🍌🌰 Banana Walnut Crinkles
Soft, cake-like, and irresistibly cozy, these Banana Walnut Crinkles combine ripe banana sweetness, brown sugar, warm spices, and buttery toasted walnuts. Their lightly crisp edges and crinkled tops give way to a tender, almost gooey center—making them the perfect treat for using up ripe bananas.
⏱ Recipe Information
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Chill Time: 30 minutes
Bake Time: 10–12 minutes
Total Time: About 1 hour
Yield: 20–24 cookies
Difficulty: Easy
🛒 Ingredients
🍌 Banana Walnut Cookie Dough
- 1 cup (225 g) mashed ripe bananas, about 2–3 medium bananas
- 1½ cups (190 g) all-purpose flour
- ¾ cup (165 g) packed brown sugar
- ½ cup (113 g) unsalted butter, softened
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ¾ cup (85 g) walnuts, finely chopped
For the Crinkle Coating
- ½ cup (60 g) powdered sugar
Optional
- ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon for mixing with the powdered sugar
- Extra toasted walnuts for topping
- Pinch of flaky sea salt
Instructions
1. Toast the Walnuts
Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C).
Spread the chopped walnuts on a baking sheet.
Toast for 5–7 minutes, stirring once halfway through.
Remove and allow them to cool completely.
Toasting the walnuts brings out their buttery flavor and gives the cookies a much more satisfying crunch.
🍌 Make the Cookie Dough
2. Cream the Butter & Brown Sugar
In a large mixing bowl, beat the softened butter and brown sugar for approximately 2–3 minutes, until smooth and creamy.
3. Add the Egg & Vanilla
Beat in the egg and vanilla extract until fully incorporated.
4. Add the Mashed Banana
Stir in the mashed ripe bananas.
The mixture may look slightly curdled at this stage—that’s completely normal.
🌾 Prepare the Dry Ingredients
5. Whisk Together
In a separate bowl, whisk together:
- Flour
- Baking soda
- Baking powder
- Salt
- Cinnamon
- Nutmeg
6. Combine
Gradually add the dry ingredients to the banana mixture.
Stir just until no dry flour remains.
Do not overmix.
🌰 Fold in the Walnuts
7. Add the Toasted Nuts
Fold the cooled toasted walnuts into the dough.
Reserve a small handful if you’d like to garnish the cookies.
❄️ Chill the Dough
8. Refrigerate
Cover the bowl and refrigerate for approximately 30 minutes.
Because banana makes the dough naturally soft, chilling helps the cookies hold their shape while baking.
❄️ Coat in Powdered Sugar
9. Prepare the Coating
Place the powdered sugar in a shallow bowl.
If desired, mix in ¼ teaspoon cinnamon.
10. Shape the Cookies
Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
Scoop approximately 1½ tablespoons of dough for each cookie.
Roll gently into balls.
11. Coat Generously
Roll each dough ball thoroughly in powdered sugar.
For especially dramatic crinkles, give each ball a very generous coating.
Place the cookies approximately 2 inches apart on the prepared baking sheets.
🔥 Bake
12. Bake Until Crinkled
Bake for 10–12 minutes.
The cookies should have:
- Crinkled tops
- Lightly golden edges
- Soft centers
Don’t wait for the centers to become completely firm.
❄️ Cool
13. Let Them Set
Allow the cookies to cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes.
They will be very soft when first removed from the oven.
Transfer them to a wire rack and allow them to cool completely.
🍌🌰 Serve
Serve these cookies slightly warm for the softest, gooey texture.
They’re especially delicious with:
- Coffee
- Hot chocolate
- Chai
- Vanilla ice cream
- A glass of cold milk
⭐ Chef’s Tips
Use Very Ripe Bananas
Brown-spotted bananas provide the strongest banana flavor and natural sweetness.
Don’t Add Too Much Banana
Measure the mashed banana carefully. Excess moisture can make the cookies spread too much.
Chill the Dough
This is particularly important with banana-based cookie dough.
Coat Heavily
A generous powdered-sugar coating creates the signature white crinkled appearance.
Don’t Overbake
The cookies should still look soft in the middle when they come out of the oven.
Toast the Walnuts
This small extra step makes a big difference in flavor.
🍯 Delicious Variations
Chocolate Chip Banana Crinkles
Fold in ½ cup semi-sweet or dark chocolate chips with the walnuts.
Caramel Banana Crinkles
Add ½ cup caramel chips to the dough.
Banana Pecan Crinkles
Replace the walnuts with toasted pecans.
Chocolate Banana Crinkles
Replace ¼ cup of the flour with ¼ cup unsweetened cocoa powder.
Maple Walnut
Replace half the vanilla extract with 1 teaspoon maple extract and add extra toasted walnuts.
Cinnamon Sugar Finish
Mix powdered sugar with a little cinnamon for a warmer, spicier coating.
Storage
Store completely cooled cookies in an airtight container.
Room temperature: 3–4 days.
Place parchment between layers if needed.
For the softest texture, let refrigerated cookies sit at room temperature before serving.
Freezing
Freeze Baked Cookies
Cool completely and freeze in an airtight container for up to 2 months.
Freeze Cookie Dough
Shape the dough into balls and freeze on a parchment-lined tray.
Once solid, transfer to a freezer bag.
When ready to bake, thaw slightly, coat generously in powdered sugar, and bake as directed, adding a couple of minutes if necessary.
🍌🌰 Recipe Summary
These Banana Walnut Crinkles are soft, tender, and packed with caramel-like brown sugar, ripe banana flavor, cinnamon, and buttery toasted walnuts.
Their powdered-sugar coating cracks beautifully in the oven, creating those irresistible crinkled tops while the centers stay wonderfully soft.
Like banana bread crossed with a soft crinkle cookie—with toasted walnuts in every bite. 🍌🤎🌰