Fulfilling Your Daily Intake of Happiness
I had been watching three bananas get browner and browner on my counter, until they reached the point of having to be baked or dumped. The latter was not an option.
My problem was that I could not figure out what I wanted to do with them. I was discussing my dilemma with my cousin, Jackie. She suggested Banana Peanut Butter Cups, which I thought was brilliant.
I dived right in, deciding to bake them in a cupcake pan. I posted a request for tasters on Facebook and also took a Cup with me when I went out. I wanted feedback from my friends.
The verdict? Not as great as I would have liked, but VERY accurate reviews. The taste was, quite simply, not quite there…yet. A very talented friend thought that substituting Nutella for the peanut butter would do the trick.
She was right! The Banana Nutella Cups are incredibly moist, thanks to the bananas. What I love the most is that the Nutella, which can be very overpowering in some recipes, is really very subtle.
When I served Banana Nutella Cups at a lunch this week, my friends and I came to the conclusion that there’s no reason why these Cups shouldn’t be categorized as fruit. I think if I eat enough of them, I will certainly fulfill my daily intake of something. Even if it that something is happiness.
| Banana Nutella Cups | Print |
- 8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
- ¾ cup Nutella
- 1½ cups sugar
- 3 eggs, room temperature
- 2¼ cups all purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- 3 bananas, mashed
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
- Preheat oven to 350°. Set aside 2 – 12 cup muffin pans.
- Place butter, nutella and sugar in large mixing bowl. Beat until creamy, about 3 minutes, scraping the bowl down as needed. Add eggs, one at a time.
- Blend in flour, baking powder and salt. Add bananas, vanilla and chocolate chips and mix on low speed until combined.
- Spray the pan with non-stick cooking spray. Use a large cookie dough scoop or a gravy ladle to evenly transfer the batter to the muffin cups.
- Bake at 350°, on a rack in the middle of the oven, for 18 minutes.
- Remove and cool completely in the pan. Use a small metal spatula to go around the edges of the Banana Nutella Cups.
- Remove from the pan and serve.
