots, and even fully turn brown!
This is for two reasons: 1) brown bananas (what we think of as overripe bananas) are sweeter, and 2) they're easier to mash!
How to Brown Butter
First off, you might be wondering why you should brown butter. The short answer is that it takes recipes to the next level! And the longer answer...
When you brown butter, you cook off the water in the butter and caramelize the milk solids. This results in a more intense butter flavor, with notes of caramel and toasted nuts.
If you’ve never browned butter, you will be surprised at how easy it is! And it enhances the flavor of so many sweet and savory things, you’ll want to make it all the time. (Heads up, try it on roasted delicata squash!)
Easy Method to Brown Butter
- Add the butter to a small saucepan over medium heat.
- It will look foamy when it first melts, but the foam will go away as it cooks.
- Once melted, turn the heat down to medium-low and continue cooking.
- Keep cooking until the butter is slightly browned and smells nutty, about 3 to 5 minutes. When it looks like this, it’s ready. Don’t forget to scrape up the brown bits from the bottom of the pan!
The Best Soft and Chewy Banana Chocolate Chip Cookies Recipe
Ingredients
- Unsalted butter – take the time to brown the butter, it adds amazing caramel flavor notes and only takes a few minutes
- Light brown sugar – using brown sugar as our sweetener helps keep these cookies moist and chewy
- Egg yolk – for richness; save the white for something else like scrambled eggs for breakfast
- Vanilla – adds lovely aroma and flavor
- Ripe banana – actually it should be a little overripe for the best flavor
- All-purpose flour – the base of our cookies
- Cinnamon – because it goes so well with banana
- Nutmeg – because it pairs so nicely with cinnamon
- Baking soda – our leavening agent in these cookies
- Salt – to balance the flavor profile and enhance everything else
- Banana chips – these add crunch and bump up the banana factor (they’re optional though)
- Oats – use old-fashioned rolled oats here for the right texture
- Chocolate chips – or use chopped nuts, or go wild and crazy and use both
Step-by-Step Instructions
Step 1: Get Everything Prepped:
Line 2 large baking trays with silpat baking mats or parchment paper.
Measure out all the ingredients.
Brown the butter (if you aren’t sure how to do this, see the Notes in the recipe card below).
Step 2: Make the Dough:
Add the hot brown butter and brown sugar to a large bowl and whisk to combine. Cool so it's just barely lukewarm, and then whisk in the egg yolk, vanilla, and mashed banana. Add the flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, baking soda, and salt, and stir until combined. Stir in the banana chips, oats, and chocolate chips.
Step 3: Chill the Dough:
Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate 2 hours (if you’re in a time crunch, you can put it in the freezer for 20 minutes).
Step 4: Bake the Cookies:
Preheat the oven to 350F.
Use a 1 ½-tablespoon scoop to measure out the dough, and then roll them into balls and arrange them on the prepared baking trays.
Bake until the cookies are puffed and set along the outside, about 12 to 15 minutes, rotating the trays once halfway through.
Storage
Store these cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 4 days.
What Makes Cookies Chewy?
There are so many factors that affect whether a cookie is chewy or crispy. Here are a few of them:
- Brown sugar: Brown sugar is granulated sugar with molasses back in. It contains more moisture and helps make cookies chewy.
- Egg yolk: Egg whites tend to dry out baked goods, but the yolks add richness and moisture.
- Measure the flour correctly: You need the right ratio of liquid to dry ingredients when you’re baking. I recommend using a kitchen scale to weigh your flour if possible (you can get a decent kitchen scale inexpensively on Amazon).
- Chill the dough in the fridge: Two hours in the fridge before baking does wonders for cookies! It not only improves texture, but flavor as well.
- Make sure you’re baking correctly: This involves both your oven temperature (which you can check with an oven thermometer; if you don't have one, you can find a pretty good oven thermometer on Amazon) and cooking time. If your oven is running hot or if you overbake, your cookies run the risk of being crispy instead of chewy.
As you’ve probably noticed, we use a lot of these techniques in this Banana Chocolate Chips Cookies recipe. Our efforts definitely paid off because these cookies are chewy and delicious!
More Banana Desserts to Try
- Banana Coffee Cake with Brown Sugar Pecan Swirl
- Best Banana Bread
- Healthy Peanut Butter, Banana, and Honey Milkshake
- Banana Muffins with Crumb Topping
Let's Connect
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Banana Chocolate Chip Cookies Recipe
Ingredients
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter browned and cooled only for 1 minute (see Notes)
- ¾ cup light brown sugar lightly packed
- 1 large egg yolk
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- ⅓ cup mashed ripe banana
- 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 ¼ teaspoons ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup banana chips lightly crushed in your hands
- ¼ cup old-fashioned rolled oats
- ½ cup chocolate chips or chopped nuts
Instructions
- Line 2 large baking trays with silpat baking mats or parchment paper.
- Add the hot brown butter and brown sugar to a large bowl and whisk to combine. Cool so it's just barely lukewarm, and then whisk in the egg yolk, vanilla, and mashed banana. Add the flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, baking soda, and salt, and stir until combined. Stir in the banana chips, oats, and chocolate chips.
- Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate 2 hours (if you’re in a time crunch, you can put it in the freezer for 20 minutes).
- Preheat the oven to 350F. Use a 1 ½-tablespoon scoop to measure out the dough, and then roll them into balls and arrange them on the prepared baking trays.
- Bake until the cookies are puffed and set along the outside, about 12 to 15 minutes, rotating the trays once halfway through.
Faith's Tips
- Recipe Yield and Serving Size: This recipe makes 22 cookies; each serving is 2 cookies, for a total of 11 servings.
- Storage: Store these cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 4 days.
How to Brown Butter
- Add the butter to a small saucepan over medium heat. It will look foamy when it first melts, but the foam will go away as it cooks.
- Once melted, turn the heat down to medium-low and continue cooking until the butter is slightly browned and smells nutty, about 3 to 5 minutes. Don’t forget to scrape up the brown bits from the bottom of the pan!
Nutrition
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