Banana Bread Cookies (Soft-Baked with Chocolate Chips)
Everything you love about classic banana bread—soft, tender, gently sweet—but in cookie form. Pure comfort in every delicious bite!
Ingredients
- 3 large very ripe bananas, mashed
- ⅓ cup packed light brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon neutral oil, avocado, canola, or grapeseed
- 2 large eggs, lightly beaten
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 ½ cups white whole wheat flour, see notes for alternative flours
- ½ cup old-fashioned rolled oats
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon fine salt
- ½ cup chocolate chips, semi-sweet or dark
- ½ cup chopped pecans or walnuts, optional
Instructions
- Preheat & prep. Preheat your oven to 350°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Mix the wet ingredients. In a large bowl, mash the bananas until mostly smooth. Whisk in the brown sugar, oil, eggs, and vanilla until well combined. Tip: Stirring the brown sugar directly into the bananas helps it dissolve fully, giving the cookies a soft, banana-bread-like texture.
- Add the dry ingredients. Sprinkle the flour, oats, baking soda, and salt over the banana mixture. Mix the dry ingredients on top (to disperse the salt and baking soda) and then gently stir everything together just until combined and there’s no streaks of dry flour—don’t overmix.
- Fold in the chocolate chips. Stir in the chocolate chips. The batter will be soft and spoonable (more like muffin batter than traditional cookie dough).
- Scoop & shape. Scoop the batter onto the baking sheet using a 3-tablespoon ice cream scoop (this is what I use for perfectly sized, indulgent cookies!). Space cookies about 2 inches apart and gently flatten the tops slightly—these cookies won’t spread much on their own. You can choose to add a couple of extra chocolate chips on top of each for decor (or do the same things with chopped pecans).
- Bake. Bake for 12–14 minutes, until set and lightly golden around the edges. (All ovens are different, but mine tend to be ready at the 12-minute mark)
- Cool & enjoy! Let cool on the pan for 5 minutes or so, then enjoy warm—or save for later.
Notes
Why brown sugar works best: Brown sugar delivers that classic banana-bread warmth and structure. Liquid sweeteners can make the batter too wet here, especially with ripe bananas and minimal oil.
Sweetness level: ⅓ cup brown sugar gives a lightly sweet, banana-forward cookie. If you prefer a more dessert-style sweetness, you can increase to ½ cup.
Alternative flour options (1:1 swaps):
• Whole wheat pastry flour – very similar texture to white whole wheat.
• All-purpose flour – cookies will be a bit fluffier and less hearty.
• 1:1 gluten-free baking blend – works well; texture will be slightly more delicate. Optional spice boost: For a cozy, bakery-style vibe, add ¼ to ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon to the dry ingredients. Texture note: These are soft, cake-like cookies—think banana bread in cookie form, not crisp or chewy. Gluten-free option: Use a 1:1 gluten-free baking blend instead of the whole grain flour and certified gluten-free oats. Vegan option: Swap eggs for 2 flax eggs (2 Tbsp ground flax + 5 Tbsp water; let thicken and add into the wet ingredients). And use dairy-free chocolate chips. Variations:
• Swap chocolate chips for chopped walnuts or pecans (or add both! So good!)
• Do half chocolate chips, half raisins for a dried fruit vibe Storage:
• Airtight container at room temperature: up to 2 days
• Refrigerate: up to 5 days
• Freeze: up to 2 months (they thaw beautifully!)
• Whole wheat pastry flour – very similar texture to white whole wheat.
• All-purpose flour – cookies will be a bit fluffier and less hearty.
• 1:1 gluten-free baking blend – works well; texture will be slightly more delicate. Optional spice boost: For a cozy, bakery-style vibe, add ¼ to ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon to the dry ingredients. Texture note: These are soft, cake-like cookies—think banana bread in cookie form, not crisp or chewy. Gluten-free option: Use a 1:1 gluten-free baking blend instead of the whole grain flour and certified gluten-free oats. Vegan option: Swap eggs for 2 flax eggs (2 Tbsp ground flax + 5 Tbsp water; let thicken and add into the wet ingredients). And use dairy-free chocolate chips. Variations:
• Swap chocolate chips for chopped walnuts or pecans (or add both! So good!)
• Do half chocolate chips, half raisins for a dried fruit vibe Storage:
• Airtight container at room temperature: up to 2 days
• Refrigerate: up to 5 days
• Freeze: up to 2 months (they thaw beautifully!)
Nutrition Information per serving
Serving Size: 1 cookieCalories: 100Carbohydrates: 17gProtein: 2gTotal Fat: 3g— Unsaturated Fat: 2g— Saturated Fat: 1gCholesterol: 20mgSodium: 90mgFiber: 2gTotal Sugar: 7g— Natural Sugar: 2g— Added Sugar: 5g
Nutrition information is calculated using a leading industry software. That being said, brands can vary, and there may be slight fluctuations in the numbers.