Soft Banana Bread Chocolate Chip Cookies (No Eggs Needed)

🩵Ease Level & Flavor Profile

Ease level: Easy. The hardest part would be browning the butter but it’s all about stirring and keeping an eye on it. If you need more help with this, follow this in-depth post about how to perfectly brown butter without burning it.

Flavor profile: Tastes just like banana bread but in cookie form! Slightly cinnamon-y and warm, banana flavors with nutty tones from the brown butter. Slightly cakey.
Amount Of Dishes: About 2-3 dishes including the sauce pot you make the browned butter in. Rubber spatula and ice cream scoop if you use it to portion and mix banana bread cookie dough. Overall, not too many dishes!

⭐Reader Spotlight

This is a special spot for those that make the recipe and send me the images so I can place it here :)

🥣Main Ingredients

• Brown Butter : Adds a rich, nutty flavor and deep aroma while providing fat for tenderness and structure.
• All-Purpose Flour: Forms the structure of the cookies, giving them body and helping them hold together.
• Granulated White Sugar: Sweetens the cookies and contributes to texture.
• Baking Soda: Leavens the cookies slightly and helps them spread (activated by the slight acidity from the banana and brown sugar).
• Fine Sea Salt : Enhances flavor and balances sweetness.
• Ground Cinnamon: Adds warm, aromatic spice that complements the banana and brown butter.
• Very Ripe Banana: Provides natural sweetness, moisture, and soft texture while boosting banana flavor.Using the banana allows us to omit needing eggs.
• Dark Brown Sugar: Adds deep caramel notes, moisture, and texture to the cookies.
• Vanilla Extract or Paste: Enhances overall flavor and aroma, tying the ingredients together.
• Chopped Chocolate: Adds rich chocolatey bites.

See recipe card below for ingredient measurements! This is for those that want a more in-depth idea of what each ingredient is and what they do. ٩(^ᗜ^ )و ´-

✨Step By Step Instructions

1. Brown the Butter:
Melt unsalted butter in a light colored saucepan over medium-high heat, swirling/stirring constantly. Watch closely as it foams, turns golden, and smells nutty (this is where the magic happens). Once browned, take off the stove and swirl for 15 more seconds. Let it cool completely off the stove. You can whisk occasionally to help cool or place the pan in an ice bath to speed things up.

Step 2:
In a large bowl, combine all dry ingredients. Give it a good whisk to make sure everything is evenly mixed then add in the cooled butter and rest of wet ingredients until dough forms.

Step 3:
Use a 1.5 oz ice cream scoop (≈3 tablespoon / 60 g) to portion dough onto a parchment-lined baking sheet side by side. If the dough feels too soft to scoop, chill it for 15 minutes (just don’t let it fully harden or it’ll be tricky to portion). Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours, or overnight to let the flavors mature. Allowing more time for chilling gives the flour in the dough to absorb the moisture and flavors develop, allowing the banana, cinnamon, and brown butter flavors shine.

Tip: Garnish with banana chip on top if you'd like for extra cuteness!

Step 4:
Preheat your oven to 350°F (325°F if using fan). Space chilled dough balls 2–3 inches apart and bake 13-16 minutes, until edges are set but centers are soft. This also depends on your cookie texture preferences.

Pro Tip: To make it prettier, sprinkle a few chocolate chunks on top before baking and pop a dehydrated banana slice (store bought banana chips work too) halfway through right on top.

6. Cool & Store:
Let cookies cool on the baking sheet for 2 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days (or just hide them from everyone and eat them all yourself).

🔄Substitutions/Variations

Want to switch it up? Here are some variations and substitutions you can try✧ദ്ദി( ˶^ᗜ^˶ ): 

1. Enhance the banana flavor. A touch of cinnamon, nutmeg, or vanilla makes them taste even more like classic banana bread.
2. Go beyond chocolate chips and add mix-ins like you would banana bread! Add chopped toasted nuts like  walnuts, pecans, or almonds. Use shredded coconut or even a swirl of peanut butter for extra flavor/texture layers.
3. Love banana lattes? Add 1 teaspoon instant espresso powder to the dough to deepen the chocolate and banana flavor.

Enjoy! ദ്ദി ˉ͈̀꒳ˉ͈́ )✧ Please tag @sparklecakerie if you make this! I’d love to see and share your creations ♡⸜(˶˃ ᵕ ˂˶)⸝♡⋆˚✿˖°

‼️Pro Tips

Here are some tips I learned from mistakes I made so you can make this recipe perfectly!

