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Peanut Butter Banana Cookies

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Peanut Butter Banana Cookies | gimmesomeoven.com #dessert

So, I did a juice cleanse earlier this week. And now I’m craving cookies. Cookies, cookies, cookies.

That’s how it’s supposed to work, right?

Well, since these cookies have peanut butter and banana in them, maybe that can at least partially count as health food. ;)

Peanut Butter Banana Smoothie | gimmesomeoven.com

Actually, the inspiration for these tasty little cookies did come from a healthier source — this protein-packed Peanut Butter Banana Smoothie recipe. It was so good when I made it for breakfast, that I thought about re-making it for dessert after dinner. And then the idea occurred to me — why not translate it into a cookie?

Peanut Butter Banana Cookies | gimmesomeoven.com #dessert

I mean, everyone loves peanut butter and bananas when it comes to baking. So the idea seemed to have potential.

Peanut Butter Banana Cookies | gimmesomeoven.com #dessert

And sure enough, it was a winner. Here’s how to make them!

Peanut Butter Banana Cookies | gimmesomeoven.com #dessert

Start out with your basic cookie ingredients, plus a nice ripe banana and a bunch of peanut butter.

Peanut Butter Banana Cookies | gimmesomeoven.com #dessert

Mix up a simple dough, then form it into balls on a cookie sheet.

Peanut Butter Banana Cookies | gimmesomeoven.com #dessert

Use a fork to make the classic PB cookie criss-cross pattern if you’d like. Then sprinkle with a pinch of turbinado sugar (or granulated sugar). Bake ’em for about 8-10 minutes…

Peanut Butter Banana Cookies | gimmesomeoven.com #dessert

…the voila! These cute and easy little peanut butter banana cookies are yours to enjoy.

They are sweet but not too sweet. They are soft and chewy, especially when just out of the oven. And they basically taste like banana bread meets peanut butter cookies. Aka, peanut butter banana heaven.

Alright, run to your kitchen and make some already!

Peanut Butter Banana Cookies | gimmesomeoven.com #dessert

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Peanut Butter Banana Cookies

5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star 4.5 from 31 reviews
  • Prep Time: 10 minutes
  • Cook Time: 10 minutes
  • Total Time: 20 minutes
  • Yield: About 30 cookies 1x

Description

These peanut butter banana cookies are easy to make and super yummy!


Ingredients

Scale
  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon cornstarch
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, softened
  • 1/2 cup brown sugar, packed
  • 1/2 cup creamy natural peanut butter (I used creamy natural from Trader Joe’s)
  • 1 egg
  • 1/2 cup mashed banana (about 1 medium banana)
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • (optional: cane sugar, for sprinkling)

Instructions

  1. Heat oven to 350F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
  2. In a medium mixing bowl, whisk the flour, baking powder, cornstarch, salt, baking soda and cinnamon until combined. Set aside.
  3. In the (separate) bowl of a stand mixer, cream the butter and brown sugar together on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 1 minute. Add peanut butter, egg, banana, and vanilla, and continue mixing on medium speed until combined, scraping down the sides of the bowl once if needed. Fold in the dry ingredients and mix until just combined.
  4. Measure out a rounded tablespoon-full of dough, roll it into a ball, then place on the baking sheet. Use a fork to press down the top of the ball and make a criss-cross pattern. Sprinkle with a pinch of cane sugar, if desired. Repeat with remaining dough.
  5. Bake for 8-10 minutes or until slightly golden around the edges. Cool for 10 minutes on baking sheet, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
  6. Serve immediately or store in a sealed container for up to 1 week.

Peanut Butter Banana Cookies | gimmesomeoven.com #dessert

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147 comments on “Peanut Butter Banana Cookies”

  1. I didn’t use parchment paper.  Just sprayed baking sheets lightly with cooking spray (then wiped most of this off).  I rolled the dough balls in a little granulated sugar before putting on the cookie sheet and crisscrossing with fork.  Baked for the 8 minutes and left cool on the cookie sheet 10 more before removing.  Very good!

  2. They came out more like scones or biscuits than cookies for me, but if I look at them as peanut butter-banana biscuits they aren’t bad! Probably would benefit from some simple glaze or frosting if I was feeling up to it.

  3. These cookies are more mild, less sweet, and more cake-like than other peanut butter cookies, but I adore them. I’ve made them multiple times, and I like that they’re soft and not overly sweet. If you like things that are a tiny bit healthier and enjoy all sorts of textures, then these are awesome, and you should make bunches of them! 

