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    Home » Desserts

    Published: Mar 1, 2023 by Angela · This post may contain affiliate links · 4 Comments

    Banana Cream Pie Cookie Cups

    Jump to Recipe

    These fun banana cream pie cookie cups are sweet & tasty little dessert bites. Ready-prepared sugar cookie dough topped with thick banana pudding filling, lightly whipped cream, & fresh bananas is seriously amazing. This easy recipe for the ultimate bite-sized dessert is fantastic.

    Banana Cream Pie Cookie Cups made with Jello pudding and fresh bananas ready to eat.

    Mini cream pies are always adorable & delicious. Like my mini blueberry muffins, these are hard to resist so enjoy more than one! The combination of two favorites; banana cream pudding pie with classic sugar cookies in this dessert recipe is a pure delight.

    Jump to:
    • Ingredients for Banana Cream Pie Cookie Cups
    • How to Make Easy Banana Pudding Cookie Cups
    • Roll & Bake the Cookie Dough
    • Press & Fill the Cookie Cups
    • Add Toppings to Banana Cream Pie Cookie Cups
    • Top Tips
    • Variations & Substitutions
    • Equipment
    • Storage
    • FAQ
    • Banana Cream Pie Cookie Cups

    Ingredients for Banana Cream Pie Cookie Cups

    This recipe for sugar cookie cups has a Jell-O banana cream pudding filling that is so easy to make. In total all you need is 5 ingredients for this quick & easy recipe. Most are pantry staples plus some fresh milk and bananas.

    This is one of the best dessert recipes that use fresh ripe bananas. Make sure they are ripe but not too mushy. If they are past their prime, soft, & overripe, they are best used in a banana smoothie or in a recipe for creamy banana ice cream.

    The store-bought sugar cookie dough, instant pudding mix, & non-dairy whipped topping are all great shortcut ingredients. The optional toppings are so fun too. So don't skip the Nilla wafers & whipped cream for that classic banana pudding flavor.

    Banana Cream Pie Cookie Cups Ingredients on a table including Jello instant banana pudding, cool whip & more.
    • Refrigerated Store-Bought Sugar Cookie Dough
    • Milk
    • Instant Banana Pudding Mix
    • Cool Whip - room temperature
    • Bananas
    • Reddi-Whip Whipped Cream -optional
    • Nilla Wafers - optional

    See the recipe card for quantities.

    How to Make Easy Banana Pudding Cookie Cups

    Once the ingredients are gathered, it is time to prepare the equipment & oven. Begin by preheating the oven to 325°. Also, make sure the Cool Whip is out of the freezer so it can come to room temperature, you want it soft & thawed.

    This recipe calls for 3 easy steps. I will outline the following in the instructions & images below:

    • Roll & Bake the Cookie Dough
    • Press & Fill the Cookie Cups
    • Add Toppings

    Roll & Bake the Cookie Dough

    To make the cookie cups, you will use store-bought sugar cookie dough. Balls of dough will bake in a mini muffin pan. Baking them in the small holes of the muffin tin ensures these are just the right size.

    Prepare Pan with Parchment Paper

    Do not keep scrolling! You do not want to skip this step. this is my #1 TOP TIP when making any kind of cookie cup recipe. Strips of parchment paper guarantee that the cookie cups do NOT stick to the pan.

    Even nonstick pans & cookie spray will help but not work as well. So do this extra step, it only takes a few minutes.

    Cut strips of parchment paper that will fit inside the muffin pan. You want them to be just long enough that they will stick up. Those little strips will be what you grab to POP the cookie cups right out of the muffin pan.

    Parchment paper strips in each mini muffin hole topped with a ball of sugar cookie dough.

    Roll 1 ½ Tablespoons of sugar cookie dough into a ball and place over the parchment paper in each well of the mini muffin pan.

    Banana Cream Pie Cookie Cups Baked sugar cookie dough hot from the oven baked in mini muffin pan.

    Bake them in the 325° oven for 12-14 minutes. Remove them from the oven carefully & begin pressing them immediately while they are hot.

    Press & Fill the Cookie Cups

    Now it is time to press each cookie down in the wells of the muffin pan. You want to use something that has a flat bottom and is slightly smaller than the muffin wells. I happened to have a tall narrow-shot glass that works perfectly.

    You can use a small tart tamper (shaper) if you have one. In a pinch, use the end of a wooden spoon. It's ok if you have to press down a few times to get a larger center area.

    Pressing the hot sugar cookie dough down using a shot glass.

    Press the centers of the cookies down so that they create a well for the filling. Be careful, you do not break the cookie apart or go too deep and make a hole in the bottom.

    Using your hands, carefully lift each cookie cup out of the muffin pan using the parchment paper strips. Each one should pop right out. Place them on a cooling rack to cool off while you make the banana pudding cream filling.

