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Last Updated on March 2, 2025 by becky
A recipe for chocolate chip banana whoopie pies with cinnamon cream cheese frosting. The best chocolate banana whoopie pie recipe!
Why Make These Banana Whoopie Pies?
Like many bakers, I have one go-to recipe for using up a fruit bowl full of overripe bananas: banana bread.
Sure, every now and then I’ll throw a banana into one of my morning smoothies, but for the most part an excess of ripe bananas equals a freshly baked loaf of banana bread. Sometimes with chocolate chips, sometimes with walnuts, sometimes in muffin form, but almost always banana bread.
These banana whoopie pies offer a welcome new addition to any ripe banana recipe repertoire. The batter features miniature chocolate chips, cinnamon, two kinds of sugar, and of course, plenty of bananas. And to complement the chocolate chip banana cakes, I’ve sandwiched a smooth, spiced cinnamon cream cheese frosting in between.
Whoopie Pies: A Pennsylvania Dutch Classic
I grew up in Central Pennsylvania, so I’ve always had a fondness for whoopie pies. Formed by a pair of soft, dome-shaped round cakes with a creamy frosting in the middle, these sandwich-style pies are typically available for purchase at farmers markets, Amish bakeries, bake sales, and roadside farmstands throughout Central PA.
The classic whoopie pie pairing? Chocolate cakes and a smooth vanilla frosting. However, there are plenty of variations: There are chocolate chip, peanut butter, red velvet, raspberry, pumpkin, and even rainbow buttercream whoopie pies.
So, why not banana whoopie pies, too?
Banana Whoopie Pie Ingredients
To make chocolate chip banana whoopie pies, you’ll need the following ingredients:
- All Purpose Flour – Or plain flour. Brands like Gold Medal and Pillsbury are good choices for US bakers; in the UK I recommend McDougall’s in the red-and-white striped bag.
- Baking Powder and Baking Soda – Baking powder and baking soda (bicarb of soda) act as leavening agents.
- Spices – You’ll need ground cinnamon for the cakes, and more for the frosting. (I purchase ground cinnamon in bulk from Amazon, or buy big bags from the international aisle at the supermarket.) I’ve also added a pinch of nutmeg.
- Fine Sea Salt – To cut the sweetness of the sugars.
- Unsalted Butter – You’ll need softened unsalted butter for the cake batter, and more to make the frosting.
- Sugars – The whoopie pie cakes require a mix of granulated sugar and light brown sugar (dark brown sugar will also work, but will produce darker cakes with a more molasses-forward flavor). You’ll also need confectioner’s sugar (icing sugar) to make the cream cheese frosting.
- Ripe Bananas – 2-3 very ripe bananas, peeled and mashed. If you have a half banana left over, try adding it to my almond date smoothie recipe.
- Sour Cream – Or plain, full-fat Greek yogurt.
- Egg – To make the cake portion of the whoopie pies, you’ll need 1 large egg, at room temperature.
- Vanilla Bean Paste – I’ve added vanilla bean paste to both the cake batter and the frosting. You can substitute vanilla extract, or the scrapings of a vanilla pod.
- Miniature Chocolate Chips – Miniature chocolate chips work best in this recipe; full-size chips will clog your piping bag. (Leftover mini chocolate chips are great for anything pipeable, like mint chocolate chip buttercream.)
- Cream Cheese – I developed this recipe with block-style American cream cheese. I have not tested these whoopie pies with British cream cheese. (Please see this post for more on the differences between the two.)
Tips and Tricks for Making Banana Whoopie Pies
To make homemade whoopie pies, I recommend buying disposable piping bags to pipe the batter, and a hand mixer or stand mixer for making the smoothest, creamiest cream cheese frosting.
This recipe will yield approximately 12 3-inch chocolate chip banana whoopie pies. You can also pipe smaller rounds of batter to make miniature banana whoopie pies.
