If there was any kind of cookie that I’ve had the most failed attempts at, it would be banana cookies. I’ve tried several times to make “healthy” cookies using bananas, but each time resulted in cookies that resembled sponges. I’ve tried them using yogurt instead of butter. Honey instead of sugar. And my last attempt was using applesauce instead of butter. Fail, fail, and another fail. I eventually gave up on the substitution tactics and made the cookie how I would make any other cookie. With good ol’ butter. And finally, a banana cookie that was actually edible and tasted delicious.
Made with mostly brown sugar, these banana cookies are soft to the bite and filled with a banana cinnamon flavor. Cinnamon is a must-have anytime I made banana baked goods, and I was not about to leave it out of these banana cookies.
The frosting, which is easy to make, is a powdered sugar cream cheese glaze that tops each cookie. The closer we can get these to tasting like frosted banana bars, the better. Which reminds me of something. After this 30 Days of Cookies madness is over, remind me that I need to post my favorite frosted banana bar recipe. It’s long overdue.
These are truly a mix between banana bars & a sweet banana bread.
Brown Sugar Banana Cookies with Cream Cheese Pecan Frosting

Ingredients
- 3/4 cup 1 1/2 sticks butter, softened
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 3/4 cup brown sugar
- 3/4 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 egg
- 2 ripe bananas mashed
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 1/2 cup oatmeal quick oats
- 2 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
Frosting:
- 4 tablespoon butter softened
- 4 oz. cream cheese softened
- 1 1/4 cup powdered sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
Optional Topping:
- 1/8 cup pecans chopped
Before you begin! If you make this, will you do me a huge favor and leave a review and rating letting me know how you liked this recipe? This helps my small business thrive so I can continue providing free recipes and high-quality content for you.
Instructions
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In a large mixing bowl, cream together butter, sugar, and brown sugar with electric mixer for 30 seconds.
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On low speed, add in cinnamon, vanilla, egg, and mashed bananas. Add baking soda and stir for 10 seconds. Slowly add in flour and oatmeal and mix for 20-30 seconds, or until dough is combined.
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Scoop by the tablespoon and place on a parchment-covered baking sheet.
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Bake at 375 degrees for 10 minutes.
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Allow for the cookies to continue to cool on baking sheet for 5-10 minutes until removing cookies from the baking sheet.
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To make drizzle, beat the butter, cream cheese, and vanilla on high speed with an electric mixer for 30 seconds. Add in powdered sugar and continue to beat for another 30 seconds. Spread over cooled cookies. If desired, top with chopped pecans.
Last Step! Please leave a review and rating letting me know how you liked this recipe! This helps my small business thrive so I can continue providing free recipes and high-quality content for you.
Nutrition
I’m pretty happy that I finally got a banana cookie recipe to work. Have you ever tested a recipe a million times before you finally got it to work?
Laura says
What kind of oatmeal? Rolled oats? Instant?
Melissa says
I used quick oats for these.
Ellyse says
These look amazing!! I will certainly be adding this recipe to my holiday baking list!