Tasty banana bread cookies recipe – Delicious & Easy!

Have you ever found yourself with a few overripe bananas, yearning for the comforting taste of banana bread, but perhaps lacking the time or enthusiasm for baking an entire loaf? Imagine if you could capture all that warming, spiced banana deliciousness in a charming, bite-sized cookie. Well, we’re delighted to say, you certainly can! We’re thrilled to share our much-loved, straightforward banana bread cookies recipe that will magically turn those spotty bananas into warm, chewy delights the whole family will cherish.

Why We Love This Banana Bread Cookies Recipe

There are countless reasons this specific recipe has earned its place as a favourite in our kitchens. Primarily, the flavour is sheer comfort – think sweet banana, warming spices such as cinnamon and nutmeg, and a soft, almost cake-like consistency that simply melts in your mouth. It’s akin to taking all the finest elements of a traditional Banana Bread and condensing them into ideal, handheld portions. We also find them remarkably versatile. They’re splendid for an afternoon treat with a cup of tea, a lovely addition to a lunchbox, or even a relaxed dessert.

One of the finest aspects is how forgiving these cookies tend to be. Even if your measurements are slightly askew, or your bananas vary in ripeness, they invariably turn out wonderfully. Furthermore, it’s a superb strategy for minimising food waste, making excellent use of those bananas that are a tad too brown for eating fresh but are absolutely perfect for baking. If you frequently encounter banana bread 2 bananas scenarios, this recipe will quickly become your go-to solution.

What You’ll Need: Ingredients for Our Banana Bread Cookies Recipe

Before we embark on our baking adventure, let’s assemble our ingredients. We’ve discovered that employing high-quality, fresh components truly elevates the final result. For this recipe, you’ll likely find many of these items already stocked in your larder!

Wet Ingredients:

• 115g (1/2 cup) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
• 150g (3/4 cup) caster sugar (granulated sugar is a suitable alternative)
• 1 large egg, at room temperature
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 medium ripe bananas, thoroughly mashed (approximately 1 cup or 225-250g once mashed) – the riper, the more flavourful!

Dry Ingredients:

• 250g plain flour (equivalent to 2 cups all-purpose flour)
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon powder
• 1/4 tsp freshly ground nutmeg
• 1/4 tsp fine salt

Optional Add-ins (Choose Your Adventure!):

• 100g (1/2 cup) chocolate chips (milk, semi-sweet, or dark varieties all work well)
• 75g (1/2 cup) chopped walnuts or pecans
• A light scattering of demerara sugar over the tops before baking for a delightful crunchy texture

Step-by-Step Guide: Baking Your Banana Bread Cookies

Right then, let’s pop on our aprons and transform these straightforward ingredients into something truly remarkable. We’ve segmented the process into easy-to-manage steps, ensuring your banana bread cookies emerge perfectly every single time.

1. Preparation is Key

1. Step 1: Heat the Oven Begin by setting your oven to 180°C (160°C for fan ovens / 350°F / Gas 4). Having the correct temperature ready ensures optimal baking results.
2. Step 2: Prepare Baking Sheets Ready two large baking sheets by covering them with baking parchment or reusable silicone mats. This essential preparation keeps cookies from adhering to the surface and makes cleanup effortless.
3. Step 3: Prepare the Bananas Using a fork, mash your ripened bananas in a small bowl until mostly smooth. Small chunks are fine and actually add nice texture to the final product. Reserve this mixture for later use.

