These banana cocoa cookies are perfect for those who love chocolate and bananas. They’re soft and chewy with a strong chocolate banana flavor. You can use all-purpose, whole wheat or gluten-free flour, and the cookies can easily be made vegan with the right chocolate chips.
How strong is the banana flavor?
It’s pretty strong. I wouldn’t make these unless you really want a strong banana and chocolate flavor.
And if you love that combination, you might want to check out these Banana Popsicles and these Banana Pops, which are great for summer.
And for those of you already enjoying cooler temperatures, these Chocolate Banana Muffins are super fudgy and still a favorite after 10 years.
As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. For more info, see my disclosure.
Ingredients
Here’s everything you’ll need.
- Flour – for the gluten-free version, you can use King Arthur Flour Gluten-free Measure for Measure Flour. The cookies came out just like the all-purpose flour version. I haven’t tried it in this recipe, but I’m pretty sure that Bob’s Red Mill 1-to-1 Gluten-free Baking Flour would also work well.
- Dutch-process cocoa powder – this provides a deep, rich chocolate flavor with less acidity than regular cocoa powder. If you’d like less chocolate flavor, then regular, natural cocoa powder like Hershey’s works great.
- Refined coconut oil or (vegan) butter – I talk about possible subs below.
- Brown and granulated sugar – you can sub both with coconut sugar but not with a liquid sweetener.
- Ripe mashed banana – adds natural sweetness and moisture to the cookies. And lots of banana flavor! It is not subtle. 😉
- Water – if you have milk you need to use up, you can use it in place of the water.
- Chocolate chips – optional, but always good.
- Baking soda, salt and vanilla
Why no eggs?
This recipe is based on another chocolate cookie recipe I’ll be posting soon which calls for 1 egg + 1 egg yolk.
I liked the base so much and wanted to adapt it to include banana, but the only liquid in the recipe was the egg.
Banana is a well-known egg sub, and it worked out very well. Instead of using eggs, you just use 1/3 cup of mashed bananas.
How ripe should the bananas be?
My bananas had a few dark spots on them but weren’t banana bread ripe. And the cookies still tasted strongly of banana.
I wouldn’t recommend mushy, almost black bananas. They should still be somewhat firm and not too brown.
Can I use pumpkin/applesauce/etc. in place of the banana?
I haven’t tried anything other than mashed banana. I have no idea if something else would work in its place.
I know pumpkin and applesauce are often listed as egg subs (which is what the banana is in this recipe), but I’ve had bad results every time I’ve using them to replace eggs.
Or maybe I should say the results haven’t been as good as the original.
For this recipe, I think a pumpkin version would end up funky tasting and that an applesauce version would be too soft and cakey. But it’s just a guess!
Can I use frozen bananas?
Yes! You can use frozen and defrosted mashed bananas for this cookies.
If your bananas are ready before you are, you can freeze them for later use. For simple freezing tips, check out my post on Frozen Bananas.
Can I use a different oil?
You could use 1/2 cup of regular or vegan butter in place of the 6 1/2 tablespoons of coconut oil. Vegetable or canola oil might work, or it might make the cookies too soft.
I used refined coconut oil. Keep in mind that using unrefined coconut oil will add coconut flavor to the cookies.
Why do you need more butter? Unlike oil, which is 100% fat, butter is only 80-82% fat, which would make the cookies drier and more crumbly. I tested this recipe with butter, and an extra 1 1/2 tablespoons was the perfect amount.
How to make banana cocoa cookies
Start by mixing the dry ingredients and set this bowl aside.
In a larger bowl, use a sturdy spatula or a mixing spoon to stir the melted coconut oil, sugars, mashed banana, water, and vanilla extract until well combined.
Next, incorporate the dry mixture into the wet ingredients and mix just until combined to avoid overworking the dough.
Fold in three-quarters of the chocolate chips, then roll the dough into balls, pressing each one lightly to flatten. Add the remaining chocolate chips on top and bake.