    Remove the cookie cups and cool on a baking rack.

    Mix the Banana Pudding Pie Filling

    In a medium mixing bowl add the instant banana pudding mix and the milk. Using a whisk, combine the two together. It will be thick and a bit lumpy, but that is ok.

    Hint: This recipe does not use the same amount of milk as if you were making pudding according to the box directions, you want it rich & dense at this stage

    Banana Cream Pie Cookie Cups Whipped instant jello banana pudding and milk in a bowl nice and thick.

    Next, fold in the room temperature Cool-Whip. Gently add ½ of it to the pudding mixture and fold it carefully together. You do not want to stir or mix. Folding ensures the filling is light & airy.

    Add the final bit and fold until it is creamy and combined. The banana cream filling will be a light yellow color at this stage.

    Folding in the cool whip to the banana pudding mix.

    How to Fill Cookie Cups

    Once the filling is ready, scoop it into a pastry bag with a tip or a Ziploc bag. I like to use a Ziploc or sandwich bag that I can fill, tie off, & snip the end off of. That is what I did here cut a very small corner off so I can squirt the filling into each cookie cup.

    Bag of banana pudding filling next to cookie cups.

    With light pressure, gently squeeze the banana pudding filling into each sugar cookie cup. Make sure each one is full and rising taller than the cookie edges. No skipping on the yummy cream pie filling here!

    Banana Cream Pie Cookie Cups Squirting banana pudding cream filling into precooked cookie cups.

    Add Toppings to Banana Cream Pie Cookie Cups

    Once the cookie cups are filled with the banana pudding & Cool-Whip filling, they are almost ready to eat. Simply slice your bananas and place a slice on each cookie. For other topping ideas - see the variations & substitutions section below.

    Banana Cream Pie Cookie Cups Closeup of banana topped cookie cups lined up.

    Top Tips

    All of these great tips are shared in this recipe for the best Banana Cream Pie Cookie Cups. But these are so good and important they are worth mentioning again so you don't miss them.

    • Cut strips of parchment & place them into each muffin pan hole before adding the cookie dough balls.
    • Press the baked cookies gently to create the cup shapes.
    • Gently fold the Cool-Whip into the pudding mixture so it stays light & airy.
    • Cut the bananas once you are ready to top the cookie; otherwise, they will oxidize and turn brown.
    Banana Cream Pie Cookie Cups Topped with banana slices ready to eat on counter and wooden board with bananas next to them.

    Variations & Substitutions

    Here are some great recipe variations & ingredient substitutions that can be made. Add, omit, or use one of these alternatives for other delicious recipe ideas for Banana Cream Pie Cookie Cups

    • Store-bought Cookie Dough - instead of using refrigerated premade sugar cookie dough, you can make your own homemade. Cooking time & temperature may vary.
    • Deluxe - add extra toppings like whole or crushed Nilla Wafers, maraschino cherries, chocolate sauce, sprinkles, or whipped cream.
    • Vanilla - use vanilla pudding instead or banana.
    • Gluten-free Sugar Cookie Dough - use gluten-free sugar cookie mix or your own recipe to make wheat-free cookie cups.

    Banana instant pudding mix made by Jell-O is gluten-free. If you love pudding desserts, also try my Pistachio Pudding Shots for a dessert with alcohol that deserves a lot of cheers.

    Topping variations with whipped cream and Nilla wafers.

    Equipment

    The right ingredients, supplies, & equipment help recipes taste amazing & turn out well.  Here are my recommendations for products that are needed for making this recipe for Banana Cream Pie Cookie Cups.  Shop this recipe & buy these top-rated items today. 

    The Short Order Cook is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program.  As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.  If you click on a link and make a purchase, I may earn a small commission on the sale at no additional cost to you. This helps with the costs of running the blog. Thank you!  

    Banana Cream Pie Cookie Cups on a marble counter lined up ready to eat.

    Storage

    These cookies do not store well once assembled. They are best enjoyed fresh & within 1-2 hours. The cookie will start to soften and the filling should remain not to be at room temperature for a long time.

    You can make the cookie cups ahead of time & store them in an air-tight container on your counter or in your pantry. You can also make the filling ahead of time & store it in the refrigerator for up to 2 days. Once you want to enjoy the cookies, add the premade filling to the baked cookie cups & enjoy.

    Banana Cream Pie Cookie Cups on the counter and wooden board displayed as a dessert buffet.

    FAQ

    Here are answers to some common questions. I hope you find what you need but if not, you are always welcome to send me a comment and I will get back to you. 

    How do I keep the fresh bananas from turning brown?

    In this recipe I advise making the cookies fresh & close to the time you will be enjoying them. To help the sliced bananas stay fresh & slow down the browning process, drizzle them with lemon juice. The acid in the lemons helps slow down the oxidation that causes bananas and other fruits to turn brown.

