nutella-stuffed banana cookies

did you know you could make cookies with bananas? I always thought they were far too moist to make proper cookies – and I was right, sorta. cookie is a misnomer for the delicious rounds of banana whatchamacallit these are – they are deeply caramelized, crazy fragrant, not nearly as filling as a slice of dense banana cake – not there’s anything really wrong with that; and really, I think it’s best to imagine these as a browned muffin top.

but like loads better, because there is nutella.

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I rather like the inclusion of fruit into baked things – there’s something positively healthful about it. we had tiny local bananas going to blackness on the counter – these were the 40-day bananas, or pisang 40 hari, a short-stout variant with a stronger flavour and more complex sweetness than the delmonte sort. I suggest looking for these if you can – they truly do provide a subtler intensity and better flavour to baked goods.

and with the oats, well. truly good for you.

I was rather impatient and didn’t let my dough firm up nearly as long as it could have – but I don’t think it mattered. the serving suggestion in the original recipe made for huge cookies (we’re talking 60g worth of dough each), and while they were still plenty tasty, I preferred them a little smaller – which, very helpfully, also made the nutella-to-cookie ratio a little skewed toward the left.

there isn’t really much to tell you that the photos don’t – they baked up large and slightly domed, with the smell of them baking permeating the entire house like the most insane banana bread you’ve ever made. on the day of baking, they’re still recognizably cookie-like, though already a little cakey – but if you wait a day or two, the flavors meld together even better, the cookies become positively muffin-like, and they are all too easy to finish. and if you live in a warm country like I do, then the nutella keeps semi-molten – so decadent. it makes me hungry just thinking about it.

p.s. I know it looks a little like I burnt my cookies – but they weren’t. these large ones do take a little longer to cook, and I found that the darker cookies were much yummier, so I tried to grab them just before they went incontrovertibly over to the dark side. make these! you won’t regret it.

nutella-stuffed banana cookies (adapted from recipegirl)
makes about 14 giant cookies (about 4.5″ across), or 28 medium ones cups

170g unsalted butter, soft
100g white sugar
90g brown sugar
1 egg
1.5 tsp vanilla
150g bananas, mashed
160g plain flour
1 tsp salt
0.5 tsp baking soda
85g rolled oats

1. beat unsalted butter with the brown and white sugars until light and fluffy. beat in the egg and vanilla.
2. fold in the banana; then fold in the flour, salt and baking soda. stir in the oats, and chill till cold – this took a couple of hours.
3. when you’re ready to bake, preheat your oven top 190C. divide your dough into 28 or 56 portions (30g and 15g balls respectively – I think the smaller ones are better).
4. now form your cookies: flatten one dough ball, spoon/pipe as much nutella as you’d like, and then gently mold another ball of dough over to seal the nutella in. place your cookies well apart on a lined baking sheet, almost 2 inches or more if you don’t want them to touch. chill in the fridge while waiting to bake.
5. bake the cookies until they are set in the centre – about 14-16 minutes – I let mine get well-browned and rather dark around the edges for a deeply caramelized flavor.
6. cool on the pans for 5 minutes, then remove from the rack and cool completely.

this is my contribution to the monthly link party, our growing edge, which connects food bloggers and inspires us to try new things. this month’s party is hosted by me (!!) at andmorefood – and if you’ve had any new food experiences this month, come and join us!

p.s. won’t you get in on the party? it’s going to be awesome!