Peanut Butter Banana Bread Cookies

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Delicious and so easy to make, these peanut butter banana cookies have the perfect soft and chewy texture and are full of flavor.

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Okay, I heard you all loud and clear that you LOVE banana cookies. ICYMI: the other week, I posted my recipe for the dreamiest Brown Butter Banana Bread Chocolate Chip Cookies. Since starting my blog, this is my most popular recipe and I totally understand the hype. Not only are bananas an awesome egg substitute, but they add so much delicious flavor to a cookie recipe. So, consider this your warning that this is just the start of the banana cookie recipes that are coming your way.

Today, I have for you these unreal Peanut Butter Banana Bread Cookies. I’m SO happy with how these turned out. The texture is everything I could hope for in a cookie. These baked up super soft and chewy and with a little bit of height. And, the flavors?! UNREAL. I added peanut butter and bananas directly to the dough. For toppings, I opted for peanut butter chips and mini semisweet chocolate chips. In my family, we add chocolate to every dessert, so feel free to omit (or add more!!) to tailor this recipe to your liking.

These cookies are so easy to make and guaranteed to disappear quickly. Now, let’s get into the recipe!

Read on for the full recipe for these delicious Peanut Butter Banana Bread Cookies.

These Peanut Butter Banana Bread Cookies just may become your new addiction. Not only are they super easy to make, but they’re full of flavor and just heavenly. The banana paired with the peanut butter and chocolate is so delicious. And, as I always say, do not forget to top your cookies with flaky sea salt — it really does elevate these cookies by bringing out the flavors even more.

For this recipe, I opted to use melted butter as I wanted the peanut butter and banana to be the stars of the show, flavor wise. A few things to keep in mind with melted butter:

1. Melted butter is not a 1:1 swap with brown butter. If you want to use brown butter for this recipe, you will need to either reduce the amount of flour used or add back in about 1 tbsp of milk or water.
2. I highly recommend melting your butter on the stove. Melting butter in the microwave is always super messy (at least it is for me) and if it explodes, you lose some of the butter.
3. Let your butter cool for 10 minutes before you combine it with the granulated sugar and brown sugar.

As the name suggests, we will be using bananas in this recipe. The recipe calls for ½ cup of mashed banana. Each small-medium banana is usually about ¼ cup, so you will most likely need 2 bananas for this recipe. As we know with baking, measurements are very precise, so I highly recommend measuring out your mashed banana with an adjustable measuring cup. If you add too much or too little banana, it could impact the texture of your cookies.

Now, these cookies aren’t entirely egg free. I opted to add in 2 egg yolks to help ensure a super soft & chewy texture. However, you can omit these. Just keep in mind that your cookies might be a little dry.

The rest of the recipe is very straightforward, but just a warning: you will need to chill this cookie dough for 60 minutes. The bananas and egg yolks add so much moisture to this dough that it is imperative that it chills. Once chilled, the cookie dough scoops so easily and the cookies bake up beautifully. Just trust me on this one!

Don’t forget to scroll down to the bottom of this post for my tips for success!

Are you ready to bake your new favorite cookies?!

Other cookie recipes you may like:

• Brown Butter Banana Bread Chocolate Chip Cookies
• Chocolate Dipped Peanut Butter Stuffed Reese’s Cookies
• Caramel Chocolate Chip Cookies
• Oreo Cookie Butter Lava Cookies
• Easy Chocolate Dipped Peanut Butter Stuffed M&M Cookies

Ingredients you’ll need:

• Unsalted butter
• Brown sugar
• Granulated sugar
• Creamy peanut butter (I used Jif)
• Vanilla extract
• Bananas
• Egg yolks
• All-purpose flour
• Baking soda
• Salt
• Peanut butter chips
• Mini chocolate chips
• Flaky sea salt

Kitchen tools you’ll need (linking my favorites below!)

• Mixing bowls
• Dry ingredient measuring cups
• Adjustable measuring cups – great for measuring the mashed bananas!
• Spatula
• Whisk
• Cookie scoop
• Baking sheet
• Parchment paper
• Cookie turner
• Cooling rack

How to make these dreamy Peanut Butter Banana Bread Cookies

Melt 1 cup butter on the stove or in the microwave. Set aside to cool for 10 minutes.

