Banana Whoopie Pies with Nutella Cream Cheese Frosting

Whoopie pies have become the latest trend. Actually, they were the latest trend half a year ago, so maybe not so trendy anymore but perhaps a staple? I really have no idea but I make things that appeal to me, no matter the trend. When I saw these little babies, I knew I had to make them. Bananas and Nutella have to be about the most classic combination ever and one of my absolute favorites.

These babies weren't hard to whip up at all, just a quick not-much-of-a-fuss batter and a simple cream cheese and Nutella filling. The cake tops were moist and full of banana flavor while the filling was creamy and oh-so-Nutella-y! Though these were delicious, the filling was a bit too sweet for my taste (although my friends loved them). I think next time I will try it with less powdered sugar but I added the full amount for fear of the filling being too runny. Also, the cake tops are quite moist so you pretty much should eat these right away as they attach to any surface you put them on. I recommend separating each with some tissue paper or parchment paper.

Banana Whoopie Pies with Nutella Cream Cheese Frosting

Yields: about 20 mini whoopie pies

Original recipe here.

For the banana cakes:

2 cups flour

1/2 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. salt

1 tsp. cinnamon

1/2 cup mashed banans (1 large extra-ripe banana)

1/2 cup sour cream

1 stick butter, room temperature

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 cup light brown sugar, packed lightly

1 egg

1 tsp. vanilla

For the nutella cream cheese frosting:

1/2 stick butter, room temperature, cut into cubes

8 oz. cream cheese, room temperature, cut into cubes

1/2 cup nutella

1 tsp. vanilla

1 1/2 - 2 cups powdered sugar, sifted

Preheat oven to 350 F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silpat, set aside. In a bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, soda, cinnamon and salt, set aside. In another small bowl, stir to combine the mashed bananas and sour cream, set aside. Beat the butter and sugars on medium high for about 3 minutes, until light and fluffy. Add the egg and vanilla and beat until incorporated. Add the banana mixture and flour to the butter mixture in two separate additions, alternating between wet and dry. Using a scoop or a piping bag fitted with a large tip, form small mounds on the prepared baking sheet, leaving about 1 - 1 1/2 inches between each. Bake for 12 - 15 minutes and let cool before filling.

To make the frosting, beat the butter and cream cheese on medium high for 3 minutes, until light and fluffy. Beat in the nutella and vanilla until completely incorporated. Gradually beat in the powdered sugar until desired consistency, until stiff peaks are reached. Using a piping bag or spoon, spread a small amount of frosting onto the bottom half of the cakes, and top with another cookie. Roll in sprinkles, if desired. Keep refrigerated until serving.

Ready to bite into this thing!

Pretty little things:

Nutella Banana Wontons

What to do with extra wonton wrappers?

Make dessert wontons!

These are really simple and impossibly easy. Stuff some wonton wrappers with anything your heart desires; mine heart happened to flutter with the thoughts of Nutella and banana combined. Mmmmm. Topped with some creamy vanilla bean ice cream and simple raspberry coulis? Simply divine. These are best, best, best fresh out of the fryer but they were still good warmed in the oven later on.

Nutella Banana Wontons

Yields: 20 wontons

Original recipe can be found here.

For the wontons:

20 wonton wrappers

2 medium sized ripe bananas, sliced

Nutella

Vegetable oil, for frying

Water, for sealing

For the raspberry coulis:

2 cups fresh or frozen raspberries, thawed

2 - 3 tsp. sugar

1 tsp. lemon juice

Place a dollop, about 2 tsp. of Nutella in the center of the wonton wrapper, then place a slice of banana on top. Dip your finger in water and use it to wet the edges of the wrapped. Fold the wrapper in had and pinch the edges together to seal the wonton. In a pan, heat a 1/2 inch later of vegetable oil over medium-high heat until hot, about 365 F. Place the wontons into the oil and cook them in small batches until golden brown, about 2 - 3 minutes per side. Once golden brown, remove from the oil and drain on a paper towel lined plate. To make the coulis, combine everything in a food processor and blend until smooth. Strain through a sieve and then refrigerate until used. Once they have cooled slightly, top them with ice cream, dust them with powdered sugar, serve them with the coulis, or do whatever you'd like!

