These soft & Chewy Banana Bread Chocolate Chip Cookies are the perfect mix of banana bread and classic cookies. They have a soft center, crisp edges, and plenty of chocolate chips in every bite.

This recipe is simple to follow and uses basic pantry ingredients. If you have ripe bananas sitting on the counter, this is one of the easiest banana recipes to make.

These banana bread chocolate chip cookies bake quickly and stay soft for days. The dough comes together in one large bowl with very little effort, making it perfect for busy afternoons or weekend baking.

Ingredients

This recipe calls for simple ingredients you can find at any grocery store. Each ingredient helps create soft banana cookies with a perfect chewy cookie texture and rich banana flavor.

Unsalted butter: Adds richness and helps create soft centers with slightly crisp edges. Using room temperature butter helps everything mix smoothly.
Brown sugar: Adds moisture and gives these moist banana bread chookies a soft texture and deeper flavor.
Granulated sugar: Helps the cookies spread properly while creating lightly crisp edges.
Egg: Helps bind the cookie dough together and gives structure to the cookies.
Egg yolk: Adds extra softness and helps create chewy chocolate chip cookies.
Pure vanilla extract: Adds warmth and rounds out the banana flavor.
Mashed ripe banana: Gives these banana bread cookies their soft texture and classic banana taste. An overripe banana or a brown banana works best.
All-purpose flour: Gives the cookies structure while keeping them soft.
Cornstarch: Helps create a softer texture and keeps the cookies tender.
Baking soda: Helps the cookies rise and spread evenly on the baking sheet.
Sea salt: Balances the sweetness and enhances the chocolate flavor.
Ground cinnamon: Adds warmth and makes the cookies taste even more like banana bread recipes.
Semi-sweet chocolate chips or chunks: Add rich chocolate flavor throughout the cookies and pair perfectly with the mashed bananas.

Full recipe in the recipe card at the bottom of this post

Add-ons & Substitutions

These banana chocolate chip cookies are easy to adjust with simple swaps or mix-ins based on what you already have at home.

Chopped walnuts or pecans add crunch and pair well with the banana bread flavor.
Dark chocolate chips can replace semi-sweet chocolate chips for a richer taste.
Milk chocolate chips create a softer and creamier flavor because of the added milk solids.
A small sprinkle of flaky salt on top adds extra contrast after baking.
If you only have salted butter, you can still use it. Just remove the added salt.
A pinch of nutmeg works well alongside the cinnamon for extra warmth.
Mini chocolate chips spread more evenly through the cookie dough balls.
Frozen ripe bananas work well once thawed and drained slightly.

How to Make

In a large bowl, add the softened butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar. Using a hand mixer or a whisk, mix until the mixture looks smooth and creamy. This usually takes about 1–2 minutes.

The butter should feel soft when pressed, but it should not look melted. Soft butter helps the cookies bake evenly and keeps the texture soft instead of greasy.

Add the egg, egg yolk, vanilla extract, and mashed bananas to the bowl. Mix until everything looks fully combined and creamy.

The mixture may look slightly loose at this stage, which is completely normal because of the moisture from the ripe bananas.

In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, cornstarch, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon.

Mixing the dry ingredients first helps everything spread evenly through the dough, which keeps the cookies baking evenly from edge to center.

Add the dry ingredients to the wet mixture and stir gently until combined. Stop mixing as soon as you no longer see streaks of flour.

Overmixing can make banana cookies heavy instead of soft and chewy.

Fold the chocolate chips into the dough until evenly mixed throughout. Make sure every scoop gets plenty of chocolate.

Cover the bowl and chill the dough in the refrigerator for 30–45 minutes. This step matters because the dough is softer from the mashed bananas.

Chilling helps control spreading and gives the cookies a better cookie form while baking on the cookie sheets.

While the dough chills, preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Line two baking sheets with parchment paper so the cookies release easily and bake more evenly.

Once chilled, scoop about 3 tablespoons of dough for each cookie. Place them on the prepared baking sheet, leaving about 1½–2 inches between each one. The cookies will spread as they bake.

Bake for 11–13 minutes. The edges should look lightly golden and set, while the centers still look slightly soft. This is the key to getting a perfect chewy cookie texture.

The cookies continue baking slightly from the heat of the pan after leaving the oven.

Let the cookies cool completely on the baking sheet. This short resting time helps the cookies finish setting without drying out.

Expert Tips

Use very ripe bananas with dark brown spots for the strongest banana flavor.
Spoon and level the flour instead of scooping directly from the bag. Too much flour can make the cookies dry.
If the dough still feels very sticky after chilling, add 1 tablespoon of flour before scooping.
Slightly underbaking helps keep the centers soft and chewy instead of cakey.
For thicker banana bread chocolate chip cookies, chill the dough closer to 45 minutes.
Use parchment paper on your cookie sheets to help prevent over-browning on the bottoms.
Let the cookies cool completely before storing so they stay soft instead of turning sticky.
These cookies taste even better the next day because the banana flavor becomes stronger overnight.