Chocolate Chip Banana Bread Cookies

Made with toasty brown butter, pecans, and plenty of chocolate chips, these banana bread cookies are a fun, gourmet cookie version of the classic bread.

Recipe includes a how-to video!

Course cookie, Dessert

Cuisine American

Prep Time 25

Cook Time 13

Total Time 38

Servings large cookies

Calories 412kcal

Author Sam Merritt

Equipment

Ingredients

1 cup (226 g) unsalted butter
1 cup (170 g) coarsely chopped pecans
3 ¾ cups (470 g) all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon table salt
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon see note
⅔ cup (170 g) mashed banana
1 cup (200 g) granulated sugar
⅔ cup (166 g) light brown sugar firmly packed
2 large egg yolks
1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract
2 cups (340 g) chocolate chips (use your favorite variety – I use a mix of miniature and regular-sized semisweet)
Coarse granulated sugar for sprinkling on top (optional, click the link for the one I use)

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350F (175C) and line several baking sheets with parchment paper. Set aside.
Add butter and pecans to a medium-sized skillet over medium-low heat. Cook, stirring constantly, until butter is completely melted. Continue to stir constantly as butter sizzles, pops, and foams. Cook until butter is browned (it will likely still be foamy but you’ll likely be able to smell the toasty aroma of browned butter and the sizzling and popping will slow/stop).
1 cup unsalted butter, 1 cup coarsely chopped pecans
Pour the butter and nuts into a large heatproof bowl and set aside (I usually place in the refrigerator to speed up the cooling process, you don’t want the butter to be cold). Allow butter to cool before proceeding.
In a separate, medium-sized mixing bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon. Set aside.
3 ¾ cups all-purpose flour, 1 teaspoon baking soda, ½ teaspoon baking powder, 1 teaspoon table salt, ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
Mash your banana in a large mixing bowl. (Carefully) add the cooled browned butter and nuts and stir until well-combined.
⅔ cup mashed banana
Add sugars and stir well.
1 cup granulated sugar, ⅔ cup light brown sugar
Add egg yolks and vanilla extract and stir until well combined.
2 large egg yolks, 1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract
Gradually add the flour mixture to the wet ingredients and stir until combined.
Add chocolate chips and stir until well incorporated.
2 cups chocolate chips
Scoop dough by large, ¼-cup (95g) scoops (if you want to make the cookies smaller that’s fine, just bake for less time!) and drop on baking sheet, spacing cookies at least 2” apart.
Sprinkle cookies with coarse sugar then transfer to center rack of 350F (175C) oven and bake for 13-15 minutes, until edges are light golden brown.
Coarse granulated sugar
Allow cookies to cool completely on baking sheet before enjoying.

Video

Notes

Banana note

The riper your bananas are, the better, more flavorful, and sweeter your cookies will be. However the bananas will also affect the consistency of the dough. If yours aren’t overripe the dough will be more dry and the cookies less prone to spreading.

Cinnamon

This is a very small and subtle bit of cinnamon that I think adds just the right touch. You can omit it if you don’t like cinnamon, or conversely add more if you like the flavor.

Sugar for sprinkling

I love using this coarse bakery-style sugar but if you can’t find it a light sprinkling of turbinado sugar or even just regular granulated sugar will work.

Nutrition