    Can I make sugar cookies from scratch instead of using store-bought cookie dough?

    Yes, in my substitutions section above I share that you can make your own sugar cookie dough recipe. TIP - The cooking time & temperature may vary.

    Sugar cookies filled with pudding for banana cream cookie cups.

    Banana Cream Pie Cookie Cups

    Angela
    These fun banana cream pie cookie cups are sweet & tasty little dessert bites. Ready-prepared sugar cookie dough filled with thick Jell-O banana cream pudding, lightly whipped cream, & fresh bananas are seriously amazing. This quick & easy recipe is one of the best desserts for using fresh bananas or your mini muffin pan. Only 5 ingredients & ready in less than 30 minutes.
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe
    Prep Time 10 mins
    Cook Time 15 mins
    Total Time 25 mins
    Course Dessert
    Cuisine American
    Servings 24

    Equipment

    • mini muffin pan
    • Parchment Paper

    Ingredients
      

    • 1 package Store-Bought Sugar Cookie Dough Pillsbury 16 ounces
    • 5.1 ounce Banana Cream Jell-O Instant Pudding Mix
    • ½ cup whole milk
    • 8 ounce Cool-Whip non-dairy topping thawed at room temperature
    • 1-2 bananas
    • Nilla Wafers optional
    • Reddi-Whip Whipped Cream optional

    Instructions
     

    • Preheat the oven to 325°
    • Cut small strips of parchment paper that will fit inside each well of the mini muffin pan. These strips will be used to easily LIFT each cookie cup out after baking.
    • Roll 1 ½ Tablespoons of sugar cookie dough into a ball and place over the parchment paper in each well of the mini muffin pan.
    • Bake them in the 325° oven for 12-14 minutes.
    • Remove them from the oven carefully & begin pressing them immediately while they are hot.
      use a tart tamper, wooden spoon, or other small flat kitchen tools that are smaller than the diameter of the cookie. I used a tall narrow shot glass with a flat bottom.
    • Using your hands, carefully lift each cookie cup out of the muffin pan using the parchment paper strips. Place them on a cooling rack to cool off while you make the banana pudding cream filling.
    • In a medium mixing bowl add the instant banana pudding mix and the milk. Using a whisk, combine the two together. It will be thick and a bit lumpy, but that is ok.
    • Gently fold in the thawed Cool-Whip ½ at a time. Fold lightly so the filling stays airy & fluffy. Once all have been folded in, it is time to fill the cookie cups.
    • Scoop the pudding mixture into a pastry bag with a tip or a sandwich bag. I like to use a sandwich bag that I can fill, tie off, & snip the end off of.
    • With light pressure, gently squeeze the banana pudding filling into each sugar cookie cup. Fill so each one has some towering high above the cookie edges.
    • slice your bananas and place a slice on each cookie. If adding additional toppings, do so at this time.
    • Enjoy the Banan Cream Pie Cookie Cups within 1-2 hours of filling.

    Notes

    Nutrition Facts
    Servings: 24
    Amount per serving  
    Calories 127
    % Daily Value*
    Total Fat 4.7g 6%
    Saturated Fat 1.4g 7%
    Cholesterol 6mg 2%
    Sodium 132mg 6%
    Total Carbohydrate 20.3g 7%
    Dietary Fiber 0.1g 0%
    Total Sugars 11.7g  
    Protein 1.2g  
    Vitamin D 2mcg 10%
    Calcium 6mg 0%
    Iron 0mg 2%
    Potassium 25mg 1%
    *The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calorie a day is used for general nutrition advice.
    Keyword 5-ingredient, creamy, dessert, easy, fruit, premade, pudding, simple, sweet
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      Recipe Rating




    1. Catherine Sokolowski says

      March 06, 2023 at 1:57 pm

      These look so cute and perfect for the banana lover in the family!

      Reply
      • Angela says

        March 06, 2023 at 2:36 pm

        Yes totally! I hope you bake them up and enjoy!

        Reply
    2. Jennifer Wise says

      March 06, 2023 at 3:02 pm

      These look delicious! I love banana cream. And I love how easy these are, too. Visiting from Grammy's Grid link party. Pinning!

      Reply
    3. Helen at the Lazy Gastronome says

      March 11, 2023 at 1:04 pm

      Oh these look so good!! Thanks for sharing at the What's for dinner party. I'm looking forward to what you'll bring tomorrow!

      Reply

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    Hi, I'm Angela I’m Angela, a petite mom that loves to cook, eat, drink, & explore all things food. I have been cooking since I could pull up a stool to finally reach the counter. I still rely on my trusty stool every day. I am a former personal chef turned blogger that hopes you find something new & tasty to love while you are here.

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