2. Mixing the Dough for Your Banana Bread Cookies Recipe

1. Cream Butter and Sugar: In a spacious mixing bowl, employ an electric hand mixer or a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment to cream together the softened butter and caster sugar until the mixture is light and airy. This usually takes about 2 to 3 minutes. Don’t forget to scrape down the sides of the bowl occasionally.
2. Add Egg and Vanilla: Beat in the egg and vanilla extract until they are thoroughly incorporated. The mixture might appear slightly curdled at this stage, but please don’t be concerned; it will soon come together.
3. Add the Banana Mixture Carefully fold the mashed banana into your mixture until evenly distributed. Avoid excessive mixing at this stage.
4. Step 2: Prepare Dry Mix In a medium bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt using a whisk. This ensures even distribution of the rising agent and spices throughout.
5. Step 3: Unite Wet and Dry Components Gradually add the flour mixture to the wet ingredients, stirring gently with a wooden spoon or mixing on low speed until barely combined. Stop mixing once flour streaks disappear – overmixing creates dense, tough cookies.
6. Step 4: Add Optional Extras Should you choose to include chocolate chips or chopped nuts, fold them in now with gentle strokes until evenly dispersed.

3. Baking to Perfection

1. Scoop the Dough: Dispense rounded tablespoons of the cookie dough onto your prepared baking trays, ensuring you leave approximately 2 inches of space between each cookie, as they will expand slightly during baking. A medium-sized cookie scoop is excellent for creating uniformly sized cookies.
2. Transfer to the preheated oven and bake for 14 minutes, or until the edges are a delicate golden brown and the tops feel firm to the touch.The precise baking duration will vary depending on your oven and the dimensions of your cookies. They should retain a soft centre.
3. Cooling Process: Allow cookies to rest on the baking sheets for approximately 7 minutes before moving them to a cooling rack. This brief resting period helps them set properly. Once moved to the wire rack, let them cool completely – they’ll continue to develop their final texture during this cooling phase.Retry

Watch and Learn: Banana Bread Cookies Recipe Video Tutorial

Sometimes, a visual demonstration can make all the difference in understanding a recipe. We’ve discovered a brilliant, beginner-friendly video that guides you through making a very similar type of banana bread cookie. This can be incredibly useful for observing the dough’s consistency and the techniques employed.

This video by The Domestic Geek provides clear, step-by-step visual guidance which we believe you’ll find most beneficial:

Tips for the Best Banana Bread Cookies

We’ve baked countless batches of these delightful cookies, and through our experiences, we’ve gathered a few handy tips and tricks to help ensure yours are perfect on every occasion:

• Use Very Ripe Bananas: The more spotted and brown the banana, the sweeter and more intensely flavoured your cookies will become. Those rather forlorn-looking bananas on your counter are, in fact, perfect! For further insights into the benefits of bananas, do have a look at this article from the Harvard School of Public Health.
• Don’t Overmix the Dough: This is paramount for achieving soft, tender cookies. Combine the dry ingredients with the wet mixture until they are just blended together. A few remaining streaks of flour are preferable to overmixing.
• Room Temperature Ingredients: Employing softened butter and room temperature eggs facilitates easier combination and contributes to a superior texture.
• Chill the Dough (Optional but Recommended): If your kitchen environment is particularly warm or your dough appears exceptionally soft, chilling it for 30 minutes can make it more manageable and may yield slightly thicker, chewier cookies.
• Uniform Size: Utilising a cookie scoop aids in ensuring all your cookies are of a consistent size, which promotes even baking.
• Store your cooled banana bread cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3-4 days. They often become even softer and more flavorful on the following day!

Variations to Try on Your Banana Bread Cookies Recipe

Whilst this recipe is truly wonderful as it stands, we always like to foster a bit of culinary experimentation! Here are a few variations that you might enjoy exploring:

Chocolate Chip Delight

As noted in the optional add-ins, chocolate chips are a time-honoured partner for banana. We find milk chocolate creates a sweeter cookie, whereas dark chocolate imparts a richer, more profound flavour. White chocolate chips also complement the banana beautifully.

Nutty Crunch

Toasted walnuts or pecans introduce a delightful crunch and a warm, nutty character. Lightly toast them in a dry frying pan or in the oven for a few minutes prior to chopping and incorporating them into the dough – this simple step truly amplifies their flavour.

