Banana Bread Cookies Take Your Favorite Sweets To The Next Level

Banana bread is a classic bake-at-home recipe. It's the go-to way to use a couple of overripe bananas and it uses basic ingredients that are likely already in the pantry. But like every classic recipe, it has its variations. One of these is a five-ingredient banana bread cookies recipe developed by Mashed recipe developer, Miriam Hahn. Hahn keeps this cookie recipe simple and accessible, and proves that banana bread doesn't always need to be baked in a bread pan.

Shaped like a cookie but tall like a muffin, this hybrid dessert is a direct descendant of banana bread. Scooping the banana bread dough into heaping balls on a baking tray makes a chunky cookie that is way more fun to eat than bread slices. Plus, with more surface area exposed to the oven in cookie form, the baking time is cut down by about half. Hahn notes that "you can tell they are done when the tops get golden brown but not too brown. You want them really soft and moist inside." Texturally, these cookies are more interesting than traditional banana bread; they have the same moist interior we all know and love, but an oven-kissed crisp comes with every bite.

As mentioned, there are only five ingredients in Hahn's easy recipe. Many banana bread recipes use more, but the name of the game is to have these cookies prepared and ready to eat in well under an hour. The ingredients include bananas, baking soda, cinnamon, maple syrup, and almond flour, all mixed together in a single bowl. These cookies' high moisture content comes solely from the bananas and maple syrup — there's no need for any dairy. Hahn's use of almond flour also makes the recipe gluten-free. These banana bread cookies are diet-friendly all around.

Hahn highlights how her banana bread cookies are healthy enough for an "on-the-go breakfast" or snack, but also sweet enough for a dessert. She recommends eating them with "coffee, tea, almond milk, [and] fruit," or, for extra richness, "you can also add butter." Hahn also encourages adding fun mix-ins to the cookies. Her personal recommendation is cacao nibs as a healthier alternative to chocolate chips. Who doesn't love a good chocolate and banana pairing? However, banana goes well with a lot of things. One common banana bread accompaniment is walnuts. On the fruit side of things, you could stir some fresh blueberries or coconut flakes into the batter. Mix-ins are great for pops of flavor, color, and texture. These banana bread cookies are adaptable enough to eat any time of the day and with any accompaniment!