france & nutella

Ingredients to make Banana-Nutella-Granola Cookies!

If you have been to Paris, then you have probably had a Nutella crepe and possibly of Banana-Nutella crepe.  And when you arrived home after your amazing vacation you most likely went to the store, got yourself a little jar of Nutella, and came home and made yourself some crepes!  I know that after every trip I make to Paris, one of the first things I want to make are crepes, it keeps the illusion that you haven’t left the City of Light alive in your heart.  It’s been a year and 3 months since I was last there – when Dave, Connor, and I went over to join Marissa for a wonderful 2-week vacation.  Needless to say, we had to bring her home, kicking and screaming, after her magical “semester abroad!”   Plus my mentor and dear friend, Barbara Pool Fenzl, owner of Les Gourmettes Cooking School, just left this very day for France, so in her honor, I made no crepes – since there is no one here to eat them with me 🙁   But instead cookies.  As we all know,  you can freeze cookies and share them with loved ones when they come home to visit from college!

NOTE: In the “ingredients” photo at the top, you’ll notice that the bananas are quite brown.  This is because once bananas become ripe on my counter, and I don’t have the time to bake, I place them in either the refrigerator or the freezer. Either option turns the skin as brown as brown can be.  If refrigerated, use within a few days, and if frozen, best within a few weeks.

Banana-Nutella-Granola Cookies

2 very ripe bananas, peeled and mashed
1 cup Nutella (chocolate-hazelnut spread)
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
2 eggs
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup granola cereal

Glazed and ready to eat!

Nutella Glaze

2/3 cup powdered sugar
1 tablespoon water
1 tablespoon Nutella

In a medium bowl, cream together mashed banana, Nutella, both sugars, and eggs until smooth. In a separate bowl whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt. Add to wet mixture until just blended, then stir in granola. Refrigerate mixture for 1 hour.

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Drop cookie dough by heaping spoonfuls or with a #40 scoop onto a Silpat lined or an ungreased cookie sheet.

Bake for 15 minutes. Remove from oven and allow cookies to cool on pan 5 minutes before moving to wire racks.

Stir together powdered sugar and water in a small bowl, and stir in Nutella until smooth. Using a dinner fork, drizzle glaze over cookies. Cool cookies completely to allow the glaze to set before storing in airtight containers.

Makes 28 soft and chewy cookies