Banana pudding cookies are a wonderful, soft chewy cookie recipe and taste like banana cream pudding in cookie form with the perfect banana flavor! They’re flecked with white chocolate chips, loaded with crushed vanilla wafers, and sweetened with ripe banana, then baked until golden brown!
Looking for more new cookie recipes to try? These Butter Pecan Cookies are a must try, these Cowboy Cookies are over-the-top amazing and these Peanut Butter Chocolate Cookies are a favorite every time!
Table of contents
Easy Banana Cookies
Freshly baked homemade cookies are a classic dessert but that doesn’t mean they always have to be classic flavors!
This easy cookie recipe is one for banana lovers and anyone who is a fan of banana pudding! Or banana cream pie! Either way, you get the soft cookie texture from the banana pudding mix and the sweetness and moisture from real bananas, and all the banana pudding flavor you can handle.
We’re adding crushed vanilla wafers and white chocolate chips for added texture. Banana pudding cookies are incredibly addicting, you can’t stop at just one. Don’t ask me how I know!
These are great for when you need something quick and easy to make for a dessert or when you have a hankering for something sweet. In just over 30 minutes, you’ll have an entire batch ready to be served!
WANT TO SAVE THIS RECIPE?
Enter your email below and we’ll send you this recipe so you can come back to it any time! (as well as our new recipes weekly!)
Ingredients you’ll need
- All-purpose flour: The foundation this delicious cookie is built on, so it needs to be measured properly. Use a kitchen scale or the spoon and level method to ensure you’re not adding too much flour to the cookie dough.
- Baking soda: This leavening agent will help the cookies to rise and be nice and thick without falling flat.
- Salt: A flavor enhancer that elevates the overall taste of the cookie.
- Unsalted butter softened: Bring your butter to room temperature beforehand so that it’s soft enough to cream. Softened (but not melted) butter will ensure soft chewy cookies, not flat and crispy ones.
- Brown sugar & white granulated sugar: I like to use both in this recipe because they add something different. Both are sweet, but the brown sugar adds moisture as well as a caramel flavor that pairs well with the banana.
- Banana instant pudding mix: You’ll find this in the jello and pudding section, it’s a dry pudding mix. You don’t want the actual pudding!
- Large egg: To bind the ingredients together we use eggs. Starting off with everything at room temperature helps with even baking, so take the eggs out about 30 minutes before starting the recipe.
- Vanilla extract: A delicious flavor addition that also pairs well with the flavor of banana.
- Vanilla wafer cookies: When crushed up they add a nice textural element and the extra flavor of banana.
- White chocolate chips: The perfect mix in! Swap the white chocolate chip for semi-sweet chocolate chips or milk chocolate chips if you prefer. Bananas and chocolate always go together!
Variations To Try
1. For a more subtle banana cookie, use classic vanilla pudding instead.
2. Peanut butter chips or butterscotch chips would be awesome as well.
3. You can also add nuts like chopped walnuts, pecans, or almonds, for crunch.
4. To make these gluten-free use 1:1 all-purpose gluten-free flour. Bob’s Red Mill is a favorite of mine.
How to Make Banana Pudding Cookies
This recipe will come together in a few simple steps about 10 minutes in the oven. Here’s how to make a batch of these homemade cookies for you and your family to share.
Step 1: In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, and salt.
Step 2: In a large bowl, add the softened butter and both the white and brown sugar and blend together with a hand mixer on medium speed until fluffy. Add in the mashed banana, dry pudding mix, egg, and vanilla, and blend until combined. (you can also use a stand mixer with the paddle attachment if desired.
Step 3: Slowly add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients in batches. Blend in between and scrape down the sides of the bowl to make sure everything is incorporated.
Step 4: Fold in the crushed wafers and white chocolate chips.
Step 5: Use a 1 ½ Tablespoon cookie scoop to scoop out the cookie dough and use the trigger release to place them onto the prepared baking sheet. Leave about 2 inches of space between each one so the cookies have a bit of room to spread.