1. Use very ripe bananas. The darker and spottier the bananas, the sweeter and more flavorful your cookies will be. Mash until smooth, but leave tiny chunks if you like extra texture.
2. Chill the dough as the mashed banana in the dough can be sticky and spread more than you want. Chill for at least 30–60 minutes so the cookies bake thicker (unless you want them thinner).
3. Don’t overbake. Pull them out when the edges are set but the centers look slightly soft. They’ll finish cooking on the sheet and stay fudgy instead of dry. Bake them longer if you want a firmer cookie.

🔪Tools

• ice cream scoop & rubber spatula
• sauce pan
• baking sheet & parchment paper
• measuring spoons
• kitchen scale
• 2 bowls to hold ingredients
• containers for banana cookies/cookie dough

🍌How To Store/Freeze

For Baked Cookies:

• At room temperature, store cookies in an airtight container or resealable bag. For soft cookies, place a slice of bread in the container to maintain moisture. Cookies stay fresh for 2-3 days. Crisp cookies may last slightly longer but may lose some crunch over time.
• In the freezer, place cooled cookies in a single layer on a baking sheet to freeze, then transfer to a freezer-safe bag or container. Separate layers with parchment paper if you'd like to help prevent them from sticking when freezing the cookies. Cookies remain fresh for up to 3 months. Let them sit at room temperature for about 15 minutes or reheat in a 300°F (150°C) oven for a few minutes to refresh the texture when thawing.

For Unbaked Cookie Dough:

• In the fridge, wrap dough tightly in plastic wrap or store in an airtight container. Dough can be refrigerated for 2-3 days before baking. Bake directly from fully chilled at 325 F / 163 C (with fan) or 350 F / 176 C (without fan), for about 14-16 minutes based on your cookie texture preferences.
• In the freezer, portion banana cookie dough and freeze on a baking sheet until solid. Transfer to a freezer-safe bag or container, removing excess air. Frozen dough lasts up to 3 months. Bake directly from frozen at 300 F (with fan) or 325 F (without fan), for 14 - 16 minutes based on your cookie texture preferences.

I love freezing extra cookie dough whenever I make batches so I always have a freshly baked treat whenever I want :)

⏲️Overwhelmed? Make Ahead!

Do you feel overwhelmed or have a busy schedule but still want to make this banana bread chocolate chip cookie recipe?! Here is a general idea of the work flow I would do as a professionally trained baker (with a degree in Baking & Pastry Arts) and years of experience in NYC bakeries to help you have more fun!⬇٩(^ᗜ^ )و ´-

Spoiler (ᴗ͈ˬᴗ͈)ꕤ.ﾟ: most bakes in professional kitchens/bakeries are broken down into steps for efficiency. We usually aren't measuring, mixing, baking EVERYTHING on the same day. Some components are prepped beforehand so don't feel bad if you feel like you aren't accomplishing what you'd like to in your baking journey, you just haven't figured out the right system yet! Let me help you with that~⋆˙♡)

You can combine any of the work days to suit your timeline. The idea is you really don't have to make everything in ONE DAY! My recipe card below is written in a way to make and bake this in one day for recipe structuring purposes (as well as reading or printing) but if I were to break up the baking steps for this recipe, this is what I would do:

˗ˏˋ ★ Day By Day Baking Steps For Banana Bread Chocolate Chip Cookies★ ˎˊ˗

Day 1: Browned Butter & Prep Dry

1. Brown the Butter: Melt unsalted butter over medium-high heat until golden and nutty, let cool completely. Cover and store in the fridge for the next day.
2. Mix Dry Ingredients: Whisk all-purpose flour, baking soda, fine sea salt, cinnamon, and white sugar in a bowl. Cover and set aside.

Day 2: Make Dough

1. Re-warm Brown Butter: Take the browned butter pan and reheat slightly on the stove top until mostly melted, don’t heat it up hot. Let it cool completely but not solidified.
2. Make the Dough: Mash 50 g ripe banana into the cooled butter. Stir in brown sugar and vanilla. Fold in dry ingredients until almost combined, then gently mix in chopped chocolate. Chill dough for 15 minutes if too soft before portioning but don’t let it fully chill.
3. Portion Dough: Scoop dough into 1.5 oz (≈3 tablespoon / 60 g) balls onto a parchment-lined sheet side by side. Cover and refrigerate. For the best flavor, let it chill overnight.

Day 3: Bake

4. Preheat Oven: 350°F (325°F fan).
5. Bake Cookies: Arrange chilled dough 2–3 inches apart on a parchment lined baking sheet. Bake for 14- 16 minutes until edges are set and centers are slightly soft. Optional: add extra chocolate or a banana slice for fun.
6. Cool & Store: Let cookies rest 2 minutes on the baking sheet, then transfer to a wire rack. Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days or following storage instructions for freezing options.

˗ˏˋ ★ ˎˊ˗ woohoo, you did it!!! ٩>ᴗ<)و I hope this was fun and it helped you become a more confident baker ˗ˏˋ ★ ˎˊ˗