These soft banana chocolate chip cookies taste like mini banana bread bites! Made grain-free and packed with chocolatey goodness, they're perfect for satisfying your sweet tooth.
Gluten-free and grain-free banana biscuits!
Henry, my other half, pushed me for ages to make a banana dessert, and I playfully resisted, until a lone, ripe banana on the kitchen counter spurred me into action. Having grown up in a home where every grain of rice was sacred, throwing food away is a big no-no. So I rolled up my sleeves and got to work.
After a few fun rounds of tweaking and tasting (Henry was all in for this part), I landed on a banana cookie recipe that is simply irresistible. These cookies are easy to make and taste like little banana muffins, filled with cinnamon, crunchy nuts and dark chocolate chips. They're soft, slightly chewy, and yes, they're even paleo-friendly.
Tips for making the best banana cookies
- Do not replace ingredients! Baking, especially grain-free baking, is like a science experiment, so ingredients can't be replaced willy-nilly. So, before you ask: I don't have a clue how this recipe will work with different flours, nor have I tested any egg substitutes or sweetener. If you try a substitution and it works great, leave a note in the comments so everyone can benefit from your cooking prowess!
- Use a scale to measure dry ingredients! The most precise way to measure dry ingredients for a baking recipe is to use a Precise kitchen scales— there's simply too much variability when you rely on measuring cups to portion ingredients for baking. That's why I always include gram measurements in my recipe cards for baked goods – just press metric button in my recipe card below to convert to grams!
ingredients
- Ripe banana: Use a large, brown, speckled ripe banana for this recipe, so it adds a lot of flavor and sweetness to the banana. After mashing it, measure out half a cup of mashed banana for the recipe.
- Very fine blanched almond flour: To keep these cookies gluten-free, I replace the all-purpose flour with a combination of almond flour and tapioca flour. My favorite brand of almond flour is Costco's Kirkland Signature brand blanched almond flour. (I haven't tried a nut-free alternative. I have a feeling sunflower seed flour might work, but the cookies might turn green due to a reaction with the baking soda! Oats might work but I haven't tried!)
- Tapioca flour: If you don't have tapioca flour you can replace it with arrowroot powder.
- Refined coconut oil: Instead of butter, I use refined coconut oil melted at room temperature as the shortening in this recipe. Make sure you choose unrefined coconut oil so it doesn't taste too coconut-like. If you tolerate ghee, you can use it in this recipe.
- Egg: The egg helps with the structure of the cookie. I don't know if you can replace it with something else!
- Coconut sugar: I like to use blonde coconut sugar in this recipe because it adds caramel notes, similar to brown sugar. Maple sugar works too! If you choose to use honey or maple syrup you will need to adjust the other liquid ingredients to make sure the cookies don't spread too much.
- Sodium bicarbonate
- Ground cinnamon: I like the simplicity of just adding ground cinnamon, but feel free to add a little nutmeg or cardamom if you want to spice things up!
- Diamond Crystal kosher salt: A pinch of salt always helps to rebalance the flavors of desserts!
- Vanilla extract
- Toasted walnuts or pecans, coarsely chopped: Optional, but the toasted nuts really make these cookies taste like banana bread!
- Dark chocolate chips: This is also optional, but dark chocolate makes everything taste better. My favorite paleo-friendly chocolate chips are those sweetened with Guittard coconut sugar.
How to make banana biscuits
In a medium bowl, whisk together the almond flour, tapioca flour, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt. Set aside.
Combine the coconut oil and coconut sugar in a large bowl. Use a blender to blend fat and sugar until light in color on medium-high speed, about 2 minutes.
Add the banana, egg and vanilla and blend until smooth.
Pour the flour mix (dry ingredients)…
…and mix at low speed until a smooth mixture is obtained.
Stir in the nuts and chocolate chips, if using.
Chill the cookie dough in the refrigerator in a covered bowl or container for at least 30 minutes and up to a day, so that the dough is firmer and easier to work with.
When you're ready to bake the cookies, heat the oven to 350°F with the rack in the center. Then, line two rimmed baking sheets with baking paper.
Use a medium biscuit scoopspread 1 1/2 tablespoons of cold batter and spread 12 balls evenly on each lined baking sheet.
Place a baking tray in the oven and cook for 9-11 minutes…
…or the edges are golden. Repeat the baking process with the second tray of cookies.
Use a small offset spatula to transfer cookies to a cooling rack.
Cool the cookies on wire racks for at least 10 minutes so they hold their shape and the chocolate is still gooey.
Then find out more!
How to store banana biscuits
You can store baked and cooled cookies in the refrigerator in an airtight container for up to a week. You can also store them in the freezer for up to 3 months. Thaw the cookies overnight and place in the microwave for 30 seconds on high to warm through, or toss them in the air fryer for 2 to 3 minutes at 350°F or until heated through.
