Salted Banana Cookies

I have been trying for ages to make a cookie just as iconic as my Best Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies – and I think, I think I have finally met their match with these crispy-edged-soft-centered brown butter banana cookies. I mean look at them! They have the perfect crinkly tops, enough chocolate to cure any bad mood, a subtle banana flavor and just a hint of cinnamon to keep your taste buds guessing. Plus, this recipe has been recently tweaked, making it better, easier and even more delicious than it was before. I’ll go through all the changes (and why!) later on in the blog post, but for now, let’s just bask in how pretty they look.

Read on for all my tips/tricks on how to make these Salted Banana Cookies!

Wait, what has changed?

There are a few big changes to this salted banana cookie that make a HUGE difference. Let’s go through them one by one:

• 1 – I swapped unsalted butter for salted butter – Think of this as flavor reassurance. It is a huge myth that cooking with salted butter will negatively impact your bakes. In fact, I’ve found since switching to salted butter for all my baking, it has improved it tenfold. Your bakes don’t come out tasting salty, they instead are just a hint more flavorful than they were before. This is because salted butter doesn’t taste like salt and butter, it just tastes like enhanced, flavorful butter. Try it once, and you’ll get what I mean!
• 2 – I nixed the cornstarch and added in more flour – I used to think of my cornstarch as a good thing (natural lightness in baking!), but it was severely limiting the chewy edges I could achieve in a cookie. Nixing cornstarch also makes this recipe simpler and more approachable, a win-win.
• 3 – Instead of chocolate chips or chunks, we are doing “shatters” of chocolate – this makes it so that the chocolate almost melts into every bite. You use less chocolate overall, but the way it mixes with the cookie is phenomenal.
• 4 – I added flakey salt on top – with a cookie this sweet, flakey salt as a finisher adds such a crunch and contrast that elevates the cookie to the next level. I can’t get enough of it.

If you loved this recipe before, I promise, you’ll love it even more now. These are small changes, but they make such a big improvement!

Wet ingredients for this brown butter banana cookie

• 16 tablespoons salted butter, or salted vegan butter substitute
•  80 grams brown sugar (1/2 cup)
• 220 grams white sugar (1 cup)
• 110 grams medium banana, ripe, (1 banana)
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Dry ingredients for this brown butter banana cookie

• 330 grams flour (2 1/4 cup)
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon Diamond Crystal kosher salt, 1/2 tsp if using Morton’s
• 113 grams chocolate chips (1 cup )
• 1 teaspoon flaky salt, for topping

How to prepare the brown butter

This recipe uses half brown butter and half butter that’s at room-temp. That’s why we need two whole sticks!

The reason for this is brown butter lends so much flavor, but normal butter aerates better when mixed with sugar, so it gives a better texture and a higher yield of cookies. You’ll see a lot of cooks use this method because it gives you the best of both worlds.

So to prepare the butter, I like to put one stick in a saucepan on medium heat. Add the other stick to a stand mixer with the sugars and vanilla. Cook the browning butter on medium, stirring occasionally, until it starts to fizz slightly. Continue to stir until you see the milk solids turn a toasty brown. Take it off the heat and let it come to room temperature before adding it to the stand mixer.

Then the key point is to mix the wet ingredients on medium until they go from a thick mixture to a light and fluffy combination. You’ll see the dough noticeably lighten in color until it is almost cream-colored – this is a good thing! Stop here to add the banana.

How to prepare the banana to be mixed into the brown butter cookie dough

The banana goes into the batter next. I like to mash it up well, which means doing it on a flat cutting board, and I also like to mash the cinnamon into the banana. I do this so that the cinnamon flavor clings to the banana and doesn’t get lost in the cookie. This means that in every bite where someone tastes banana, cinnamon will be its perfect side-kick.

Add the mashed banana to the wet ingredients and mix again on medium-low until the dough regains its fluffiness.

How to incorporate the dry ingredients

Whisk all the dry ingredients together in a side bowl – this is again to ensure even incorporation. I like to then add them into the brown butter banana cookie dough a bit at a time, using a spatula to fold and incorporate.

Even with all the dry ingredients mixed in, the batter will be very fluffy. So don’t overmix!

