Banana pudding cookies: Banana pudding cookies borrow familiar banana-pudding flavors—ripe banana, vanilla pudding, and crushed vanilla wafers—and bring them into a soft baked cookie. Using dry instant pudding mix in the dough is different from adding prepared pudding.
This version includes mashed ripe banana for flavor, dry instant vanilla pudding mix for texture, and wafer pieces for a little crunch. The dough is soft, so a brief chill helps make scooping easier.
What Gives Banana Pudding Cookies Their Flavor?
These banana pudding cookies combine ripe banana, dry instant vanilla pudding mix, vanilla wafers and optional white chocolate chips. The mash adds moisture and the wafer pieces change texture depending on how finely they’re crushed. This is an editorially developed cookie formulation, not a tested batch.
Ingredients and Equipment
Measure ¾ cup (170 g) softened unsalted butter, the brown and white sugars, ½ cup mashed ripe banana, one large egg yolk, vanilla, flour and dry instant pudding mix. Keep the wafer pieces fairly coarse and add the optional white chocolate chips at the end. Use a scale if possible because banana size and flour packing can change the dough.
Useful equipment: mixing bowls, a baking sheet, parchment paper and a spatula. Read all steps before cooking.
Banana Pudding Cookies with Vanilla Wafers: Full Recipe
Estimated preparation: 15 minutes; active cook time: 13 minutes; cooling/chilling or resting: 30 minutes; total: 58 minutes. Yield: About 18 cookies.
PrintBanana Pudding Cookies with Vanilla Wafers
Banana pudding cookies borrow familiar banana-pudding flavors—ripe banana, vanilla pudding, and crushed vanilla wafers—and bring them into a soft baked cookie. Using dry instant pudding mix in the dough is different from adding prepared pudding. Developed from editorial research; not kitchen-tested.
- Total Time: 58 minutes
- Yield: About 18 cookies 1x
Ingredients
- ¾ cup (170 g) unsalted butter, softened
- ½ cup (100 g) packed light brown sugar
- ¼ cup (50 g) granulated sugar
- ½ cup (about 120 g) mashed ripe banana
- 1 large egg yolk (discard or reserve the white for another cooked dish)
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1¾ cups (220 g) all-purpose flour
- 1 (3.4-ounce / 96 g) packet instant vanilla pudding mix, dry (not prepared)
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon fine salt
- ¾ cup (about 60 g) coarsely crushed vanilla wafer cookies
- ½ cup (about 85 g) white chocolate chips, optional
Get Recipe IngredientsInstructions
- Heat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Line two baking sheets with parchment. In one bowl, whisk flour, dry instant pudding powder, baking soda, and salt.
Banana, instant pudding and wafer ingredients (AI illustration). - In a separate large bowl, beat the softened butter with both sugars until combined and lighter in texture, about 2 minutes.
- Beat in mashed banana, egg yolk, and vanilla. The mixture may look slightly curdled because of the banana; that is expected.
- Mix the dry ingredients into the wet just until no flour streaks remain. Fold in crushed vanilla wafers and white chocolate chips if using.
- Cover and chill the soft dough about 20 minutes. Scoop roughly 18 heaped tablespoon portions, spacing them about 2 inches apart, and flatten lightly.
- Bake about 11–13 minutes until the edges look lightly golden and centers are set rather than glossy or wet. Baking time depends on scoop size and oven.
- Cool cookies on the tray about 10 minutes before moving to a rack. Serve without adding fresh banana slices unless eating immediately; wet toppings soften cookies.
Notes
Contains wheat, milk (butter and possibly pudding/chocolate) and egg; packaged pudding mix, wafers and chips may add soy or other allergens. Use dry instant pudding powder, never prepared pudding. Estimated 15-minute prep, 20-minute dough chill, up to 13-minute bake and 10-minute cooling; per-batch timing can add extra baking time. Do not eat raw dough containing flour and egg. Editorially developed, not kitchen-tested.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Chilling and cooling: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 13 minutes
- Category: Dessert
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cookie
Why Are These Called Banana Pudding Cookies?
The combination of ripe banana, vanilla pudding mix and wafer pieces recalls the components of classic banana pudding, but the finished dessert is a baked cookie rather than a layered chilled pudding. It has a softer, cake-like center when more banana is used.
Instant Pudding Mix: Dry or Prepared?
Add the dry powder straight from the packet. Do not mix it with milk first; prepared pudding would add too much liquid. Look for instant vanilla pudding mix, not a cook-and-serve mix, because the products behave differently.
How Ripe Should the Banana Be?
Use a ripe yellow banana with brown speckles. Very watery or overripe mashed banana can make the dough loose, so measure the mash instead of adding a whole banana of unknown size. If the batter is sticky, chill it before scooping.
How to Avoid Flat or Soggy Cookies
Do not melt the butter. Use parchment and leave enough space between dough portions. Rough wafer crumbs bring texture; grinding them into dust removes the crunchy contrast. Let the cookies cool on the sheet so they finish setting.
Can You Make Them Ahead?
Cover and refrigerate scooped cookie dough for up to one day before baking, using clean utensils and safe refrigeration. Do not eat raw dough: the FDA cautions that uncooked flour and raw eggs can contain harmful bacteria.
Storing the Baked Cookies
Once fully cooled, keep in a covered container in a cool, dry place for a short period, and use promptly because the banana contributes moisture. For longer storage, freeze cooled cookies and thaw covered to avoid excess condensation. Discard cookies that show spoilage.
How to Serve It and What to Make Next
Let the cookies cool until their centers have set. Serve them plain or with milk; banana slices or whipped cream are better added immediately before eating rather than stored on top of the cookies. For another cookie idea, see our chickpea chocolate chip cookies; for a chilled dessert, explore chia pudding.
How Do You Know When Banana Pudding Cookies Are Baked?
The key signs are light golden edges and centers that look set rather than shiny or wet; do not rely on a clock alone. A 20-minute chill can make this banana-rich dough easier to scoop. Bake a small test cookie first if you are uncertain about your oven or dough consistency, then adjust the remaining portions. This is especially helpful because this particular formula has not yet been physically tested by the editorial team.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does the instant pudding need to be cooked first?
No. Use dry instant vanilla pudding mix directly in the dough; prepared pudding changes the moisture balance.
Can I use banana pudding mix instead of vanilla?
An instant banana-flavored pudding mix may work, but it will give a more artificial banana flavor and is an untested swap for this formulation.
Why are banana pudding cookies soft?
Mashed banana adds moisture. Chill the dough, measure ingredients carefully, bake until the edges are set and let cookies cool fully.
Can I leave out the white chocolate chips?
Yes. The wafers and pudding mix still provide the main banana-pudding character.
Can I eat the dough raw?
No. This dough contains uncooked flour and egg. Bake it before eating and wash surfaces and tools after handling the raw dough.
Sources and Editorial Notes
The method draws on general cooking techniques and product guidance, not a claim of first-hand testing. Useful references: banana-pudding cookie technique; FDA flour safety. Brands, ingredients and times may change; verify before publication.
Editorial disclosure: This formulation has not been prepared or taste-tested by HeartlyRecipes. Illustrative images, if added, are AI generated rather than photographs of a tested batch.
