Single Serve Brown Butter Banana Bread Chocolate Chip Cookie

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A single-serve version of my most popular recipe, this recipe yields two delicious, brown butter banana bread chocolate chip cookies.

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It’s day two of Banana Week (check out my Instagram to see all of the banana recipes that I’m sharing this week!) and I decided to make a delicious single-serve version of my viral Brown Butter Banana Bread Chocolate Chip Cookies. You all can’t seem to get enough of these and I don’t blame you, they’re SO good!! The brown butter paired with a hint of banana, lots of chocolate, and a touch of flaky sea salt — these cookies are absolutely unreal.

Maybe you have minimal ingredients or don’t feel like baking a huge batch of cookies. I got you. This single serve recipe tastes just like the original version, but comes together with less ingredients and dishes! In about 35 minutes, you’ll have two (yes, TWO) of the dreamiest cookies.

Also, I know I will get a LOT of questions about this (because I already do) — why do these cookies look puffier than the original and not as flat? I used bleached all-purpose flour in this recipe only because it was all that I had on hand. In my original/full batch version, I used unbleached flour. Bleached flour results in a thicker cookie while unbleached flour creates a denser, flatter cookie. Please keep this in mind as I’ve seen this question come up quite a bit with the original recipe. Whether you use bleached or unbleached flour is entirely up to you and whether you want a thicker or flatter cookie. Now, let’s get into this single-serve recipe!

Read on for the full recipe for the most perfect Single Serve Brown Butter Banana Bread Chocolate Chip Cookie.

If you’ve been following along with my blog posts, then you probably already know how to brown butter. If you don’t know how to, let’s take a minute or two to walk through the process. It’s SO easy to do and trust me, it’s nothing to be intimidated by. I used to (and sometimes still do!) skip recipes because it includes a step that seems complicated or I have no idea how to do. But, we’re not going to let that be the case for you and learning how to brown butter because it’s so simple. If you can promise to pay close attention and stir frequently, you can do this!

We’re going to start by placing a light-colored, small saucepan or pot on the stove over medium heat. I recommend using a light-colored pan so that you can easily see the butter and watch as it changes in color. Unwrap the butter and place it in the pot/pan. Let the butter melt completely, stirring frequently so that nothing sticks to the bottom of the pan and burns. For this particular recipe, we’re only browning 2 tbsp of butter, so the entire browning process will go by very quickly. With this small amount of butter, it most likely won’t bubble or make popping noises like it would with more butter. For that reason, it’s extremely important that you watch your butter closely and stir constantly the entire time. The butter will quickly begin to change in color from its original yellow color to a golden/amber color. You will notice some golden flecks at the bottom — these are toasted milk solids which give the brown butter its delicious, nutty flavor. Once the butter is mostly amber/golden in color, remove the butter from the heat. Transfer the brown butter and all of those golden flecks to a glass bowl or measuring cup and let it cool for 10 minutes before you combine it with the sugars.

Congratulations, you have just successfully browned butter! See how simple that is?! And, trust me, this simple step will make such a huge difference in your recipes because brown butter adds so much flavor! Clearly, I’m obsessed.

The rest of the recipe is super simple and comes together in one bowl. I can’t wait to hear what you think of these Single Serve Brown Butter Banana Bread Chocolate Chip Cookies! I hope you love them as much as I do. I’ve included some additional Tips for Success and FAQs below, so be sure to scroll down and read through those. If you still have questions, feel free to send me a DM on Instagram and I’ll try to answer them and walk you through the recipe.

Other banana cookie recipes you may like:

• Brown Butter Banana Bread Chocolate Chip Cookies —it’s my most popular recipe for a reason!!
• Brown Butter S’mores Banana Bread Cookies
• Cinnamon Crumble Banana Bread Cookies
• Brown Butter Biscoff Banana Bread Cookies
• Peanut Butter Banana Bread Cookies

Ingredients you’ll need:

• Unsalted butter
• Brown sugar
• Granulated sugar
• Vanilla extract
• Banana
• All-purpose flour
• Baking soda
• Salt
• Chocolate chips
• Mini chocolate chips
• Flaky sea salt

Kitchen tools you’ll need:

• Small sauce pan or pot
• Mixing bowl
• Dry ingredient measuring cups
• Spatula
• Whisk
• Baking sheet
• Parchment paper
• Cookie turner
• Cooling rack

How to make this delicious Single Serve Brown Butter Banana Bread Chocolate Chip Cookie

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

On low to medium heat, brown 2 tbsp unsalted butter. Remove the butter from the heat when the top is foamy and the butter is amber/golden brown in color. Let the brown butter cool for 10 minutes before combining it with the sugars.

