A lovely subtle banana thumbprint that is coated in pecan pieces, filled with creamy caramel, and drizzled with melty chocolate and flakey salt. It’s a bananas twist on the classic turtle flavor combo.

A banana thumbprint cookie stuffed with caramel, drizzled with chocolate.

Banana Turtle Cookie

This banana turtle cookie is an absolute experience. At first bite, you taste the chocolate, caramel, and pecans. Then the banana sneaks up on you at the end in a delicious, subtle way. The texture of the thumbprint cookie is super soft – not crumbly like you might anticipate a normal thumbprint to be and paired with the crunchy pecans the texture is unparalleled.

A banana turtle cookie with a bite taken out of it sitting on a pile of other cookies.

Ingredients

*Find instructions and exact quantities in the recipe card at the bottom of the post.

Salted butter, softened – I always, always use salted butter. If you don’t have any on hand, you can use unsalted and add an extra pinch of salt to the dough.
Brown sugar
Granulated sugar
Mashed overripe banana – This adds moisture and the best subtle flavoring!
Egg
Vanilla
All-purpose flour
Corn starch – The corn starch really will help give the cookie a nice and soft texture that you’ll love.
Salt
Chopped pecans, for rolling – Adds the absolute perfect little crunch to the cookie.
Soft caramels – Use whatever your favorite brand is!
Heavy cream
Semisweet chocolate chips – You can also use milk or dark chocolate, should you desire.
Flake salt, for topping

Aerial view of banana turtle thumbprint cookies.

How to Make Banana Turtle Cookies

Preheat the oven to 350° F (180°C). Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat. Set aside.
In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream the softened butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar until light in color and fluffy in texture.
Scrape the sides of the bowl and add in the mashed banana, egg, and vanilla. Mix until combined.
Add in the flour, cornstarch, and salt. Mix until a soft dough forms.
Scoop the cookies using a #24 cookie scoop (about 2.5 Tbsp) and roll into balls.
Roll each ball in the chopped pecans, then gently roll the coated ball in your hands to push the pecan pieces into the dough slightly.
Arrange on your prepared cookie sheet. Use the back of a tablespoon spoon to press down in the center of each dough ball to create your thumbprint crater. Do not wait until after baking to create this crater, the cookies will crack and fall apart.
Bake at 350° for 10 mins.
As soon as they come out of the oven use the same tablespoon spoon to define your thumbprint.
Allow to cool for 10 mins on the cookie sheet before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
Once cool, melt the caramels and heavy cream in the microwave in 30 second increments until smooth, stirring in between.
Carefully spoon caramel into the center of each cookie. Allow the caramel to set up, the cookies can be placed in the fridge to help speed up this process.
Once the caramel has set up, drizzle melted milk chocolate onto the tops of the cookies. Let the chocolate set up.
Store at room temperature or in the fridge for up to 4 days. Enjoy!

A pile of chocolate, pecan, caramel, chocolate banana cookies.

How should I store?

Once cooled, store your cookies in an airtight container at room temperature or in the fridge for up to 4 days! These cookies also freeze really well and can be stored in a resealable freezer bag for up to 3 months.

I have a post all about how to freeze cookies if you need more guidance!

Karli’s Kitchen Faves

Here are a few of my favorite kitchen tools that I used to make this recipe!

Kitchenaid Mixer – I really love this thing. It’s not necessary for making good cookies, but I love the size of the bowl and the power. It saves me a lot of arm aches. Hand Mixer – This is also an excellent option for when you don’t want to mix things by hand.
Cookie Sheet – These cookie sheets have put in WORK in my kitchen. If you’re looking for a brand that will stand the test of time (and cookies), this is my recommendation.
Silicone baking mat – I love using this or parchment paper to line my cookie sheets to make it easy-peasy to get cookies off of the pan without sticking.
Cookie scoop set – These are sturdy and won’t break when it, you know, scoops dough. I love these for making pretty + even cookies. I used a #24 scoop for these cookies.

A banana thumbprint cookie rolled in pecans, filled with caramel, drizzled with chocolate and topped with sea salt. Across the top it says "turtles gone bananas"

Best Banana Recipes

Turtles Gone Bananas

A lovely subtle banana thumbprint that is coated in pecan pieces, filled with creamy caramel, and drizzled with melty chocolate. It’s a bananas twist on the classic turtle flavor combo.

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Print Pin Rate

Prep Time: 30

Cook Time: 10

Servings: cookies

Calories: 185kcal

Ingredients

1 cup salted butter, softened
1 cup brown sugar
½ cup granulated sugar
1/3 cup mashed overripe banana (about 1 small banana, but I suggest measuring to get the right consistency)
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla
3 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
½ Tbsp corn starch
½ tsp salt
2 cups chopped pecans, for rolling
40 soft caramels
2 ½ Tbsp heavy cream
1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips, melted
flakey sea salt, for topping

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350° F (180°C). Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat. Set aside.
In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream the softened butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar until light in color and fluffy in texture.
1 cup salted butter, softened, 1 cup brown sugar, ½ cup granulated sugar
Scrape the sides of the bowl and add in the mashed banana, egg, and vanilla. Mix until combined.
1/3 cup mashed overripe banana, 1 egg, 1 tsp vanilla
Add in the flour, cornstarch, and salt. Mix until a soft dough forms.
3 ¼ cups all-purpose flour, ½ Tbsp corn starch, ½ tsp salt
Scoop the cookies using a #24 cookie scoop (about 2.5 Tbsp) and roll into balls.
Roll each ball in the chopped pecans, then gently roll the coated ball in your hands to push the pecan pieces into the dough slightly.
2 cups chopped pecans, for rolling
Arrange on your prepared cookie sheet. Use the back of a tablespoon spoon to press down in the center of each dough ball to create your thumbprint crater. Do not wait until after baking to create this crater, the cookies will crack and fall apart.
Bake at 350° for 10 mins.
As soon as they come out of the oven use the same tablespoon spoon to define your thumbprint.
Allow to cool for 10 mins on the cookie sheet before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
Once cool, melt the caramels and heavy cream in the microwave in 30 second increments until smooth, stirring in between.
40 soft caramels, 2 ½ Tbsp heavy cream
Carefully spoon caramel into the center of each cookie. Allow the caramel to set up, the cookies can be placed in the fridge to help speed up this process.
Once the caramel has set up, drizzle melted milk chocolate onto the tops of the cookies. Top with flake salt, if desired. Let the chocolate set up.
1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips, melted, flakey sea salt, for topping
Store at room temperature or in the fridge for up to 4 days. Enjoy!