  4. Would they work without the cornstarch? And with whole wheat flour?  Love your recipes!

    • Hey Ali, you don’t have to use cornstarch, but it’s what makes the cookies puffy (it adds some volume), and a nice pillowy texture. You could use whole wheat flour, though I wouldn’t use all whole wheat flour. I’d do either half and half, or 1 1/2 cups of all purpose, and 1/2 cup of whole wheat. Otherwise, you might find the cookies will take on a very different texture — they’ll be sturdier and denser, versus tender and lighter. I hope that helps!

  5. I see someone already asked the question and you answered!

  6. Can I still make these if I don’t have cornstach ?

  7. It’s like taking a bite of peanut butter air!  I decided to try these because my husband loves peanut butter. (Me?  Not so much.)  I took the advice of another poster and rolled the balls of raw dough balls in white granulated sugar, and I am very pleased with the result.  These are far better than traditional PB cookies because they are cake-like (or like biscuits or scones, as others have mentioned), not hard and crunchy.  These are light, fragile when warm, and have a fluffy, melt-in-your-mouth texture, which is enhanced by the contrasting sugar coating.. I used regular creamy Jiff brand and a tad more than what was called for by the recipe, and still the PB flavor really wasn’t all that strong.  That’s fine with me.  We’ll see what my husband thinks.

  8. I made these yesterday and while they taste super good, my dough was incredibly sticky. I wasn’t able to roll them into the nice balls that are shown in the picture. The only thing I did differently was not add the cornstarch (didn’t have any on hand). Would that have made the difference? I want to make them again, but it was a little frustrating with all the stickiness! 

    • Hey Kristi! Not adding the cornstarch is the only thing I could think of that would definitely explain the sticky dough. Next time, if you want to make them and don’t have any cornstarch, you can always use flour (it will work the same way). Popping the dough in the fridge for a little while should help firm it up as well, but the cornstarch/flour is important. Glad you still thought they were yummy though!

  9. Hi I’m going to try out this recipe today.. looks too yummy! Problem is I’m lactose intolerant and it’s hard finding dairy-free butter locally (we’re still a bit behind on these things it seems). Can this be done without the butter?

    • Hey Rachel! We haven’t tried this recipe without butter, but you might be able to try coconut oil instead. We’d suggest giving that a go. We hope that helps!

  10. Found these on Pinterest and made them tonight, I am always experimenting with PB cookies when I have a sweets craving. I love these cookies, I didn’t have cornstarch on hand but they still turned out delish. I’ll be making them again for sure. Thanks!

    • Thanks Sara, we’re glad to hear that — thanks for giving these a try! :)

  11. Made these early last evening for a quick treat  to have in the house. My daughters got to lick the spoons too !  The cookies are very sticky but, put them in the refrigerator for a little & they did get more firm to roll in balls. I also used coconut oil ( not vegetable ) & used more flour (instead of corn starch) too ! Did not use any sugar to coat them either.   They are a moist cookie & the favor is yummy with a little banana – a little peanut butter, just enough of each . Actually, it feels like your eating something  healthy & not too bad for you either. So eat up & enjoy ! 

  12. Best. Cookies. Ever.
    I just tried the recipe, everything worked well, and, best of all, it was easy to get my husband to help me rolling the most delicious cookie dough ever… ;-) I am glad he left over some dough for the cookies! 
    Thank you for the recipe! 

  13. These cookies are the best!! Delicious, moist and so easy to make,  the best breakfast for a cold and cloudy day!

  14. Hello! Just wanted to say I tried these with gluten free flour and for those attempting that, increase peanut butter to 3/4 cup.  They aren’t as moist and peanuty as they should be otherwise.

  15. Very easy recipie, and delicious. Once I began making the cookies I realized I didn’t have any eggs, so I substituted vegetable oil and a little extra banana for the egg, still came out great! No cornstarch on hand either, once again came out fine.  I also used a cookie scoop for forming the dough, so much easier. Thanks for the recipie! ?

    • Oh wow, good thinking Heather! We’re so glad you were still able to make these work using what you had! We’re happy you enjoyed these! :)

  16. Made these yesterday, forgot the cinnamon and forgot the sugar for sprinkling. Still tasted good! I do agree with some of the comments that this cookie is a little floury/cake-like in texture, but they are soft and hit the spot for when you’re craving something sweet but don’t want to feel the guilt.

  17. These were amazing!! I don’t understand how people’s were dry! I LOVE this recipe. I now keep bananas on hand at all times so I can make them every couple weeks! Thanks so much for sharing!

    • Thanks for your sweet words about these cookies Emily! We’re so glad you love them! :)

  18. A big mistake adding the cornstarch so I will try this again without it and hope they are better cause so far they are too dry and I did exactly everything right as the  recipe says.

    • We’re sorry to hear these came out dry Anna — we haven’t had any issues with that before. We wonder if the banana was ripe enough?

