Kukis Pisang
These old-fashioned banana cookies are soft, pillowy drop cookies that taste like the best part of banana bread in handheld form. Creaming the butter with both white and brown sugar builds a light crumb, while a full cup of mashed ripe banana keeps every bite moist and fragrant. Because the batter is loose and cake-like, there is no chilling or rolling — just scoop, bake, and cool.
Heat the oven to 175°C (350°F) and line two baking sheets with parchment. Cream 115 g softened butter with 100 g granulated and 100 g brown sugar until fluffy, then beat in 1 egg, 5 ml vanilla, and 240 g (1 cup) mashed very ripe banana. Whisk 250 g flour with 1 tsp baking soda, 1/2 tsp salt, and 1/2 tsp cinnamon, fold it in just until no dry streaks remain, then drop 1.5-tablespoon mounds 5 cm apart. Bake 11-13 minutes until the edges are set and lightly golden but the centers still look soft, rest 5 minutes on the sheet, then cool on a rack.
- Use bananas with heavily speckled or black skins — underripe bananas make bland, gummy cookies.
- Fold the flour in gently and stop at the last streak; overmixing turns the soft crumb tough and rubbery.
- Pull the cookies when the centers still look slightly underdone — they finish setting on the hot sheet.
Equipment
- Two rimmed baking sheets
- Parchment paper
- Large and medium mixing bowls
- Electric hand mixer (or sturdy wooden spoon)
- Medium cookie scoop (about 1.5 tablespoons)
- Wire cooling rack
Bahan
Wet ingredients
- 115 g unsalted butter, softened, soft enough to dent easily with a finger
- 100 g granulated sugar
- 100 g light brown sugar
- large egg, room temperature
- 5 ml vanilla extract
- medium very ripe bananas, heavily speckled or black-skinned; about 240 g (1 cup) once mashed
Dry ingredients
- 250 g all-purpose flour, spooned and leveled
- 5 g baking soda
- 3 g fine sea salt
- 1 g ground cinnamon, optional but recommended
Cara membuat
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Set a rack in the middle of the oven and heat it to 175°C (350°F). Line two rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper.
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Peel the bananas into a medium bowl and mash them with a fork until mostly smooth — a few small lumps are fine and give the cookies pockets of banana flavor. You should have about 240 g (1 cup).
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In a large bowl, beat the softened butter, granulated sugar, and brown sugar with an electric mixer on medium speed until pale and fluffy, 2 to 3 minutes. Scrape down the bowl once partway through. This trapped air is what keeps the cookies light rather than dense.
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Beat in the egg and vanilla until combined, then mix in the mashed banana on low speed. The mixture may look slightly curdled — that is normal and will smooth out once the flour goes in.
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In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon. Add the dry mixture to the banana mixture and fold with a spatula just until the last streak of flour disappears. The dough will be soft and sticky, closer to a thick batter than a rollable cookie dough.
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Using a medium cookie scoop or two spoons, drop 1.5-tablespoon mounds onto the lined sheets, spacing them about 5 cm (2 inches) apart — they spread a little and puff as they bake. You should get about 24 cookies.
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Bake one sheet at a time for 11 to 13 minutes, until the edges are set and lightly golden and the tops spring back when touched gently. The centers should still look soft; they firm up as the cookies cool. Repeat with the second sheet.
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Let the cookies rest on the hot baking sheet for 5 minutes to finish setting, then transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely. They are fragile while warm, so use a thin spatula.
Make ahead
The dough is best baked right away since the baking soda starts reacting with the banana as soon as it is mixed, but you can hold it in the refrigerator for up to 24 hours; the cookies will simply spread a touch less. For longer planning, freeze scooped mounds solid on a tray, bag them, and bake from frozen at 175°C (350°F), adding 2 to 3 minutes.
Storage
Store cooled cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days, with parchment between layers so the soft tops do not stick together; because of their high moisture, refrigerate after that for up to a week. They freeze well for up to 3 months — thaw at room temperature for about 30 minutes.
Variations
Chocolate chip and walnut
Fold 130 g (3/4 cup) semisweet chocolate chips and 60 g (1/2 cup) chopped toasted walnuts into the finished dough. The bitter chocolate and crunchy nuts balance the sweet, soft crumb. Note this adds tree nuts and possibly soy to the allergen list.
Banana oatmeal cookies
Replace 60 g (1/2 cup) of the flour with 90 g (1 cup) old-fashioned rolled oats for a chewier, heartier cookie that eats like a soft granola bar. Bake time stays the same.
Vegan swap
Use an equal weight of solid coconut oil or vegan block butter in place of the dairy butter, and skip the egg entirely — the banana provides enough binding and moisture on its own. The cookies come out slightly denser but just as soft.
Serve with
Nutrition per serving
Nutrition values are estimates based on the metric measurements. Adjust as needed.
Pertanyaan umum
Why did my banana cookies turn out cakey instead of chewy?
Cakey is the correct texture for this style — banana cookies are naturally soft and pillowy because mashed banana adds a lot of moisture and the baking soda lifts the crumb. If you want them slightly denser and chewier, use only brown sugar (200 g total), reduce the banana to 180 g (3/4 cup), and slightly underbake at 11 minutes. True crisp-chewy texture is not achievable with this much fruit in the dough.
How ripe should the bananas be?
As ripe as you would use for banana bread: skins heavily speckled with brown or fully blackened, flesh soft and sweet-smelling. Underripe bananas are starchy, harder to mash, and leave the cookies bland. If your bananas are not there yet, bake them unpeeled at 150°C (300°F) for 15 to 20 minutes until the skins blacken, then cool and mash.
Why are my banana cookies gummy or wet in the middle?
Usually one of three things: too much banana (measure the mash — 240 g or 1 cup, not just "two bananas," since sizes vary), underbaking below the 11-minute mark, or stacking the cookies before they are fully cool, which traps steam. Let them sit the full 5 minutes on the sheet and cool completely on a rack before storing.
Can I make banana cookies gluten-free?
Yes — swap the all-purpose flour for an equal weight (250 g) of a 1-to-1 gluten-free baking blend that contains xanthan gum. The soft, cake-like structure of banana cookies is actually more forgiving of gluten-free flour than crisp cookies are. Let the dough rest 10 minutes before scooping so the blend can hydrate, and expect a slightly more delicate cookie.
Can I use frozen bananas?
Absolutely. Thaw them fully, then pour off the excess watery liquid that separates out before measuring 240 g (1 cup) of mash — skipping this step adds enough extra moisture to make the cookies spread thin and bake up sticky.
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