Banana Chocolate Chip Cookies
If you have a couple of overripe bananas sitting on the counter, this is one of my favorite ways to use them. These banana chocolate chip cookies are soft, chewy, full of banana flavor, and loaded with chocolate chips.
This recipe actually came about because of my kids. They would go through phases where I would buy bananas and they would eat all of them within a day or two. So naturally, I would buy more the next time—and then nobody would touch them. Before long, I would have a couple of very ripe bananas sitting on the counter that needed to be used.
There are plenty of things you can make with ripe bananas, but these cookies have become one of my favorite options. They are easy to make, and the combination of banana, brown sugar, and chocolate chips makes a really soft and flavorful cookie.
Banana Chocolate Chip Cookies
Course: DessertCuisine: AmericanDifficulty: Easy24
cookies10
minutes9
minutesSoft and chewy banana chocolate chip cookies made with ripe bananas and plenty of semi-sweet chocolate chips. An easy and delicious way to use overripe bananas.
Ingredients
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
2 ripe bananas, peeled
1 1/4 cups brown sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
Chopped nuts, optional
Directions
- Preheat the oven to 375°F.
- Cream the butter and brown sugar.
In a large mixing bowl, beat the softened butter and brown sugar together until well combined and creamy. - Add the bananas and vanilla.
Mash the ripe bananas and add them to the butter mixture along with the vanilla extract. Mix until everything is well combined. - Mix the dry ingredients.
In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, cornstarch, and salt. - Combine the wet and dry ingredients.
Gradually add the dry ingredients to the banana mixture and mix just until everything comes together. Try not to overmix the dough. - Add the chocolate chips.
Fold in the semi-sweet chocolate chips. If you want a little more texture, you can also add some chopped walnuts or pecans. - Scoop the cookies.
Use the same medium cookie scoop you would use for regular chocolate chip cookies and place the dough onto an ungreased baking sheet.
These cookies spread a little more than regular chocolate chip cookies, so I recommend putting no more than 12 cookies on each baking sheet and leaving plenty of room between them. - Bake for 8–10 minutes.
The exact baking time will depend on the size of your cookies. Start checking them around 8 minutes. The edges should be set while the centers are still soft. - Cool the cookies.
Let the cookies sit on the baking sheet for a few minutes after removing them from the oven. Then transfer them to a cooling rack to finish cooling.
Notes
- A Few Tips
The riper the bananas, the better. Bananas with plenty of brown spots are sweeter and have a stronger banana flavor, which makes them perfect for these cookies.
Don’t overcrowd the pan. These cookies spread more than my regular chocolate chip cookies. Twelve per tray gives them enough room.
Don’t overbake them.
They are best when they stay soft in the middle. Pull them out once the edges are set rather than waiting for the entire cookie to look completely done.
Add nuts if you want some crunch. Chopped walnuts or pecans work really well with the banana and chocolate.
The Perfect Use for Overripe Bananas
Banana bread is usually the first thing people think of when they see overripe bananas, but sometimes you don’t want another loaf of banana bread. These cookies are a great alternative.
They have that familiar banana flavor, but you still get everything you want from a chocolate chip cookie—soft centers, plenty of chocolate, and just enough chewiness around the edges.
And in our house, they usually disappear a lot faster than those bananas did.