Step 6: Bake for 10-12 minutes until slightly golden brown around the bottom edges. The tops will be still soft in the middle, and look slightly underbaked, but that’s ok, they will continue baking as they cool.
Step 7: Remove cookies from the oven and allow them to cool on the cookie sheet for 5 minutes before transferring them to a wire cooling rack to cool. If you try and move them too soon, they may fall apart as they will still be quite soft.
Tips
- Be sure to use dry instant banana pudding mix, not the cook and serve or the pudding cups. It needs to go in dry to maintain the right ratio of dry to wet ingredients.
- Chill the cookie cookie dough in the refrigerator for 30 minutes for more fluffy cookies.
- Using a cookie scoop helps you make even-sized banana cookies so that they all bake evenly. If you don’t have one, use about 1-1.5 Tablespoons of dough per cookie.
- Use ripe bananas. The riper they are the sweeter your cookies will be.
- Keep your butter soft, but not too warm, otherwise your cookies will spread too much.
- The best way to line your baking sheet is to use parchment paper or a silicon baking mat. They both help to prevent too much spreading.
- Press a few extra chips into the top of each cookie while they are still warm.
FAQ’s
Once they’ve cooled completely, transfer them to an airtight container and keep them stored at room temperature for up to 5 days. Any longer than that, you’ll want to keep them in the fridge to give you an extra few days.
Keep them in a freezer-safe container or freezer bag and keep them frozen for up to 2 months.
This is why it’s always good to make more than one batch so you can freeze one for later!
Thaw them at room temperature for an hour or so before having a bite.
Sure you can. If you’re not ready to bake the banana pudding cookies yet, but just want to get a few steps ahead, prepare the dough and roll them into balls. Store them in a freezer-safe container for up to 1 month in the freezer.
Thaw them in the refrigerator overnight and bring them to room temperature a bit before baking them.
If you like this recipe, please leave us a comment and rate the recipe below. You can also find us on Facebook, Pinterest, and Instagram!
Banana Pudding Cookies
Ingredients
- 2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup unsalted butter softened 2 sticks)
- ¾ cup brown sugar
- ¼ cup white sugar
- 1 ripe banana mashed
- 3.4 oz box banana cream instant pudding mix
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ cup vanilla wafer cookies crushed
- 1 cup white chocolate chips
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350° F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicon baking mat.
- In a medium bowl, add the flour, baking soda, and salt and whisk together.2 ½ cups all-purpose flour, 1 teaspoon baking soda, ½ teaspoon salt
- In a large mixing bowl, add the softened butter and sugars and beat together on medium speed until fluffy.1 cup unsalted butter, ¾ cup brown sugar, ¼ cup white sugar
- Add in the mashed banana, dry pudding mix, egg, and vanilla extract and blend until combined.1 ripe banana, 3.4 oz box banana cream instant pudding mix, 1 large egg, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Slowly add the flour mixture to the butter mixture in batches, blending between addition and scraping down the side of the bowl between.
- Gently stir in crushed vanilla wafers and white chocolate chips.½ cup vanilla wafer cookies, 1 cup white chocolate chips
- Using a 1 ½ tablespoon cookie scoop, scoop the dough and place them on the prepared baking sheet 2 inches apart.
- Bake for 10-12 minutes until the bottoms have a golden brown ring. (The tops will look slightly undercooked)
- Remove from the oven and allow to cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes, then transfer the cookies to a wire cooling rack.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional Disclosure
Nutrition information is automatically calculated and should only be used as an approximation.
Cindy
I had success making these cookies, except I needed to adjust the baking time to 15 minutes. The banana flavor is subtle. They are super-moist cookies.
The dough definitely needs to be chilled before scooping. Don’t skip this step.
Jackie
Hi
Can this dough be refridgerated for 24 hours.
Jackie
Hi
Can this dough be refrigerated for 24 hours.