Mmmm banana & Nutella filling:

Ferrero Rocher Cheesecake

As I was viewing my daily dose of Foodgawker and Tastespotting, I saw this recipe for a Ferrero Rocher Cheesecake and my mouth started to water instantly. I've never made a whole cheesecake before so I was eager to try and let me tell you it was one of the most pleasant experiences of my life! Who knew it could be so incredibly easy? Sure a water bath seems finicky but it makes a real difference; see Ma no cracks! I initially made this as a gift for my friend Cherish, but when I made it, it went straight out of the oven on to the road to LA, sadly without a usable picture. But this beauty was so uberly delicious, that I had to make it again. And that I did!

This cheesecake was unbelievable. Creamy, lush and chocolaty. I love Ferrero Rocher so this was right up my ally. My only complaint would probably be the crust. It didn't keep very well and crumbled when I tried to extract a slice (not that I minded, because it was delicious nonetheless). I think its fragile-ness was probably due to the fact that the recipe didn't require pre-baking the graham cracker crust, maybe I will try that next time (as there surely will be one).

Ferrero Rocher Cheesecake

Yields: 1 9-inch cheesecake

Slightly adapted from Clumsy Cookie, which can be found here.

For the crust:

2 cups of graham cracker crumbs

1 stick of butter, melted

2 tbsn. sugar

1 tsp. vanilla extract

4 tbsn. cocoa powder

For the cheesecake:

3 blocks of cream cheese, 8 oz. each at room temperature

1 cup sugar

3 large eggs

1 cup heavy cream

1 tbsn. vanilla extract

1/2 tsp. salt

10 Ferrero Rocher chocolates, roughly chopped

3/4 cup Nutella

2 tbsn. chopped roasted hazelnuts

1 tbsn. Frangelico liqueur (optional)

Preheat oven to 350 F. Boil a large pot of water for the water bath. Mix the crust ingredients together and press into your preferred pan. Set aside. Combine cream cheese and sugar in a stand mixer and cream until smooth. Add eggs, one at a time, making sure each is fully incorporated. Scrape bowl in between each egg addition. Add the heavy cream, vanilla, salt, and Frangelico and blend until creamy. Lastly, fold in the chopped Ferrero Rocher. Pour batter into the prepared crust and tap it on the counter to bring the air bubbles up. Place pan into a larger pan and pour the boiling water into the larger pan, halfway up the side of the cheesecake pan. Bake 45 - 55 minutes until almost done, it should hold together but still have a little jiggle in the middle. Close the oven door, turn off the oven and let it rest in the cooling oven for an hour. Remove it from the oven (it should still be warm) and spread the Nutella over it (I find it easier to spread when its warm). Top with hazelnuts (I used almonds). After, remove it and let it chill in the refrigerator completely. Enjoy!

Oh, hello there lover!!

Banana Nutella Muffins with Streusel Topping

I had some way-beyond-salvation-overripe bananas in my kitchen so I decided to make some muffins. I wanted to try something new and I remember seeing a recipe for Banana Nutella muffins so I quickly hopped to it! These were as simple as tying your shoes; mix, bake, enjoy!

Overall I was liked these muffins but was not very impressed, sadly. If I hadn't already known there was Nutella in the muffin, I would have never guessed it. I think next time swirling in the Nutella into the batter before baking rather than mixing it into the batter would be the more genius idea! But an extra spread of Nutella really did do the trick to fix these in a snap.

Banana Nutella Muffins with Streusel Topping

Yields: 12 muffins

Slightly adapted from here and here.

