Fluffy, muffin-style banana cookies made with fresh bananas, chocolate chips, and Greek yogurt. This recipe is my interpretation of my husband’s late grandmother’s iconic banana cookies.
About the Recipe
My husband’s grandmother was known for her charismatic personality, her endless love for others, and her beautiful quilts and baked goods. Especially her famous banana cookies with chocolate chips. They were a staple in her kitchen and a favorite of everyone who knew her.
After her passing, I wanted to honor her memory in a way that felt meaningful. Sharing her recipe felt like the perfect way to do that. Something that could continue to bring comfort and joy, just as she did.
This is my healthier twist on Grandma Stewart’s iconic banana cookies. Made with fresh bananas, chocolate chips, and Greek yogurt. I hope they bring a little warmth into your home, too.
The Story Behind Grandma Stewart’s Banana Cookies
Growing up, I really only ever had one grandmother, my great grandmother on my mom’s side. My dad’s parents were never present, and my mom’s parents passed away at a young age. Even so my great grandmother filled that role completely and always made us feel deeply loved. Especially through her baking. I will never forget her cinnamon rolls, slightly burnt chocolate chip cookies, homemade meat sticks, and cabinetry full of extra large Hershey’s Symphony chocolate bars. Those memories are a big reason why baking means so much to me today.
When I married my husband, I quickly became close to his Grandma Stewart, and she immediately reminded me of my great-grandmother, Grandma Babb. She was sweet and lively, loved chocolate and baking, and because of these shared passions, we connected easily and spent so much time laughing and talking about baking together.
Over the years, I got to enjoy her homemade raspberry jam at Sunday dinners, pies at Thanksgiving, caramel popcorn at Christmas, and her infamous banana cookies with chocolate chips, which I heard her whole family rave about.
After tasting those nostalgic cookies, I knew I had to create a Cookie Club Adventure Cookie inspired by her. Grandma Stewart is the inspiration behind my “Going Bananas” cookie. However sometimes my husband just wants to enjoy his grandma’s famous banana cookies. That’s why I made her recipe healthier. Now he can enjoy one of his favorite childhood treats without sacrificing his health and fitness goals. Life is about balance, and dessert should be enjoyed. When you bake with intention, nothing has to be sacrificed.
Why This Healthier Twist Still Feels Like Home
By swapping a few ingredients with better ingredients Grandma Stewart’s Banana Cookies still feel like home. Offering the same fluffy, muffin like texture our family knows and loves.
The type of flour makes all the difference. Using organic all-purpose unbleached flour keeps cookies light and fluffy while adding natural protein. It’s minimally processed, nutrient-rich, and low in toxins, making it a healthier choice for our bodies without sacrificing taste. Central Milling Organic All Purpose Unbleached Flour is my favorite!
Swapping some of the butter with Greek yogurt lowers fat and adds protein. Extra protein helps the body process sugar more efficiently, keeping glucose levels balanced and our bodies happy. This way, you can enjoy a sweet treat without the sugar spike!
Always use real bananas, because banana cookies just wouldn’t be the same without them. I like bananas that are slightly brown but not too ripe. Overripe bananas work, but they make the cookies extra sweet. I also choose organic to reduce pesticides in my diet and keep the cookies clean and natural.
You don’t need all the sugar a recipe calls for. I cut the sugar in half for this recipe, and it doesn’t change a thing except making the cookies a healthier, more satisfying snack. The type of sugar also matters. Skip bleached, refined white sugar and use organic cane sugar instead. It’s less processed and retains nutrients from the sugar cane, unlike refined sugar, which is stripped of all nutrition. Just Panela Unrefined Cane Sugar is one of my favorite brands as well as MADHAVA Organic Coconut Sugar.
I’ll never use Nestle Toll House chocolate chips. If you read the label, you’ll see it’s not even real chocolate. Real chocolate is made with cocoa beans and cocoa butter, which should be the first or second ingredient in chocolate chips. I prefer brands like Guittard, Enjoy Life, and Hu Chocolate. These brands focus on high-quality ingredients and use natural emulsifiers free from soy.
Grandma’s traditional recipe doesn’t call for salt, but it truly enhances flavor. Not just any salt, though. I bake with Redmond’s Ancient Sea Salt, full of trace minerals, and finish baked goods with French Flaked Sea Salt. It brings out the bananas, makes the chocolate more dreamy, and proves that salt is a baker’s best friend.
Tips for Perfect Fluffy, Muffin-Style Banana Cookies
- Instead of preheating the oven right away, I like to turn it on after the cookie dough is ready. This allows the dough to rest in the refrigerator for 20 minutes. Resting helps the flour develop gluten and the butter solidify, resulting in soft, fluffy, muffin-like cookies.
- Don’t forget stainless steel baking sheets, parchment paper, and a cookie scoop. Dark pans can burn cookies, while parchment paper ensures even baking and provides a non-stick, non-toxic surface. A cookie scoop makes the process cleaner and helps create perfectly round cookies every time.
- Use room temperature ingredients. Like cakes and muffins, these cookies puff up more when the wet ingredients are at room temperature. If ingredients are too cold, the leavening agents may not activate properly during mixing, which can result in flat cookies.
- For perfectly shaped cookies, use a round cookie cutter or the back-side of a spatula as soon as the cookies come out of the oven. Top with extra chocolate chips and a few sea salt flakes for an extra touch. Everyone will be swooning over how beautiful and delicious your cookies look and taste.
Baking Supplies to make the best Banana Cookies
- Cordless KitchenAid Hand Mixer
- Stainless Steel Mixing Bowls with Lids
- Natural Wood Baking Spoons
- Rechargeable Kitchen Scale
- Stainless Steel Baking Sheet Pans
- Unbleached Parchment Paper
- 1.5 Tablespoon Cookie Scoop
Grandma Stewart’s Banana Cookies Made Healthier
Ingredients
Method
- Begin by creaming the softened butter and sugar together until fluffy in a large mixing bowl using a hand mixer.
- Add in the egg, mashed banana, vanilla extract and greek yogurt. Beat until combined.
- Measure in the dry ingredients. The flour, baking powder, sea salt, cinnamon and chocolate chips.
- With a wooden spoon slowly fold in the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients. Stop mixing the moment the last bit of flour dissapears.
- Cover the cookie dough with plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator while the oven preheats.
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and line two stainless steel baking trays with unbleached parchment paper.
- Once the oven is hot and ready shape the dough and place on the cookie sheets to bake. I like using a 1.5 tablespoon cookie scoop. Evenly space up to 12 cookies on a sheet pan at a time to bake.
- Bake the cookies for 12-15 minutes until the bottoms of the cookies are golden brown and tops are nice and fluffy.
- Immediately after baking use a circular cookie cutter or backside of a spatula to press in the un-even edges of the baked cookies for perfectly circular cookies.
- Top the warm cookies with extra chocolate chips and flaked sea salt flakes if you prefer.
- Let the cookies cool completely or enjoy warm. They are your cookies so eat them how you would like.
- Store leftovers in an airtight container for up to 5 days on the countertop.
Other Adventures to Explore
Banana Bread Chocolate Chip Protein Pancakes
My Perfect Peanut Butter Cookie Recipe
Delicious Greek Yogurt Cheesecake
