Frosted banana cookies are a soft, cake-like cookie topped with a sweet cream cheese frosting and crunchy walnuts. Almost like banana bread in cookie form!
Frosted Banana Cookies
Want to know the history of bananas? Bananas were brought to the U.S. during the mid 19th century, but have been around for thousands of years. The Boston Fruit Co. has been credited with the wide distribution of bananas in the U.S. later in the 19th century, as they were one of the first American companies to begin importing refrigerated cargo. Bananas are America’s most popular fruit today, and Americans consume up to 80 million bunches a year! Since bananas tend to get ripe fast by the time they are brought home and oftentimes get overripe, they are perfect for baked goods like these frosted banana cookies, breads, cakes and pies.
How to Make this Recipe
The recipe for these frosted banana cookies was adapted from a cookbook in my vintage collection dating to the 1960’s. These cookies are a soft, cake-like cookie topped with a sweet cream cheese frosting and crunchy walnuts. These cookies are almost like banana bread in cookie form and are another great way to use overripe bananas.
Ingredients
- All-purpose flour
- Baking soda
- Salt
- Unsalted butter
- Granulated sugar
- Eggs
- Vanilla extract
- Bananas (overripe bananas work best)
- Buttermilk
- Cream cheese
- Powdered sugar
- Walnuts
To make these cookies, first unsalted butter and granulated sugar are creamed together and then eggs, vanilla extract, overripe bananas and buttermilk are added to the batter. The sifted dry ingredients of all-purpose flour, baking soda and salt are mixed in and the dough is then chilled for 1 hour. The dough is scooped onto lined baking sheets using a cookie scoop to get even, uniform cookies and then the cookies are frosted with a cream cheese frosting and sprinkled with chopped walnuts after baking. See additional tips below for how to store these cookies.
Tips for Frosted Banana Cookies
- Overripe bananas work best for these cookies. Using bananas that are not ripe enough will not incorporate into the dough well.
- I like to use a medium sized cookie scoop for these cookies. You can substitute a small cookie scoop if needed, decrease your baking by 1-2 minutes.
- Store these cookies in an airtight container for up to 72 hours.
- These cookies can freeze up to 45 days.
Made this recipe? Comment or rate below or @thetimelessbaker on Instagram or Pinterest!
Want more banana recipes?
Frosted Banana Cookies
Equipment
- baking or cookie sheet
- parchment paper or silicone baking mats
- medium-sized cookie scoop
- mixing bowls of various sizes
- electric mixer or stand mixer
Ingredients
For the cookies
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs, room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup bananas, mashed (about 2 large bananas)
- 1/2 cup buttermilk, room temperature
For the frosting
- 3 oz. cream cheese, softened
- 3 Tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/4 cup walnuts, chopped
Instructions
For the cookies
- Spread 1/4 cup walnuts, chopped on an ungreased sheet pan and bake at 350°F degrees for 6-8 minutes. Cool and store if not using right away.
- In a medium sized mixing bowl, sift or whisk the 3 cups all-purpose flour, 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda and 1/2 teaspoon salt
- Using a mixer, cream the 1 cup unsalted butter, and 1 cup granulated sugar until light, about 2 minutes.
- Add in 2 large eggs,, one at a time followed by the 1 teaspoon vanilla extract. Mix in the1 cup bananas, mashed, then slowly add the 1/2 cup buttermilk,
- Add in the dry ingredients, in 3 separate batches, making sure each addition is fully incorporated before adding the next.
- Chill the dough 1 hour. Then, use a medium sized cookie scoop to scoop the cookies onto lined baking sheets. Bake at 375°F 11-13 minutes, or until the centers are completely set when lightly pressed with your fingertip.
- Allow cookies to cool on pan 1-2 minutes, then remove to a wire rack to cool completely. Frost when cooled.
For the frosting
- Using a mixer, cream the 3 oz. cream cheese, and 3 Tablespoons unsalted butter, until smooth.
- Add in the p1 cup powdered sugar and 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract, beat until smooth.
- Spread frosting on cooled cookies, then sprinkle the chopped walnuts on top.
Notes
- You can substitute a small cookie scoop if needed, decrease your baking by 1-2 minutes.
- Store these cookies in an airtight container for up to 72 hours.
- These cookies can freeze up to 45 days
- The walnuts can be toasted well in advance. Toasted nuts will keep sealed in an airtight container for about two weeks.