What can you add besides chocolate chips?

Now this is where I tell you to add a whole bar of chocolate to these brown butter banana cookies with no shame! But also, you have options. If you aren’t a chocolate person, no reason to deprive yourself of banana. You can also play around with the following:

• Oats – to make this a delicious oatmeal cookie
• Butterscotch chips – have me drooling just thinking about them
• Coconut flakes – another easy drool-worthy swap
• Raisins! – because I don’t believe anyone who could hate on a raisin cookie smh

How to bake these brown butter banana cookies

The easy answer is 375°F for 13-14 minutes, but my crucial answer is: Until they are baked, but not quite.

My ultimate cookie hack is underbaking your cookies just slightly, and then letting the residual heat outside of the oven help finish the cooking. What this does is help your cookies stay chewy for days, instead of just when they are right out of the oven.

You want your cookies to have staying power, and this hack helps them stay amazing, whereas cookies that are done right out of the oven tend to harden and crisp over time. Just try it once, you’ll never look back!

My second tip is to smack the baking pan on the counter to help them flatten. This is another crucial step, or else the cookies might be a bit too puffy for your liking. But if you smack them down right out of the oven, they turn into thin, circular dreams.

A full step-by-step guide for this banana cookie recipe

• Preheat the oven to 375°F.
• In a small saucepan, brown 8 tablespoons of the butter. Do this by putting the pan on medium-low heat and letting the butter fully melt. Stir occasionally, until you see the milk solids start to separate and form flecks on the bottom of the pan. Let the butter fizz a bit and continue to stir. Continue this for about 2-3 minutes, or until the milk solids start to become golden brown. Turn the heat to medium and stir consistently for 1 more minute, then remove the butter from the heat and stir until it is a deep, almost dark gold brown. Pour the browned butter into a bowl and whisk it to lower the temperature slightly. Set aside.
• In the bowl of a stand mixer, add the other 8 tablespoons of butter. Pour the brown butter in the bowl as well. Then add the brown sugar and white sugar. Use the paddle attachment of the mixer to mix on medium. Mix for about 3-4 minutes or until the mix is light and fluffy.
• While the mixer is going, mash the banana and cinnamon together until the banana is a smooth purée. You don’t want any chunks!
• Add the banana mixture and the vanilla extract to the mixer. Mix on medium speed for another 2-3 minutes or until the banana is fully incorporated.
• While the mixer is running, whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt in a bowl.
• Stop the mixer and add the dry ingredients a little at a time to the dough, using a spatula to mix it in until smooth. When the dry ingredients are fully incorporated, add in the chocolate and mix. The dough should be fluffy.
• Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. Use a scale to measure out nine even 4-ounce scoops of dough, you can also make 18 2-ounce scoops for smaller cookies, just bake them 2 minutes less. Place them evenly on the baking sheet, leaving plenty of room for them to spread.
• Bake at 375°F for 13-14 minutes – a trick here is to take them out when they still look slightly underdone, just trust me!
• Smack the baking sheet on the counter a few times to help flatten the cookies. This is an imperative step! They’ll come out a bit tall, but smack the sheet on the counter a few times and watch them spread like magic. Use a bowl or cup to swirl around the edges of the cookie, helping to form them into perfect circles. Sprinkle with flakey salt to finish.
• Let the cookies cool for 15 minutes before eating, then enjoy!

Looking for other cookie recipes?

Here are a few of my favorites!

Why is everything in grams?

Baking, and bread especially, is a very finicky and exact science. The only way to ensure complete accuracy is through measuring by weight, and not volume. As much as I wish I could give you multiple ways to measure ingredients, in this recipe measuring by cups might cause some volatility and miss-matched results. I want to ensure you get the best results with this recipe (and I want to keep this recipe fool-proof!) so I highly recommend getting a small affordable kitchen scale if you want to move forward with this cookie recipe in the best way!

And that’s it for these Salted Banana Cookies!

If you make it, please tag me on Pinterest or Instagram so I can see! It’s my favorite thing to scroll through stories and see what you all are making.

And of course feel free to leave any questions, comments or reviews! This is the best place to reach me, and I’d love to hear from you.