Banana Pudding Cookies

Name: Banana Pudding Cookies
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 13 min
Total time: 28 min
Ingredients: 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour; 1 cup Nilla wafer crumbs; 1 1/4 teaspoons baking soda; 1 cup (2 sticks) salted butter, (melted); 1 cup light brown sugar, (packed); 1/2 cup granulated sugar; 1 cup mashed bananas ((about 2 large bananas)); 1 large egg yolk; 2 teaspoons vanilla extract; 1 cup white chocolate chips; 1 cup roughly chopped Nilla wafers; 3.4 ounce package instant vanilla pudding mix; 1 cup milk; 8 ounce tub whipped topping, thawed ((Cool Whip)); Nilla wafers, (for topping)

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Banana Pudding Cookies are just like your favorite banana pudding dessert but in cookie form! Soft and chewy with a creamy banana topping make these cookies absolutely scrumptious!

COOKIES WITH ALL THE FLAVORS OF BANANA PUDDING

These homemade Banana Pudding Cookies are the perfect combination of flavors. If you love the creamy banana pudding with Nilla wafer flavors that you get with traditional Banana Pudding, then you’ll love it in cookie form. Deliciously sweet, these cookies are not only beautiful, they are easy and fairly quick to make too!

A couple Banana Pudding Cookies on a plate.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS:

Can I use full sized Nilla Cookies?

Of course you can. I used mini wafers, I thought they would be cuter for the garnish on top but you can use the full size if desired.

How do I serve these?

These cookies need to be kept refrigerated because of the topping. I prefer to eat them cold, but you can let them to come to room temperature before enjoying them.

What’s the easiest way to make Nilla crumbs?

The rolling pin and bag method is easy, but using a food processor to turn the wafers into crumbs is faster and easier. Then you can easily measure them right in the food processor container and not have to worry about pouring out of the bag and making a mess.

Do I have to use the white chocolate chips?

Nope, feel free to leave them out if you don’t want them. You could swap them out butterscotch chips, peanut butter chips, or even semi-sweet chocolate chips.

How to store Banana Pudding Cookies?

You should keep leftover cookies in the fridge in a container for up to 4 days, or you can freeze them in a freezer safe container for up to 3 months.

A few Banana Pudding Cookies with the top one missing a bite.

INGREDIENTS NEEDED: (SEE RECIPE CARD BELOW FOR THE FULL RECIPE)

all-purpose flour – you don’t need to sift the flour but just make sure you are not over measuring too much flour. Use the dip and scoop method (since most of us don’t have a kitchen scale.) Do not measure flour directly from the flour bag or you will end up with too much flour and will have dry and tough cookies. Pour some flour into a larger bowl and stir it up. Then take your measuring cup and scoop up some of the flour then take the flat side of a butter knife and scrape the excess of the top. This will ensure more accurate measuring.
mini Nilla wafer cookies – normally I am okay with the store brand versions of food items but with Nilla wafers, there really is nothing like the original. I haven’t found a store brand that comes close to their taste but if you have another favorite, then please use that.
baking soda – make sure it is fresh and not expired. Most baked goods don’t turn out properly because the baking soda is old and/0r expired.
salted butter – I am using salted butter so we’re not going to add additional salt to this recipe. If you only have unsalted butter, add about 1/2 teaspoon of salt to the cookie dough (add it in with the flour.)
light brown sugar – the light brown sugar gives these cookies such a soft and chewy flavor. You could use all granulated sugar but the brown sugar adds so much to these cookies.
bananas – look for yellow bananas with some brown spots on them. If they still have green color anywhere on them, they are not ripe and therefore not sweet. The more brown on the banana, the sweeter they will be.
large egg yolk – you just need the yolk, not the whole egg.
vanilla extract – for a stronger banana flavor, you can substitute with banana extract.
white chocolate chips – these are optional. I like the texture they give to the cookies but you can certainly leave them out if you prefer.
instant vanilla pudding mix – it has to be instant – do not get the cook and serve kind or it will not set up. The packaging can be hard to tell them apart so please look carefully at the box you are picking up because they are usually very close to each other on the store shelf
whipped topping – you could use a homemade whipped cream but the Cool Whip will hold up better for longer.

Mini nilla cookies, Cool Whip, bananas, Butter, baking soda, vanilla extract, egg, flour, light brown sugar, white sugar, chocolate chips, vanilla pudding mix, and milk.

HOW TO MAKE BANANA PUDDING COOKIES

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line sheet trays with parchment paper, set aside. In a medium bowl, stir together the flour, Nilla wafer crumbs, and baking soda, and set aside. In the body of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment or in a large bowl with a hand mix, add the butter, brown sugar, sugar, bananas, egg, and vanilla, mix until smooth.

collage of two photos: flour mixture in a bowl; banana mixture in a stand mixing bowl.

Add the dry ingredients and mix until combined. Add the chocolate chips and chopped Nilla wafers, stir until just combined.

collage of two photos: dry flour ingredients added to banana mixture in the bowl; white chocolate chips and Nilla wafers added to mixing bowl.

Roll the dough into 2 Tablespoon-sized balls (dough will be sticky) and place them 2-3 inches apart on the prepared sheet trays. Bake for 11-13 minutes until puffed, they appear dry on top and lightly golden brown. Allow them to cool for 10 minutes on the sheet trays and then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

collage of three photos: cookie dough on baking sheet; baked cookies on baking sheet; baking cookies cooling on a cooling rack.

While the cookies are cooling, make the topping. In a large bowl, stir together the pudding mix and milk until smooth but not thickened. Add the whipped topping immediately and whisk until smooth. Spread the topping onto the cookies, there may be a little leftover.