Recipe Review

The “Banana Pudding” Cookies Everyone Begs Me to Make (They Taste Just Like the Southern Classic!)

Lauren Miyashiro
Lauren MiyashiroExecutive Editor at The Kitchn
My career would be very different had I not grown up watching Iron Chef Japan and The Barefoot Contessa with my dad. As a college student in New York City, I jumped at the opportunity to intern at Food Network, where I ended up returning shortly after graduation. I later went to culinary school, then moved onto Delish, where I did a little bit of everything when it comes to recipes — assign, develop, test, edit, and style. In 2021, I moved across the country and started at The Kitchn. I began by working to expand our library of classic recipes before managing the food team. Over the last year, we’ve done a ton of behind-the-scenes work to evolve our recipes. They’re not only ridiculously delicious — they’re also smart, fun, gorgeous, and as helpful as possible. I couldn’t be more proud. Now, I help oversee the content across the whole site. I’m just as committed to helping you figure out what to cook for dinner on a night when you just can’t as I am to finding the best store-bought salad dressing or the cleaning hack that makes things 100x easier.
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published Aug 24, 2024
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A photo of a banana pudding cookies.
Credit: Kayla Hoang

Cookies are my love language. I find every excuse I can to make them — be it a birthday, the last day of school, the first day of school, the Bridgerton finale, or just a rough Tuesday. Smitten Kitchen’s consummate chocolate chip cookies, Christine’s classic shortbread (just four ingredients!), and Kelli’s three-ingredient peanut butter cookies are regulars in my baking rotation, but I’ve got a new fave: banana pudding cookies. 

Magnolia Bakery’s banana pudding might be one of my top three favorite bakery desserts and, luckily for me, our classic recipe comes pretty dang close. The only problem is that it’s ginormous — like, you’ll need to gather at least 15 people to eat it kind of big. What’s much easier to make on the fly is a batch of cookies. And this crispy-on-the-outside, chewy-and-kinda-fudgy-on-the-inside recipe perfectly captures the magic of banana pudding in cookie form. 

Get the recipe: Banana Pudding Cookies 

What Makes Banana Pudding Cookies So Good 

It’s a little niche, I know, but I’ve had banana pudding cookies before, and I can confidently say no other recipe compares to this one. Most others are cakey, which is not a characteristic I typically care for in a cookie. Kayla Hoang, whom I trust deeply when it comes to all things baking, discovered that by skipping a whole egg and using a banana and egg yolk in its place, you get the perfect chewy texture, plus an extra bit of banana flavor.

Then of course, there’s the pudding mix, which goes right into the dough. It not only infuses each bite with the iconic vanilla flavor, but also helps to keep the cookies soft and tender. Crushed Nilla wafers are a must, obviously, and the toasty, crisp bits on top are my favorite. I don’t usually love white chocolate chips, but they really work here! They add a little pop of milky sweetness to round everything out. 

The next time you need a little sunshine or comfort, bake up a batch of these. And if you share them with friends, fully expect for them to demand you make them again. I may or may not know from experience. 

Get the recipe: Banana Pudding Cookies  

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