Make-Ahead and Storage Suggestions
For freshness, I suggest baking the cakes on the day you plan to serve your banana whoopie pies.
You can prepare the cinnamon cream cheese frosting up to 24 hours in advance. Cover the bowl and refrigerate it until ready to use, or scoop the frosting into a piping bag and refrigerate. (This is my preferred method because a piping bag takes up less space than a mixing bowl!) Before piping, allow the frosting to sit at room temperature for a few minutes.
You can keep the whoopie pies at room temperature if you plan to serve them that day. For overnight storage, I suggest refrigeration due to the cream cheese frosting. Layer leftover whoopie pies between sheets of parchment or wax paper and store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days, or freeze for up to 3 months.
Other whoopie pie recipes you might enjoy:
Whoopie Pies with Lemon Buttercream
Raspberry Mojito Whoopie Pies
Miniature Watermelon Whoopie Pies
Red Velvet Whoopie Pies with Strawberry Buttercream
And if you do make these, or any of my recipes, don’t forget to tag me @bastecutfold or use the hashtag #bastecutfold on Instagram. I always love to see what you’re making!
Chocolate Chip Banana Whoopie Pies
A recipe for banana chocolate chip whoopie pies with cinnamon cream cheese frosting. The best chocolate banana whoopie pie recipe!
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes (per tray)
- Total Time: 1 hour
- Yield: 12 3-inch whoopie pies 1x
- Category: Whoopie Pies
- Method: Oven
- Cuisine: Pennsylvania Dutch
Ingredients
Whoopie Pies:
320 grams all-purpose flour (2 1/2 cups)
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon fine sea salt
Pinch ground nutmeg
100 grams unsalted butter, softened
100 grams granulated sugar (1/2 cup)
100 grams light brown sugar (1/2 cup)
250 grams overripe bananas, mashed (8 3/4 ounces; about 2 1/2 large bananas)
60 grams sour cream (1/4 cup)
1 large egg, at room temperature
1/2 teaspoon vanilla bean paste
85 grams miniature chocolate chips (1/2 cup)
Frosting:
225 grams cream cheese, softened (8-ounce package)
50 grams unsalted butter, softened (4 tablespoons)
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste
135 grams confectioner’s sugar (1 cup), plus more to adjust consistency
Instructions
Whoopie Pies:
Preheat oven to 350° F / 175° C.
Line 2 half sheet rimmed baking trays with parchment or silicone baking mats. Set aside.
In a large mixing bowl, combine flour, baking soda, baking powder, ground cinnamon, fine sea salt, and ground nutmeg.
In a separate mixing bowl, or the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment, mix softened butter on high speed until smooth and creamy.
Add granulated sugar and light brown sugar and mix until fluffy and well-combined.
Add the mashed bananas, sour cream, egg, and vanilla bean paste, and mix on high speed until well-combined, about 2 minutes.
Gradually add dry ingredients, mixing well after each addition.
With a rubber spatula, fold in the miniature chocolate chips.
Scoop batter into a large piping bag.
Pipe onto prepared trays in 2-inch rounds, allowing 2-3 inches of space for the pies to spread as they bake. You should have about 24 rounds total.
With damp fingertips, pat down the top of each cake to smooth.
Bake in preheated oven, 1 tray at a time, for 15-16 minutes, or until edges are lightly brown and cakes spring back when touched.
Cool completely on trays. Meanwhile, prepare the frosting.
Frosting:
In a large mixing bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer, mix cream cheese, butter, ground cinnamon, and vanilla bean paste on high speed until light and fluffy.
Gradually add the confectioner’s sugar, mixing well after each addition. If necessary, add more confectioner’s sugar to adjust consistency. (Frosting should be smooth and creamy, but not runny.)
Pair cakes by size.
Scoop frosting into a piping bag. Pipe a generous dollop of frosting on the flat sides of half of the cakes.
Place a second cake on top of the frosting to create a sandwich.
Store whoopie pies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 1 day, or in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
