I’ve been experimenting again with boxes of instant pudding, and this time I set out to make a cookie that tastes like a classic banana split. My husband came home from the store with an armful of pudding mixes, and lucky for me one of them was banana cream. I wanted to build a cookie that combined the flavors and textures of a banana split — banana, chocolate, strawberry, pineapple, nuts and a bit of coconut — all in a soft, chewy cookie.

To achieve that, I used instant banana cream pudding in the dough and added chocolate chips, white chocolate chips, chopped nuts (I used cashews when I didn’t have peanuts on hand), chopped sweetened dried pineapple and freeze-dried strawberries. I kept the strawberries separate and folded them in last so they wouldn’t color or change the dough texture. The combination gives you the creamy, fruity and chocolatey elements you expect in a banana split.

The dough came together beautifully. I chopped larger freeze-dried strawberry pieces in half so they would fold in evenly without breaking down. This preserves their concentrated flavor and keeps the dough from turning an odd color.

I portioned the dough into walnut-sized balls and flattened them slightly before baking because the cookies don’t spread much. A light sprinkle of kosher salt on top contrasts nicely with the sweetness and heightens the overall flavor.

Bake these until the edges are lightly browned but the tops still look soft. They will seem underdone when you take them out, but they set up as they cool — so resist the urge to overbake. After cooling, I dipped the tops in a simple glaze and added a maraschino cherry half to the center, a dusting of lightly toasted coconut and a few colorful sprinkles for that classic banana-split look.

Out of the batch I intended to make thirty cookies, a few disappeared while still warm — my husband couldn’t resist tasting them fresh from the oven. I also toasted a little coconut to sprinkle on top, which adds a pleasant crunch and aroma. On a hot day the glaze softened a bit outdoors, but the cookies were still delicious at any temperature: chilled, room temperature or slightly warmed by the sun.

So did these cookies actually taste like a banana split? Yes — the banana pudding, chocolate and white chips, strawberry pieces, pineapple and toasted coconut combine to recreate that familiar dessert in cookie form. They’re a fun, summery treat that pairs nicely with a tall glass of milk or a cold milkshake.

Try them soon while summer is here — they disappear fast and are enjoyed at any temperature. Whether you prefer your cookies chilled, at room temperature, or warm from the sun, these deliver a satisfying mix of textures and flavors.

If banana-split flavors aren’t your favorite, you can adapt this pudding-cookie method to other combinations such as salted white chocolate with butter rum, double chocolate with pecans and sea salt, or white chocolate with pistachios and a splash of liqueur.

Yield: 28 – 30 cookies

Soft & Chewy Banana Split Pudding Cookies

Ingredients

2¼ cups flour
1 tsp. baking soda
2 sticks butter, softened
1 cup white sugar
1 (3.4 oz.) box instant banana cream pudding mix
2 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
1 tsp. “ripe banana” flavoring*
1 cup quality milk chocolate chips such as Ghirardelli
1 cup quality white chocolate chips, (same as above)
1/3 cup coarsely chopped peanuts or cashews, salted or unsalted
1/2 cup chopped sweetened dried pineapple
1 cup coarsely chopped dried, or freeze dried, strawberries
sea salt, to sprinkle lightly

For Glaze:

1 cup powdered sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
1 Tbl. very soft butter
5 Tbl. heavy cream

For “Toppings”:

maraschino cherries, drained and halved or quartered
lightly toasted coconut, (about a 1/3 of a cup)
colored sprinkles

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350º F (175º C).

Sift, or whisk well, the flour and baking soda, set aside.

In a large mixing bowl, cream together the butter and sugar. Beat in instant pudding mix until blended. Mix in the eggs, vanilla and banana flavoring until combined, but not over mixed. Blend in the flour mixture.

Fold in the chocolate chips, nut and fruit mixture. *Fold in freeze dried strawberries last, adding as you fold.

Drop cookies by large rounded spoonfuls onto ungreased cookie sheets. (*The size of a large walnut.) Lightly press cookies flatter with palm of hand.

Lightly sprinkle tops with kosher or sea salt.

Bake for 10 to 12 minutes in preheated oven. Edges should be lightly browned. Don’t over bake.

Remove from baking sheet carefully to a rack to cool.

*They will look like they aren’t done, but they will set up as they cool. (While cookies are cooling, set up toppings.)

When cooled, make glaze.

For Glaze:

In medium bowl, mix ingredients until smooth.

To Finish:

Dip tops of cookies into creamy glaze letting excess drip away, turn over onto cooling rack. Top with a piece of maraschino cherry in the center, then sprinkle with toasted coconut and colored sprinkles.

Chill to set glaze. Store cookies in an airtight container on the counter for softer cookies, or in the fridge.

Notes

The “Ripe Banana” flavoring I used is one I order online, but you can use any brand you prefer or omit it if you want a subtler banana note. The instant pudding adds moisture and flavor but can be adapted to other pudding varieties to create different cookie profiles.