Wondering what to do with that overripe banana you have sitting on your kitchen counter? Why not make these banana chip cookies with melted caramel? These cookies have a soft and moist texture, and when combined with the crunch of the banana chips and the creamy sweetness of the melted caramel, they make for the perfect sweet dessert treat. With these banana cookies, you’ll never have to worry about what to do with overripe bananas again.
When it comes to banana recipes, most are just way too over-the-top strong-banana-tasting for my liking. I’m the type of person who will buy bananas, however, only willingly eat them within a three-day time span. If they’re not ripe enough, I’ll totally ignore them. And, if they’re overly ripe, I’ll leave them to sit even longer, until I eventually come to my senses and toss them in the trash. So, imagine my surprise when I realized how fantastic these cookies tasted. They have just the right amount of banana taste, without going overboard. They’re also perfectly soft and luscious, with a lovely banana chip crunch, and a creamy caramel finish that has you practically drooling at first bite. This is a recipe that almost makes you giddy with happiness to have a seriously over-ripe banana sitting on your counter. From now on, those overly-banana-tasting blackened lil’ bananas need to be used to make these cookies instead of ending up in the trash.
Ingredients:
Cookies:
- 1 Cup Light Brown Sugar, Packed
- 4 Tablespoons Unsalted Butter, Softened
- 1 Tablespoon Vanilla
- 1 Egg
- 2 Teaspoons Cornstarch
- 1 1/2 Teaspoons Baking Soda
- 1/2 Teaspoon Kosher Salt
- 1 2/3 Cup All-Purpose Flour
- 1/4 Cup Finely Crushed Sweetened Banana Chips
Melted Caramel:
- 20 Wrapped Caramels
- 1 Tablespoon Cold Water
- 2 Tablespoons Half & Half
- Sweetened Banana Chips
Directions:
Cookies:
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
- In a large mixing bowl, mix the brown sugar, butter, vanilla, and egg together for 2 minutes on medium speed.
- Add the cornstarch, baking soda, and salt; mix on medium speed for 30 seconds.
- Add the flour and crushed banana chips; mix with a silicone spatula until all of the flour is incorporated.
- Use a cookie scoop to scoop the dough onto a Silpat or parchment paper-lined baking sheet.
- Bake for 9 to 10 minutes.
- Allow the cookies to cool for 5 minutes before removing them to a wire baking rack to finish cooling completely.
Melted Caramel:
- Unwrap the caramels and place them into a heavy-bottomed non-stick saucepan. Add the water and cook on medium-low heat, stirring constantly.
- Cook until the caramel is melted and smooth.
- Add the half and half and mix until well combined.
- Use a small spoon to top each cookie with a dollop of caramel and then use the back of the spoon to spread the caramel out into a circle.
- Top each caramel-topped cookie with a banana chip.
- Allow the cookies to rest for a few hours before storing them in an airtight container between layers of wax paper.
Suggestions:
- These cookies will spread while baking, so make sure only to put 12 cookies on each baking sheet. When scooping the cookies, make sure to not over-pack your cookie scoop with dough. It’s best to have a little bit less dough for each scoop to prevent over-spreading.
- I purchased my sweetened banana chips from Target. There were enough in the 4.5-oz. bag for this recipe and there were even some leftovers. For this recipe, you can use any brand or variety of dried banana slices or chips you choose.
- To crush the banana chips for the cookie dough, place them in a small resealable plastic bag and then use a rolling pin or the flat side of a meat mallet to crush the banana chips.
- You will need approximately half of an 11-oz. bag of Kraft Caramels for this recipe. Make sure to completely unwrap each caramel. You don’t want any of the plastic wrappers in your caramel.
- This recipe will yield approximately 2 dozen cookies.
Improvements:
- Top with a sprinkle of finely chopped salted peanuts.
- Add 1 teaspoon of cinnamon to the cookie dough.
- CLICK HERE to find a list of all of our past cookie recipes.
Ingredients:
- 1 Cup Light Brown Sugar, Packed
- 4 Tablespoons Unsalted Butter, Softened
- 1 Tablespoon Vanilla
- 1 Egg
- 2 Teaspoons Cornstarch
- 1 1/2 Teaspoons Baking Soda
- 1/2 Teaspoon Kosher Salt
- 1 2/3 Cup All-Purpose Flour
- 1/4 Cup Finely Crushed Sweetened Banana Chips
- 20 Wrapped Caramels
- 1 Tablespoon Cold Water
- 2 Tablespoons Half & Half
- Sweetened Banana Chips
Directions:
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
- In a large mixing bowl, mix the brown sugar, butter, vanilla, and egg together for 2 minutes on medium speed.
- Add the cornstarch, baking soda, and salt; mix on medium speed for 30 seconds.
- Add the flour and crushed banana chips; mix with a silicone spatula until all of the flour is incorporated.
- Use a cookie scoop to scoop the dough onto a Silpat or parchment paper-lined baking sheet.
- Bake for 9 to 10 minutes.
- Allow the cookies to cool for 5 minutes before removing them to a wire baking rack to finish cooling completely.
- Unwrap the caramels and place them into a heavy-bottomed non-stick saucepan. Add the water and cook on medium-low heat, stirring constantly.
- Cook until the caramel is melted and smooth.
- Add the half and half and mix until well combined.
- Use a small spoon to top each cookie with a dollop of caramel and then use the back of the spoon to spread the caramel out into a circle.
- Top each caramel-topped cookie with a banana chip.
- Allow the cookies to rest for a few hours before storing them in an airtight container between layers of wax paper.
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Make sure to check out all of the other great Sunday Funday “National Banana Lovers Day” recipes below. A huge thanks to Food Lust People Love for hosting this event.
- Banana Chip Cookies with Melted Caramel from Faith, Hope, Love, & Luck Survive Despite a Whiskered Accomplice
- Banana Mousse from Culinary Cam
- Banana Pecan Caramel Sauce from Food Lust People Love
- Banana Zucchini Cake from A Day in the Life on the Farm
- Browned Butter Chocolate Chip Banana Bread from Karen’s Kitchen Stories
- Chocolate Coated Banana from Mayuri’s Jikoni
- Double Chocolate Whole Wheat Banana Bread from Cook with Renu
- Frozen Peanut Butter Banana Pretzel Bites from Amy’s Cooking Adventures
- Sourdough Banana Appe from Sneha’s Recipe