Printable Recipe

For the muffins:

1 cup flour

1 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. baking soda

1/4 tsp. salt

1 large or 2 small ripe bananas, mashed

1 egg

3.5 oz. milk

4.5 tbsn. butter, room temperature

3 1/2 tbsn. sugar

3 - 4 tbsn. nutella

For the streusel:

2 tbsn. butter, room temperature

1/2 cup finely chopped walnuts

1/4 cup light brown sugar

1/4 cup quick cooking oats

2 tbsn. flour

1/4 tsp. salt

Preheat the oven to 375 F. Line a muffin tin with liners and set aside. For the muffins, cream together the sugar, butter and egg. Once well creamed, fold in the nutella and the mashed bananas. In a small bowl combine the milk and the baking soda and mix well. In another medium bowl, sift together the flour and baking powder. Add the flour and milk mixtures to the creamed mixture alternatively. Incorporate well but make sure not to over mix as it can make your muffins tough. Fill the muffin tin about 2/3 full and set aside. For the streusel, mix all of the ingredients together and using your hands work the butter into the mixture until it is all combined and is crumble-y. Top each muffin with about a tablespoon each of the mixture. Bake until an inserted toothpick comes out clean, about 15 minutes. Let cool before eating and enjoy!

Banana & Nutella Ice Cream

I wish I had an ice cream maker or even the time to attempt making real homemade ice cream or sorbets, but I don't. Does that mean I should deprive myself of some really good, fresh ice cream? I think not. I've recently fell in love with Kirkland (or Costco brand) vanilla ice cream; it's so creamy and rich! And I've also been falling in love with little ice cream shops that serve up unique flavors, such as Bi-Rite Creamery and Scoops. So I decided if I didn't have the time nor the means to make such homemade goodness, I'd have to fake my way towards it. It's semi-homemade just like Sandra Lee (except much, much better than her if I do say so myself)!

The end product was really good! Of course it helped that I started with an already great tasting vanilla ice cream but the chunky bananas and nutella went really well together (I had no doubt) and it brought texture and freshness to the vanilla which was really nice. Every time I got a little chunk of nutella swirl I swear almost died, it was just THAT good!

Banana & Nutella Ice Cream

Yields: enough for 3 - 4

Printable Recipe

6 scoops of really good vanilla ice cream (I like Haagen-Daaz or Costco brand)

2 bananas, roughly chopped

3 tbsn. melted nutella

Leave the ice cream out for about 5 - 10 minutes until softened. Meanwhile, chop the bananas. In a medium bowl, fold in the diced bananas, softened ice cream, and nutella. Do not overmix! Remember to work quickly, this is imperative because if the ice cream melts too much, when it refreezes it will be icy and no longer creamy. You want the nutella to be swirled and the banana to remain chunky. Pack into tuperware and put back into the freezer until it hardens again. Once hard enough, serve with whipped cream, shaved chocolate, fresh bananas, or whatever your heart desires. You can even try caramelized bananas... YUM! Enjoy!

Nutella Oatmeal Thins

I decided to shower her in my baked love - so she'd never forget me! So in addition to the wonderful earl grey cupcakes from my previous post, I also made these Nutella Oatmeal Thins. Hopefully all of this sugary goodness will keep her tummy at bay until another visiting opportunity comes by.

These cookies turned out to be wonderfully crisp and almost as thin as a piece of paper! Though they were delicious on their own, I wanted a richer Nutella flavor so I tried sandwiching a layer of Nutella between two crisps and I hit the jackpot! This cookie reminded me of one of my favorite treats, Ferrero Rocher, with the gooey hazelnut chocolate center and a crispy outer layer. Though it wasn't as complex as the many layers in a Ferrero Rocher, the flavor was ALL there!

Nutella Oatmeal Thins

Yields: About 24

Original recipe can be found at Baking Bites

1 cup + 2 tbsn. flour

1 tsp. baking soda

1 1/2 tsp. baking powder

1/4 tsp. salt

3/4 cup butter, room temp

6 -7 tbsn. Nutella

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup sugar

1 large egg + 1 egg yolk

1 tsp. vanilla extract

3/4 cup of quick cooking oats

Preheat to 350 F. Line baking sheet with parchment paper. Whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. In another bowl cream the butter, nutella, and sugar until fluffy. Beat in egg and egg yolk, then the vanilla. Gradually blend in the flour mixture and the oats, slowly. Drop teaspoonfuls of batter onto the baking sheet, at least 2 inches apart to allow them to expand. Bake for 10 minutes, and let cool completely. Enjoy!