I love bananas, but you know how the story goes: you buy them green on Saturday, and somehow, by Thursday, they’ve gone from perfectly ripe to “what am I supposed to do with these?“

These cookies are my weekly answer to over-ripe bananas! Sure, you can freeze them for smoothies (and I do that, too), but why not turn those spotty bananas into something everyone will be begging for?

These cookies are incredibly easy to make, delicious, and the perfect way to use up bananas that have seen better days. In fact, I recommend making a small batch—otherwise, they have a funny way of disappearing!

P.S. They’re also a great recipe for kids to help make. Just be prepared for them to ask when you’re making the next batch!

Note: I have only made these vegan and gluten free, but I don’t see why you couldn’t experiment with wheat flour and butter. Let me know how it turns out if you do.

Preparation Time: 10 minutes

Cooking Time: 10-12 minutes

Servings: 2 banana = 24 cookies

Ingredients

2 ripe BANANAs, mashed
1/2 cup Vegan BUTTER (1 Earth Balance Soy Free stick), melted
1 cup SUGAR
2 cups gluten-free ALL PURPOSE BAKING MIX (King Arthur) with xanthan gum
1/2 teaspoon BAKING SODA
1/2 tsp SALT
OPTIONALS:
1/4 cup
Vegan MINI SEMI-SWEET CHOCOLATE CHIPS (Enjoy LIfe)
or Gluten Free Nutty Granola
or Walnuts
Parchment PAPER

Directions

• PREHEAT oven to 350 degrees F
• COVER 1 cookie sheets with parchment paper (or silicone mat)
• MASH the bananas, then add melted butter and sugar until blended (I use masher then wooden spoon).
• ADD the dry ingredients: flour, baking soda, and salt
• ADD any optional ingredients like nuts or chips
• DROP the batter onto the parchment covered baking sheets in evenly spaced slightly rounded teaspoons of goop (for bigger cookies use a tablespoon instead)
• Slightly FLATTEN the batter globs if you can, they do spread a little.
• BAKE for 10 to 12 minutes. They will look undercooked and should be golden on the edges. They will be soft.
• COOL on cookie sheets for a few minutes and then plate
• To get them evenly round, I use my little biscuit cutters before they cool on the tray to much.
• You can FORK the top of each one for a pretty look.
• STORE them in an airtight container for up to 1 week