While the butter is cooling, combine 6½ tbsp all-purpose flour, ¼ tsp baking soda, and ⅛ tsp salt in a bowl and whisk together. Set aside.

In a large bowl, add 3 tbsp brown sugar, 1 tbsp granulated sugar, and the brown butter. Whisk together until the mixture is smooth and combined.

Whisk in 1 tsp vanilla extract and 1 tbsp mashed banana. Continue to whisk until the mixture is smooth and lighter/paler in color.

Gently fold in the dry ingredients with a rubber spatula. Then, fold in 1 tbsp chocolate chips and 1 tbsp mini chocolate chips.

Chill the dough in the freezer for 10 minutes.

Split the cookie dough into two evenly sized cookie dough balls. Roll the tops of the cookie dough balls in extra chocolate chips.

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and place the cookie dough balls on the sheet. Place in the oven and bake for 10 to 11 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. Top with extra chocolate chips and flaky sea salt.

Let the cookies rest for about 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool. Once on the wire rack, let the cookies cool and set for an additional 15-20 minutes.

Store in an airtight container for up to 5 days or freeze for up to 3 months.

Tips for success

Measure your dry ingredients correctly! I include this tip in literally every single blog post because too much or too little flour will make a HUGE difference in how your baked goods turn out. When you’re measuring out your flour, don’t scoop it up directly with your measuring cup as this will compact the flour and you’ll end up with too much. Instead, take a spoon, fluff up the flour to remove any clumps, and then spoon the flour directly into your measuring cup. Take a flat tool and level off the top to remove any excess. Also, a friendly reminder to please make sure you’re using dry ingredient measuring cups to measure out all of your dry ingredients.

Chill your cookie dough. Banana adds a LOT of moisture and the last thing you want is for your cookies to spread excessively while baking. Chill the cookie dough in the FREEZER for 10 minutes. In the meantime, let your oven preheat and do the dishes!

Add extra toppings before AND after baking. If you’re like me and love your cookies to be loaded with chocolate chips, you’ll want to add those extra toppings both before and after baking. Before baking, roll the tops of the cookie dough balls in mini and regular size chocolate chips. The chips should be just attached — you don’t need to press them all the way in. After baking, right when the cookies come out of the oven, add extra chocolate chips to any empty spaces. You need to do this immediately/before the tops of the cookies are fully set. Adding extra toppings before and after is a game changer and will make your cookies even more visually appealing!

Do not overbake your cookies. If you prefer cookies that are dry and crunchy and don’t stay soft & chewy for days, then by all means, continue overbaking your cookies. If you’re someone who prefers soft & chewy cookies that stay fresh for days, then listen up! Use the bake time listed on a recipe as simply a guide. Instead, go by how the cookies look to determine if they’re done baking. When the edges are set and lightly golden and the tops of the cookies are still maybe 5-10% wet, remove the cookies from the oven. They will continue to bake and set on the hot pan — just let them be!

Consider buying an oven thermometer. Your oven may not be heating up to the temperature you set it to or consistently staying at that temperature while you’re baking. And, trust me, this WILL impact your bakes. For that reason, I highly recommend purchasing an oven thermometer.

FAQs

Can I swap the brown butter for melted butter?

No. When butter is browned, it loses liquid, resulting in less butter overall. If you swap the brown butter for regular butter, you will have more butter and not enough dry ingredients to account for that increase.

Do you have a full batch version of this recipe?

Yes — check out my viral Brown Butter Banana Bread Chocolate Chip Cookies!

Why are my cookies flat and not puffy and thick like yours?

As I discussed at the beginning of this post, when I baked these, I used bleached flour which results in a thicker cookie. If you’re using unbleached flour, your cookies may be more flat and dense. There’s nothing wrong with that! Chill time (for the dough) can also play a role in how tall the cookies bake up.

My dough is very tacky, what should I do?

Banana adds so much moisture! Before adding in any additional flour, chill the dough first. If it’s still tacky and hard to scoop and shape into a dough ball, gently fold in ½ tbsp of flour at a time until the dough is no longer tacky and can easily be scooped and shaped.

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 for about 20 to 30 minutes and let them soften and come to room temperature prior to consuming. Or, heat them up in the microwave for 15 to 20 seconds.

A single serve version of my most popular recipe, what could be better?! I’m so happy with how these turned out. They have all of the same, amazing elements as the original full-batch version — the perfect texture and an unreal flavor profile. For a girl who doesn’t even like bananas, I love these cookies so much and I hope you all do too! Try this recipe out and let me know what you think!

If you try this recipe, share and tag me on socials using @itsbrunchoklock or #itsbrunchoklock. Or, leave a review below – these reviews help me out so much!!