While the butter is cooling, combine 3 cups + 3 tbsp all-purpose flour, 2 tsp baking soda, and 1 tsp salt in a bowl and whisk together. Set aside.

In a large bowl, add 1 cup brown sugar, ½ cup granulated sugar, and the melted butter. Whisk together until it is smooth and combined.

Add ½ cup creamy peanut butter, ½ cup mashed bananas, and 2 tsp vanilla extract. Whisk until the mixture is smooth and lighter/paler in color.

Whisk in 2 egg yolks.

Add the dry ingredients and fold in with a rubber spatula until a few flour streaks remain. Fold in 1 cup peanut butter chips and ⅔ cup mini chocolate chips. Do not overmix.

Chill the dough in the refrigerator for 60 minutes. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

Scoop 12 dough balls. Optional: roll the tops of the cookie dough balls in extra toppings. Place the cookie dough balls on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake for 12-14 minutes or until the edges are golden and the tops of the cookies still look slightly wet.

As soon as they come out of the oven, shape the cookies with a spoon, bowl, or circular cookie cutter, if needed. Top with extra peanut butter chips, mini chocolate chips, and flaky sea salt, if desired.

Let the cookies cool completely. Store in an airtight container for up to 5 days or freeze for up to 3 months.

Tips for success

• When measuring your dry ingredients, be sure to use the spoon and level method. Before scooping out dry ingredients (like flour), use a spoon and run through them, fluffing them up and removing any clumps. Then, spoon the ingredient into the measuring cup and use a flat top tool to level off the top and remove any excess. When measuring dry ingredients, you should be using measuring cups like these. If you prefer to bake using grams and weighing your dry ingredients with a kitchen scale, this recipe can easily be converted using an online conversion calculator like this one from Inch Calculator. I personally bake using volume measurements (cups) which is why I do not include metric conversions.
• Measure out your mashed bananas! Bananas come in a variety of sizes and you only need ½ cup for this recipe (about 2 small to medium bananas). I highly recommend using an adjustable measuring cup because it makes life so much easier!
• Please chill your dough. As I mentioned earlier in this post, the bananas and egg yolks add so much moisture to the dough. Because of this, your dough will be a bit tacky. By chilling it in the refrigerator for 1 hour, it will be much easier to scoop. Chilling your cookie dough also helps the flavors deepen and prevents spreading while baking.
• Use the baking time listed as a suggestion or guide rather than a set rule. Everyone’s oven is different. Go by how the cookies look instead. These cookies are done baking when the edges are set and lightly golden. The tops of the cookies may still look a little wet, but that’s okay. They will continue baking on the hot pan once they’re removed from the oven. You especially do not want to overbake peanut butter cookies as they will become super dry and crumbly, if overbaked.
• Pro tip: totally optional, but roll the tops of your cookie dough balls in extra toppings before baking. Don’t press the toppings in all the way — just make sure that they’re attached to the dough. By doing this, the tops of the cookies will be packed with toppings and it will make these cookies even more visually appealing.

FAQs

My cookie dough is tacky, what should I do?

Chill. Your. Dough. I repeat, chill your dough in the refrigerator for a full hour. If it’s still tacky, add 1 tbsp of flour at a time until you reach the desired consistency.

Do I have to chill the dough?

You don’t have to do anything, but I highly recommend it! If you want your cookies to bake up a beautifully, do not skip this step.

Can I double or halve this recipe?

Yes! Simply double or cut the ingredients in half.

Can I admit the egg yolks?

You can, but they really are the key to the texture for this recipe. Peanut butter cookies have a tendency to be dry and crumbly and the egg yolks help prevent that.

How to store

Store the cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days or freeze for up to 3 months. If freezing, store the cookies in a freezer-safe container or bag. Set the cookies out on the counter for 20-30 minutes prior to consuming.

And, there you have it! Not only is it a super easy recipe, but it’s the perfect way to use those leftover bananas. These cookies are delicious, so soft and chewy, and the perfect balance of peanut butter and banana flavor. I’m actually amazed by these — it just might be one of my favorite recipes that I’ve ever developed. I hope you all love them as much as I do.

If you try this recipe, share and tag me on socials using @itsbrunchoklock or #itsbrunchoklock.