  19. These cookies are amazing! I love anything peanut butter related, and found that I had a number of ripe bananas so I figured why not give these a shot? I like that these cookies come out soft as I’m not a fan of hard, or crunchy cookies. The dough was off putting at first because it’s really moist and sticky and looks like it’d be a pain to deal with so I actually refrigerated the dough overnight and made them first thing in the morning. I unashamedly ate a ton of these for breakfast. I also rolled the balls of dough in some granulated sugar prior to doing the criss cross press with a fork. It was just the right amount of sweet for me. I will definitely be making these again!

  20. Very dry and not enough sugar or peanut butter . Sorry, waste of time and ingredients

  21. I just made these cookies tonight with my roommate and we LOVE them! We added dark chocolate chips to ours but they turned out light and fluffy and we both love them!

  22. Like most of the other comments, my cookies were dry and bland. They definitely need more peanut butter. I doubled the batter and cooked two dozen before trying one and realizing they were bland and dry. I added some almond milk and white chocolate chips and cooked the remainder of the batter and they were less dry and had more flavor. I’ve made them before with a different recipe (I can’t find it) and they turned out great so they have a lot of potential. I would double the peanut butter and add the almond milk if I made them again. The cookies I made prior to relaxing they were dry and bland I dipped I’m white chocolate and they were much better! Lastly, they seemed more flavorful the day after 

    • We appreciate your honest feedback, Rachel, and we’re sorry you didn’t care for these!

  23. These came out like cake! I believe the recipe should call for baking soda instead of baking powder. Peanutbutter and sugar should also be increased because they were very bland. Next time I will stick with a traditional peanutbutter cookie recipe and just add banana and chocolate chips. 

  24. I made these with natural PB and Brown Rice Flour. My son is T1 diabetic so this was the perfect recipe to give him a sweet homemade snack that has a good balance of protein. We both love the cake-like texture, no hockey pucks in our batch! Next time tho, I’m doubling it so I can hide half for myself! :D

  25. These were so good. Made it vegan by using an extra banana instead of the egg and coconut oil instead of the butter. We also doubled the cinnamon. It was very very sweet, so I guess the people complaining probably didn’t use overripe bananas. We’ll definitely make it again.

  26. This was one of the worst cookie recipes I’ve ever tried. I made it exactly according to the recipe, and let me say the end result can in no way called a cookie. As various others have commented, the flavor is terrible. It is bland. The only flavor that is remotely detectable is the flour. There is some slight tin-ynes from the baking soda and powder as well. The texture is somewhat cake like but lacks all the sweetness and joy of a cake. It’s just a crumbly bland disaster of a recipe. I do not recommend it.

    • We’re so sorry you didn’t care for this, Andrea! We appreciate your feedback, it’s very helpful!

  27. Great cookie. Made it for a cafe I work at. Called it the Elvis cookie. Ppl asked for them after they were gone. I put a little chocolate drizzle on top of some. A thick, firm, but airy and fluffy cookie. How useful for over ripe bananas; great alternative to banana bread/muffins. Thank you!






  28. Left out the cornstarch, used almond butter instead of peanut butter (we have a corn and peanut allergy), and it was great! Good banana and almond flavor, nice protein content, and our little one loved them!






  29. Flavor was good but the cookies were dry.

    • We’re sorry to hear that, Trudy! Was your banana really ripe? If not, that could account for some of the dryness.

  30. I hesitated to make these cookies because of the first review but am glad I tried it. It is delicious. Used crunchy peanut butter, increased the cinnamon to 1/2 teaspoon and was generous with the 1/2 cup measurement of the sugar, the banana and the peanut butter. Did some reading and you get dry crumbly cookies if you over mix or over bake so was very careful with that; they turned out beautifully as a result.






    • Thanks for sharing, Helen, we’re so happy to hear you enjoyed them!

    • These cookies turned out great! I did alter the recipe and add more sugar cause I could tell they wouldn’t have been sweet enough….and after reading some of the comments I’m glad I did. I know a good recipe when I see one and this is a good base to start with..My daughter came in while I was putting them on the pan and decided to make some of them peanut butter and jam dot cookies! We also realised that because of the cakey texture they would work well for peanut butter and jam woopie pies….but we havent yet tried them with the woopie filling.

  31. Based on comments (bland, cake-like, not sweet enough), I added a bit more salt, and a few drops of almond extract. I also added more brown sugar (maybe doubled the amount) and used crunchy peanut butter. I then beat in most of the flour mixture using my mixer before stirring in the rest to make them more cookie-like than cake-like. The dough was too soft to roll, so I dropped tablespoons of dough on the sheets. After baking, I topped each cookie with a chocolate kiss. With these changes, my family rates these cookies 5 stars.






    • Thanks for sharing, Pattie, we’re glad you were able to make some adjustments and that you and your family enjoyed these!

