Absolutely the best Banana Walnut Chocolate Chip Cookies.
Have you ever tried to make banana cookies? Those wonderful, ripe bananas with their sweet, majestical flavor unfortunately usually turn a cookie into something that is more reminiscent of banana bread than a cookie. It’s tough to create a banana cookie recipe that is a good, solid cookie. These Banana Walnut Chocolate Chip Cookies are not cakey. They are a medium-to-firm cookie, thank goodness!
These banana cookies have added oats, toasted walnuts and chocolate chips. And they have just the right amount of ripe banana added in. The recipe is a creation from Martha Stewart several years ago- and I’ve baked them many times!
How to toast walnuts:
Don’t skip on toasting the walnuts! You’ll get a much better flavor. To toast walnuts, spread on a baking sheet and toast briefly (3 to 5 min) in a 375 degree oven. Watch closely because they’ll turn into burnt walnuts pretty quickly.
You’ll just place rounds of dough onto a baking sheet lined with a silpat mat (or parchment paper).
And they’ll bake up just like regular chocolate chip cookies. This recipe makes about 3 dozen Banana Walnut Chocolate Chip Cookies.
As far as the flavor, they’re definitely a chocolate chip cookie with a hint of banana in them… not overwhelmingly banana. They freeze well too. I like to stick them in individual zip bags and throw them in the freezer for school lunches. Alternately, just put them all in a large zip baggie or well-sealed container to freeze. At room temperature, they’ll last for a few days.
Taste testers in my house gave these cookies a huge thumbs up. The next time you have a couple of bananas going south on your countertop, mash ’em up and make some Banana Walnut Chocolate Chip Cookies with them instead of the ubiquitous banana bread. Leave out the walnuts if you’re not a nut family. Enjoy!
Here are a few more chocolate chip cookie recipes you might like to try:
- One Bowl Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Chocolate Chocolate Chip Pudding Cookies
- Browned Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Nutty Chocolate Chip Overload Cookies
- Thick Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Soft and Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Chocolate Chip Tahini Cookies
- Jumbo Chocolate Chip Cookies
Banana Walnut Chocolate Chip Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 cup all purpose flour
- 1/2 cup whole wheat flour
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 3/4 cup (1½ sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 1/2 cup granulated white sugar
- 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1½ teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup mashed ripe banana
- 1 cup old fashioned rolled oats
- 8 ounces semisweet chocolate chips
- 1/2 cup walnuts, toasted and chopped
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Line baking sheets with parchment paper (or silpat), or spray with nonstick spray.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flours, salt and baking soda.
- In a large bowl, use an electric mixer to beat the butter and sugars; mix on medium speed until pale and fluffy. Reduce the speed to low and add the egg and vanilla; mix until combined. Mix in the banana. Add the flour mixture; mix just until combined. Stir in the oats, chocolate chips and walnuts.
- Drop the dough by heaping tablespoonful onto the prepared baking sheets (or use a cookie scoop), spacing about 2 inches apart. Bake the cookies until golden brown and just set, 12 to 13 minutes. Let them cool on the cookie sheets for 5 minutes. Then transfer the cookies to wire racks; let cool completely.
Notes
- *Be sure to use a banana that is well on its way to the trash can. The darker it is, the softer and sweeter it becomes.
- *Sub milk chocolate chips for semi-sweet if you'd like.
- *To toast walnuts, spread on a baking sheet and toast briefly (3-5 min) in a 375 degree oven. Watch closely because they'll turn into burnt walnuts pretty quickly.
- *Cookies can be stored in airtight containers at room temperature up to 2 days. They also freeze well.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
I have to admit that I was skeptical about these not being cake-y, but they really aren’t! The flavor and texture are both wonderful. I especially loved the texture of the tray I underbaked a bit, but they did have a hard time staying together. I ended up using 3/4 c. banana, and they were still nice and chewy. This is such a great alternate use of overripe bananas–thank you!
I also was looking for a way to use up over-ripe bananas since i was tired of banana bread. These cookies were fabulous! i didn’t have walnuts, so i substituted with the nuts i had on hand, macadamia nuts. The saltiness of the nuts and the sweetness of the banana/chocolate was FANTASTIC! thank you for a yummy cookie that tastes like Ben & Jerry’s Chunky Monkey ice cream!!!
This recipe was a hit at my office. I did use three bananas (thawed from the freezer), so close to one cup, and they were still crunchy on the outside and soft on the inside.
I’ve just tried out this recipe. It was fantastic ! I bake it flat and thin, so it does have that crunchy taste. I substitute the oats with nestum and drop the walnut. It tastes perfectly fine ! 😀 This one is a keeper.
I made these for my family and they turned out great. They were more similar in texture to a chocolate chip cookie, than a “cake-like” cookie. I used whole wheat pastry flour instead of regular whole wheat flour. This is my goto recipe when I have over ripe bananas and I’m not in the mood for banana bread. Thanks for sharing!
Wow, delicious! I subbed some splenda and fat free sour cream for part of the sugar and butter. Still delicious.
I just finished baking a batch of these (minus the walnuts cause husband is allergic) – Uber Delicious! I’m gonna try the blueberry cookies tomorrow. So glad I found your website. I plan to be a regular visitor. Thanks for sharing.
lisa
Is it possible to add more bananas? I want more of a banana taste, possibly 2 or 3? I would imagine this will affect the texture, should more walnuts or flour be added?
Thank you!
@Wendy, Not sure how to modify it w/ more banana. Adding more banana would likely create more of a soft cake than a cookie.
@Lori Lange,
I added an extra banana and didn’t adjust anything else. If you want to use 3 bananas, you might consider using egg substitute (not the liquid egg, but the substitute for those who can’t eat eggs) because it has less volume. I also used bread flour instead of regular flour (more gluten = chewier). They didn’t turn out too cake like and my kids devoured them. What a great treat and change from banana bread!
I will be making these in the very near future, they look and sound wonderful! Love your blog! 🙂
These look really yummy!! My sister is coming for a visit this weekend and I think that I will have to make them for us!!