Banana pudding cookies aka banana pudding in cookie form. Made with a super soft brown sugar cookie and topped with vanilla pudding, bananas & nilla wafers.
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banana pudding cookies
Hello hello! Today I’m bringing you another recipe from my favorite genre of recipe: combining two desserts into one. Banana pudding is super delish within itself already, but what if we put banana pudding on top of a cookie? These start out with a super soft melt-in-your-mouth brown sugar cookie that’s super easy to make and only takes a few of your staple baking ingredients to make, and then they’re topped with vanilla pudding (instant, to make everything a lot easier), bananas, and nilla wafers. They’re sweet, light in flavor, and of course, small batch and super delish.
So let’s get into it!
expert baking tips
Weigh your ingredients:
My recipes are all written in grams because it is the most accurate way to bake. When you use a kitchen scale, you ensure that your baked goods turn out as close to the written recipe as possible. Plus, the cleanup is way easier when using a scale! I will provide standard cup measurements but please note that I have not tested the recipe using cup measurements and therefore can not guarantee your recipe will come out how mine did. Here is my favorite kitchen scale.
room temperature ingredients
This is super important for allowing the dough to come together smoothly. You’ll want to take your ingredients out of the fridge about an hour before baking to allow them enough time to come to room temperature.
Mix the dough carefully:
When adding in the flour, only fold the mixture just until no flour streaks remain. Over mixing the dough leads to more gluten formation, which can make the cookies thicker and more tough in texture.
chill the cookies prior to baking
I know this part is super annoying but trust me when I say it’s 100% worth it! We’re going to give the cookies a quick chill so that they don’t spread too much when we bake them.
Under bake for perfect cookies:
Cookies continue baking after they have been taken out of the oven. Once the edges turn slightly golden brown, and the cookies look just a little wet on top still, they are ready to come out. Let the cookies rest on the baking sheet for an additional 5 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool.
The secret to perfectly round cookies:
Wanna know the secret to perfectly round cookies? It’s cookie scooting! Right when the cookies come out of the oven, take a bowl, cup, or biscuit cutter that is just slightly larger than your cookies and place it over one of the cookies. Gently swirl the bowl around the cookie to make the cookie perfectly round (and slightly thicker). And that’s all there is to it!
A note on oven temperature:
Ovens vary and fluctuate in temperature and might not always actually be at the temperature they claim to be at. If you love to bake like I do, I highly recommend getting an oven thermometer. They are super helpful for letting you know when your oven might be lying to you! I use this one.
ingredients for banana pudding cookies
brown sugar cookies:
- All purpose flour: for structure and chewiness.
- Baking powder: for helping the cookies rise.
- Salt: to help balance and bring out the sweetness of the cookies
- Unsalted butter: for tenderness and flavor. You can use salted butter in place of the unsalted, just be sure to omit the extra salt from the cookies.
- Light brown sugar: for sweetness and for moisture. You could also sub in dark brown sugar.
- Egg: for binding and for moisture.
- Vanilla: for flavor. I use and love this vanilla extract!
Vanilla pudding:
- Instant vanilla pudding mix: the base of the pudding mixture.
- Whole milk & heavy whipping cream: milk is what you always need for instant pudding, but we’re replacing some of the milk with heavy whipping cream to thicken up the pudding so that it can be piped on to the cookies.
banana pudding toppings:
- Banana: you’ll need 1 large ripe banana here.
- Mini nilla wafers: for crumbling on top of the cookies.
how to make banana pudding cookies
Here are a few images of the steps for making these *delicious* banana pudding cookies. You can find the full recipe at the end of this blog post!
- Beat together the butter and sugar, followed by the egg and vanilla, and then beat in the dry ingredients.
- Chill the dough for 30 minutes, then bake the cookies.
- Mix together the instant vanilla pudding, milk, and heavy whipping cream
- Bake the cookies, then top them with bananas, pudding, and nilla wafers. Enjoy!
banana pudding cookies recipe q&a
can I double this recipe?
Of course – I even more strongly recommend measuring by weight if you are going to double the recipe for the best results.
can I make these cookies ahead of time?
Definitely! Cookie dough only gets better with time. You can keep the cookie dough tightly covered in the fridge for up to 2 days before baking. For longer term storage, you can also freeze the cookie dough. Just be sure to take the dough out of the fridge at least 30 minutes to 1 hour before you want to bake, so that it becomes soft enough to scoop again.
You can also make the pudding the night before baking and assembling the cookies, just keep it stored in an airtight container in the fridge.
how to store banana pudding cookies
Because they’re topped with pudding, these cookies do need to be stored in the fridge once they are frosted. Store them in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. If you’re not a fan of cold cookies, you can let them sit out for 30 minutes before eating them.
tools and ingredients:
You can find all my favorite tools and ingredients that I use on my Amazon Storefront page, here!
other recipes you might enjoy:
did you make this recipe?
I’d love to see and know your thoughts! please leave a comment and review below, and tag me on instagram @freshbeanbakery. #freshbeanbakery
Banana Pudding Cookies
Ingredients
Brown Sugar Cookies
- 150 g light brown sugar (¾ c.)
- 90 g unsalted butter room temperature (6 ⅓ tbsp.)
- 1 egg room temperature
- 1 tsp. vanilla
- 160 g all-purpose flour (1 ⅓ c.)
- ¾ tsp. baking powder
- ½ tsp. salt
Banana Pudding Toppings
- ½ small packet vanilla instant pudding mix (55g)
- 120 g whole milk (4 oz.)
- 120 g heavy whipping cream (4 oz.)
- 1 large banana ripe
- 8 mini nilla wafers + extra for crushing
Instructions
Brown Sugar Cookies
- Add the brown sugar and butter to a medium-sized mixing bowl. With a hand mixer or a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat together the butter and brown sugar until the mixture is light and fluffy (2-3 min.)
- Add in the egg and vanilla and beat until well combined.
- Add in the flour, baking powder, and salt. Beat the ingredients together just until no flour streaks remain.
- Cover the dough and leave it in the fridge to chill for at least 30 minutes, or for up to 2 days.*
- Once you're ready to bake the cookies. preheat the oven to 350°F / 175°C. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper or with a silicone baking mat.
- Use a 3 tbsp. cookie scoop to dish out the cookies onto the prepared cookie sheet. Evenly space the cookies apart to allow room for spreading. Bake for 10-12 minutes, until the sides of the cookies start to turn golden brown.
- Immediately after taking the cookies out of the oven, take a bowl that is slightly larger than the cookies and swirl it around over the cookies to make them a little more uniform and circular.
Banana Pudding Toppings
- While the cookies are cooling to room temperature, make the pudding. Add the instant pudding, milk, and heavy whipping cream to a medium sized mixing bowl. Beat the mixture with a hand mixer (or with a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment) for 2 minutes, or until the cream thickens. Place the pudding in the fridge until you're ready to assemble the cookies.
- Once the cookies have cooled to room temperature, slice the banana into thin slices and place ~3 slices on to each cookie.
- Transfer the pudding to a piping bag fitted with a large round tip and pipe dollops of the pudding on to each cookie.
- Crush up a few nilla wafers and sprinkle them on top of the pudding, then place one whole mini nilla wafer on top of each cookie. Serve and enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
Please note that the nutrition facts are only an estimate and may vary based on different brands of ingredients and any substitutions made.