If the dough seems too soft to shape into balls, place it in the fridge for 20-30 minutes. Don’t chill it too long because the dough can become too firm.
The edges should be set, but the centers might look slightly underdone. They’ll continue to cook as they cool on the baking sheet.
How to store and freeze
Store these chocolate banana cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days.
If you want to keep them fresh for longer, you can freeze them for up to 3 months.
To freeze, place the baked cookies in a single layer on a baking sheet, freeze until solid, then transfer them to a Ziploc bag or container.
To thaw them, place them in the fridge for 1 to 4 hours depending on the number and size of the cookies or set them on the counter for an hour or so.
I don’t recommend thawing them in the microwave as they’ll have a soggy texture. But once thawed, you can reheat them in the oven or microwave for a few seconds at half power.
Gluten-free option
Like I said up top, I used King Arthur Flour Gluten-free Measure for Measure Flour, and I’m guessing that Bob’s Red Mill 1-to-1 Gluten-free Baking Flour would also work just as well.
If you have a different brand of gluten-free flour, just make sure it’s a 1:1 sub for all-purpose flour. Stuff like oat/coconut/almond flour won’t work because those aren’t direct subs for all-purpose flour.
If you don’t need these cookies to be gluten-free, you can use all-purpose flour, whole wheat flour or white whole wheat flour.
Can I make these cookies vegan?
These cookies are already vegan as long as you use vegan chocolate chips. Check out this post,
Are Chocolate Chips Vegan?, to read more and get a list of brands to look for.
More chocolate banana treats
I hope you’ll enjoy these banana cocoa cookies! If you try them out, I’d love to hear your thoughts below in the comments. Thanks! 🙂
❀
- Prep Time:
- Cook Time:
- Ready in:
- Yield: 16
Ingredients
- 1 1/3 cups + 1 tablespoon (174 grams) all-purpose flour, whole wheat flour, or for gluten-free, use King Arthur Flour Gluten-free Measure for Measure Flour
- 1/2 cup (55 grams) Dutch-process cocoa powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 6 1/2 tablespoons (91 grams) refined coconut oil or 1/2 cup (113 grams) (vegan) butter, melted
- 2/3 cup (133 grams) brown sugar or coconut sugar
- 1/2 cup (100 grams) granulated sugar or coconut sugar
- 1/3 cup (80 grams) ripe mashed banana
- 1 tablespoon water
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup (170 grams) chocolate chips, divided (Enjoy Life Semi-sweet Chocolate Chip for vegan)
Directions
- In a medium bowl, mix together the dry ingredients (flour through salt). Set this bowl aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, stir the remaining ingredients, except for the chocolate chips, together until well combined.
- Stir in the dry mixture into the wet, just until combined.
- Mix in 3/4 cup (128 grams) chocolate chips.
- The dough will likely be too soft to form into balls. If it is, place the bowl in the fridge for 20-30 minutes. If you do it much longer, the dough gets very firm. In that case, just let it sit at room temperature until soft enough.
- Preheat the oven to 350 °F (175 °C). Line a baking sheet with a piece of parchment paper.
- Roll the dough into sixteen 48-gram balls and place about 3″ apart on the prepared cookie sheet.
- Press down lightly with your palm.
- Add the remaining chocolate chips on top.
- Bake for 10 – 13 minutes or until the edges of the cookies are set and the middle doesn’t appear wet. Do not overbake! The middle of the cookie, under the surface, might appear underdone, but it’ll continue to cook even after you take the cookies out of the oven.
- Let the cookies cool completely on the baking sheet.
- Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days. They can also be frozen for up to 3 months.
Notes
- I used refined coconut oil because I didn’t want any coconut flavor. If you don’t mind coconut flavor, you can use unrefined coconut oil.
- My bananas had a few dark spots on them but weren’t banana bread ripe. And the cookies still tasted strongly of banana. I wouldn’t recommend mushy, almost black bananas. They should still be somewhat firm and not too brown.
