Banana Pie Cookies with White Chocolate and Graham Cracker
Banana cream pie…but make it a cookie! This Banana Pie Cookie is the perfect way to use up ripe bananas without making banana bread (again) and you can enjoy the flavor of a banana cream pie without all the fuss of making an actual pie crust!
This new recipe is perfect for banana cream pie lovers, banana bread enthusiasts, and anyone who craves the comforting flavor of a banana cream pie in cookie form (no rolling pin required!). Inspired by the classic dessert but reimagined as an incredible cookie, these treats combine the best elements of banana pudding and graham cracker crust in one incredible cookie that will become your new go-to – a chewy cookie that captures the essence of the classic dessert in every bite!
Instead of traditional pie crust, these cookies feature graham crackers pieces that provide that nostalgic graham cracker crust flavor and the white chocolate brings creaminess that gives banana cream pie filling.
Ingredients to Make Banana Pie Cookies
- KAMUT® White Flour or other All-Purpose White Flour
- Ground Cinnamon
- Fine Salt
- Baking Soda
- Cornstarch
- Unsalted Butter
- White Sugar
- Brown Sugar
- Overripe bananas
- Egg
- Vanilla Extract
- White Chocolate Bar
- Graham Crackers
Tools to Make Banana Pie Cookie
- 2 Cookie Sheets
- Parchment Paper
- Medium Mixing Bowl
- Whisk or Dough Hook
- Measuring Cups and Spoons
- Stand Mixer fitted with Paddle Attachment or Hand Mixer and Large Bowl
- Knife
- Wooden Spoon or Sturdy Spatula
- 2 oz Cookie Scoop
All About Ingredients for Banana Pie Cookies
Flour
I rely on KAMUT® White Flour for this banana pie cookie recipe and the majority of my baked goods because of its exceptional flavor and nutritional benefits. Since flour serves as the foundation for most cookie recipes, your flour selection has a lot of influence on the final result. However, every recipe I develop using KAMUT® White Flour is also adapted for all-purpose flour. So choose the flour that fits your budget and taste preference!
Ground Cinnamon
The cinnamon in these cookies adds warmth and enhances the graham cracker flavor. It also contributes to that classic dessert taste that makes these banana pie cookies so special.
Baking Soda
The baking soda works to leaven these cookies without too much rise to keep them chewy and not too cakey.
Cornstarch
The cornstarch is a secret ingredient that helps cookies stay chewy long after they’re baked. I specifically look for non-GMO cornstarch but buy what works for your shopping preferences.
Butter
Using cold butter is my standard practice for most of my cookie recipes since it lets me bake on the fly without advance planning. However, this recipe will still require dough chill time. Also, hand mixers and some stand mixers don’t work well with cold butter so I always give the option to work with room temperature, softened butter instead.
White & Brown Sugar
The combination of white sugar and brown sugar and the ratio of more brown sugar than white gives these cookies more richness in flavor and contributes to their chewy texture.
Overripe Bananas
The star ingredient! Use very ripe bananas with brown spots for the best banana flavor. These bananas are sweeter and more flavorful than firm bananas, and they mix more easily into the dough. Using the real thing rather than flavoring or extract will create that authentic banana cream pie taste.
Vanilla Extract
The vanilla extract adds warmth and subtle flavor to these cookies.
White Chocolate Bar
I recipe tested these Banana Pie Cookies with white chocolate chips and with a chopped white chocolate bar and I was on the fence about which worked better. My daughter strongly preferred the white chocolate bar and I agree that it works well because the broken graham cracker pieces are of similar shape and size but white chocolate chips would also work. Bar or chips, the white chocolate mimics the creamy filling of banana cream pie and pairs so well with the banana.
Graham Crackers
The graham cracker pieces add texture and that nostalgic pie crust flavor. I like to break them up by hand instead of using a food processor or kitchen mallet so the pieces stay larger.
How to Make Banana Pie Cookies
- Prepare two baking sheets. Line each cookie sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
- In a mixing bowl, whisk together all dry ingredients including flour, cinnamon, salt, baking soda, and cornstarch. Set aside.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment (or in a mixing bowl with a hand mixer), beat the butter and both sugars together until well creamed. Add the mashed overripe bananas and mix.
- Add the egg and vanilla extract, mixing just until everything is combined.
- Add the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients, mixing only until just incorporated. Be careful not to overmix.
- Mix in the chopped white chocolate and broken graham crackers by hand.
- Using a large cookie scoop, portion up to 8 heaping scoops (approximately 3-3.2 oz) of dough onto each prepared baking sheet, spacing them evenly apart. I like to weigh my cookie scoop on a kitchen scale and zero out the weight so I can weigh the dough while still in the scoop.
- Refrigerate the scooped cookie dough on the baking sheets for 60 minutes if you used cold butter and 2 hours if you used room temperature, softened butter. *(see note)
- Preheat oven to 350℉.
- Bake for 18-22 minutes, until the bottom edges and some parts of the top of the cookies are golden brown. Halfway through bake time, swap and rotate trays in the oven.
- Transfer each baking sheet to a cooling rack and let cookies cool completely on the tray. This will ensure you get that perfect chewy cookie texture that makes these banana cream pie cookies so irresistible.
Store in an airtight container at room temperature for 1-2 days or freeze for up to 3 months.
Banana Pie Cookies with White Chocolate and Graham Cracker
Ingredients
- 2 ¾ cups 399g KAMUT® White Flour (or 3 cups plus 3 TBSP all purpose flour)
- ½ tsp cinnamon
- ¾ tsp salt
- ½ tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp cornstarch
- ¾ cup unsalted butter, cold or softened *(see note)
- 2 over-ripe bananas
- ½ cup 115 g sugar
- ¾ cup 158 g brown sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1 TBSP vanilla extract
- 1 4oz chopped white chocolate bar
- 1 cup broken graham crackers (3 full cracker sheets)
Instructions
- Prepare two baking sheets. Line each cookie sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
- In a mixing bowl, whisk together all dry ingredients including flour, cinnamon, salt, baking soda, and cornstarch. Set aside.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment (or in a mixing bowl with a hand mixer), beat the butter and both sugars together until well creamed. Add the mashed overripe bananas and mix.
- Add the egg and vanilla extract, mixing just until everything is combined.
- Add the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients, mixing only until just incorporated. Be careful not to overmix.
- Mix in the chopped white chocolate and broken graham crackers by hand.
- Using a large cookie scoop, portion up to 8 heaping scoops (approximately 3-3.2 oz) of dough onto each prepared baking sheet, spacing them evenly apart.
- Refrigerate the scooped cookie dough on the baking sheets for 60 minutes if you used cold butter and 2 hours if you used room temperature, softened butter. *(see note)
- Preheat oven to 350℉.
- Bake for 18-22 minutes, until the bottom edges and some parts of the top of the cookies are golden brown. Halfway through bake time, swap and rotate trays in the oven.
- Transfer each baking sheet to a cooling rack and let cookies cool completely on the tray. This will ensure you get that perfect chewy cookie texture that makes these banana cream pie cookies so irresistible.
- Store in an airtight container at room temperature for 1-2 days or freeze for up to 3 months.