Making it a Healthy Banana Recipes Option

Although these are certainly indulgent treats, you can implement a few modifications for a marginally healthier rendition. You might consider:

• Slightly reducing the quantity of sugar (as bananas contribute natural sweetness).
• Substituting a portion of the plain flour with wholemeal flour for an increase in fibre.
• Opting for dark chocolate chips with a high cocoa percentage.

For individuals specifically seeking substantially lower sugar alternatives, investigating a dedicated sugar free banana bread recipe could be an excellent next move, and you can adapt some of those principles for these cookies. We have a splendid Sugar-Free Banana Bread recipe that you might find rather inspiring.

Using Just Two Bananas: Perfect for This Recipe

We frequently receive enquiries about recipes suitable for when you only have a pair of bananas. This banana bread with two bananas is precisely what you require. Two medium, exceptionally ripe bananas furnish the ideal amount of moisture and concentrated banana flavour for a batch of these cookies. So, the next time you’re pondering what to do with that duo of browning bananas, you’ll know exactly which recipe to turn to! There’s no longer any need to wait until you’ve accumulated three or four to prepare a full loaf of banana bread.

FAQs: Your Banana Bread Cookies Recipe Questions Answered

We’ve compiled some of the common queries we encounter regarding the creation of banana bread cookies, to assist you with any troubleshooting or simply to expand your knowledge.

How ripe should my bananas be for this recipe?

The riper they are, the more suitable they become! We’re talking truly ripe – displaying plenty of brown spots, perhaps even mostly brown skin. These bananas possess a much greater sweetness and a more pronounced banana flavour, which translates wonderfully into your cookies. They are also considerably easier to mash.

Can I make these banana bread cookies gluten-free?

Indeed, you can attempt to substitute the plain flour with a high-quality gluten-free all-purpose flour blend (one that either includes xanthan gum or requires you to add it separately, according to the blend’s instructions). The texture might differ slightly, but they should still prove delicious. We always advise checking the specific instructions provided with your chosen gluten-free flour blend.

Why are my cookies flat?

Several elements can contribute to cookies spreading too much and becoming flat:

• Butter too soft/melted: Ensure your butter is adequately softened but not actually melted. Melted butter will inevitably cause cookies to spread more extensively.
• Overmixing: Excessive mixing after the flour has been added develops gluten, which can lead to flatter, tougher cookies.
• Oven temperature too low: An oven that hasn’t reached the correct temperature will cause cookies to spread before they have a chance to set properly.
• Too much raising agent: Although it might seem paradoxical, an excess of bicarbonate of soda can cause cookies to rise rapidly and then subsequently collapse.
• Dough too warm: Chilling the dough, as we suggested in our tips, can be effective in preventing undue spreading.

If you’re seeking a swift and effortless banana bread solution, without the palaver of a full loaf, particularly when you find yourself in that ideal banana bread with 2 bananas situation, this recipe is a true game-changer.

Beyond the Cookie: Exploring More Banana Goodness

If this banana bread cookies recipe has sparked your enthusiasm for banana-infused confections, we have further inspiration to share! Perhaps you’re intrigued by different interpretations of the classic loaf? We reckon you’d find it enjoyable to explore methods for making traditional banana bread or even more streamlined versions. For an exceptionally easy alternative, why not investigate our 4-Ingredient Banana Bread recipe? It’s another brilliant way to make use of those ripe bananas.

Conclusion: Your New Favourite Way to Enjoy Banana Bread Flavour

We genuinely believe this banana bread cookies recipe is destined to become a cherished addition to your baking collection. It presents the perfect answer for utilising those ripe bananas, appeasing a sweet tooth, and sharing a touch of homemade happiness. With their soft, cakey consistency and delightful banana-spice notes, these cookies provide all the comfort of banana bread in an enjoyable, shareable form.

So, what are you waiting for? Assemble your ingredients, get that oven preheating, and prepare to envelop your home in the wonderful fragrance of baking. We wholeheartedly encourage you to give this recipe a go, and perhaps even impart your own unique twist with different additions. Please do share your baking experiences with us – we would be delighted to hear how your banana bread cookies turn out! Happy baking!