  32. These came out alright for us, but not sure I’d make them again. As some other comments said, they were bland overall, and had a very flour-y consistency. I would suggest adding more peanut butter and banana, and more brown sugar.






    • Hi Stacey! We’re sorry you didn’t really care much for these, and we appreciate your feedback.

  33. Tried it, it was great, would prob add slight more sugar next time, texture great. I could taste banana and a slight hint of peanut butter. Will definitely make it again and play around with it a bit more.

    thanks






    • Thanks for your feedback, we’re glad you enjoyed these, and definitely feel free to adjust the sugar amount! :)

  34. Had to make these cookies as soon as I read this recipe.. so easy to make and the result is pure heaven.. pure delight: a mild banana flavour mixed with the taste of peanut butter goodness.. love them!






  35. Great cookie! We stuck some kisses in the middle and my three year old won’t atop eating them.






  36. Made these tonight, made some cookies, took the rest put in a pan made bars, topped with melted hersey bar, added melted vanilla icing on top of the chocolate, let cool, awesome! Thank You






  37. I made this recipe and turned out so tasty and gorgeous! I substitude brown sugar with palm sugar, since I don’t have any brown sugar left ??? thank you for the recipe






  38. These cookies came out great!! I did add more brown sugar, peanut butter and vanilla. They were super soft and light. My whole family loved them, I will make this recipe again. I might even try to add chocolate chips to a few next time. Thank you for the recipe!






  39. Thank you for this recipe! I wanted to make a suggestion for those who don’t favour the ‘cakey’ texture: I rolled out the dough quite thin and cut out squares, then baked them a small distance apart on the sheet. I also added a few chocolate chips per square and baked them longer, close to 14 minutes. The result is mega addictive.

  40. This my first time making these cookie, and I love them. Ok it turn out dry but it do not matter because it were 2 of my flavor things. . And that was banana and peanut better, so I still love the cookie. So mmmmm






  41. These cookies are great. I added a little extra flour in the end because they seemed a little sticky. The batter has lots of banana flavor-so do the cookies.






  42. I can tell you these are one of the best cookies I’ve ever tried. They are suited to French taste: with just the right amount of sugar, banana and peanut butter add such a deepness of flavour, in a word, delighful!






  43. Sorry but These were not good cookies at all . I threw them in the garbage and I know I put all the ingredients in. They were very flat tasting.? just don’t want anyone to waste the ingredients is that I did

  44. Wonderful recipe! My cookies came out with a delicate flavor and pillowy texture. Perfect with a cup of milky chai tea.

    I did double the amount of cinnamon (next time I may use a full teaspoon, we love cinnamon in our house), and I used two bananas, which ended up being about 3/4 cup mashed. I used “drippy” natural peanut butter – lots of flavor, and I am certain that helped the cookies come out as moist as they did. Not sure if a stabilized peanut butter would work as well. I gave them a generous sprinkle of turbinado sugar. Thinking of a chocolate drizzle next time!






  45. They taste good but found them a bit dry.






  46. These turned out wonderful, though I did take a wee bit of advice from te comment sections and used a bit more than stated for the PB, banana and sugar. Mine were a little too soft to roll into balls, and stayed puffed up without that, so at 3 minutes left in the baking cycle I smacked them down with the back of the spatula. :-) Worked like a champ, and they had time left to still rise.






  47. So I didn’t follow the recipe to a T! With all the negative reviews I was worried about it being dry and floury tasting.
    I added an extra egg, an extra banana, some peanut butter/chocolate chips, and about 2tbs of honey. I also cooked them about 12 minutes.

  48. I read the comments before making these cookies. My dough came out sticky too, so I placed it in the fridge for 30 minutes to firm it up a bit before baking. I also rolled each cookie in granulated stevia before pressing with a fork and placing them in the oven. They turned out delicious…

  49. I had a hankering for banana bread but I don’t own a loaf pan, so I looked up a banana cookie recipe and tried this one out. Mine came out like little peanut butter & banana bread bites of heaven! I can see how some people thought they are not “cookie” enough as they are a cake-like texture (fine by me), and not as “peanut-buttery” as a traditional peanut butter cookie, BUT the subtle peanut butter flavor lets the banana flavor shine through very nicely, and they are PERFECT if you like a not-so-over-the-top sweet treat!

    My recipe modifications were purely ingredient swaps because I didn’t have everything on-hand: swapped brown sugar for 1/2 cup white sugar + 1/2 tbsp maple syrup, and baking powder for 1/2 tsp white vinegar + add’l 1/4 tsp baking soda. Worked like a charm! If you need ingredient substitutes for any recipe, google “(ingredient name) substitute” and use the healthline.com articles, they are the best :)






  50. I usually just have chocolate desserts, but this was AMAZING!