Nutella Swirled Banana Bread

June 4, 2012June 4, 2012 The Culinary Chronicles5 Comments

I’m Bananas…..

For Nutella.

Shocking— I know.

So why not add Nutella to Banana Bread? Seemed like a Win-Nguyen Situation to me.

And it sure was 🙂

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Nutella Swirled Banana Bread
Makes one 9-inch loaf

Ingredients:

2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
3/4 cup sugar
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 very ripe, soft, darkly speckled large bananas, mashed well
1/4 cup plain yogurt
2 large eggs, beaten lightly
3/4 stick (6 tablespoons) unsalted butter, melted and cooled, plus more for the pan
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
6 tablespoons Nutella

Adjust an oven rack to the lower-middle position and heat the oven to 350°F (175°C) degrees. Butter the bottom and sides of a 9 by 5-inch loaf pan. Dust the pan with flour, tapping out the excess.

Whisk the flour, sugar, baking soda, and salt together in a large bowl. Mix the mashed bananas, yogurt, eggs, butter, and vanilla with a wooden spoon in a medium bowl. Lightly fold the banana mixture into the dry ingredients with a rubber spatula until just combined and the batter looks thick and chunky. Spoon 1/2 the batter into the prepared loaf pan. Spread 1/2 the Nutella on top and lightly swirl the Nutella into the batter with a butter knife. Do not over mix. Spoon the rest of the batter on top and repeat with Nutella swirls.

Bake until the loaf is golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 60 minutes. Cool in the pan for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack. Serve warm or at room temperature. (The bread can be wrapped with plastic wrap and stored at room temperature for up to 3 days.)

Slightly adapted from Cooks Illustrated

Desserts/Pastries

Nutella Pinwheel Cookies

December 24, 2011 The Culinary Chronicles7 Comments

Dear Santa,

Do you like Nutella?

Surely, you must. You seem like a guy with good taste.

After all, Mrs. Claus is quite the catch.

Nevertheless, I hope you enjoy these Nutella Pinwheel Cookies I’ve set out for you. Hopefully it will give you that little sugar boost to finish all of your deliveries on Christmas Eve.

xoxo,

Nam

ps. And if you happen to have an extra iPad around, I know of a certain blogger who would happily put it to use. Thanks 🙂

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Nutella Pinwheel Cookies
Makes 4 dozen

8 oz unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup granulated sugar
2 extra large egg yolks
2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 1/3 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 cup Nutella, divided

In a small, bowl stir together the flour and salt. Set aside.

In the bowl of a standing mixer, cream the butter and sugar, about 2-3 minutes. Add the egg yolks and vanilla and mix until combined. With the mixer on low, add the flour mixture. Mix until it forms a soft dough. Transfer the dough on to a lightly floured surface. Shape in to square and divide it in half. Transfer each half to a sheet of plastic wrap. Wrap tightly and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.

Unwrap one half of the dough and place on a piece of lightly floured parchment paper. Cover with a sheet plastic wrap and roll the dough to 1/4-inch thickness, about 10″x8″ rectangle.

Remove the plastic wrap. Using an off-set spatula, spread half (1/4 cup) Nutella on to the dough leaving a 1/4-inch edge all around. Using the parchment as a guide, roll the dough starting from the longest side, in to a tight log. Wrap the parchment around the log and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes or freeze for 15 minutes. Repeat with the remaining half.

Preheat the oven to 350 F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Unwrap the log and slice into approximately 1/3-inch slices. Place the slices on the prepared baking sheet 1-2″ apart (I can fit 15 cookies on a 12×15-inch baking sheet). Bake for 12-15 minutes or until just golden around the edges. Remove from the oven and cool on the baking sheet for 2 minutes. Remove the cookies to a wire rack to cool completely. Store cookies in an airtight container for 1 week.

From The Gallery Gourmet

Desserts/Pastries

Candy Cane “Kissed” Nutella Cookies

December 22, 2010February 10, 2011 The Culinary Chronicles6 Comments

Ever since I stumbled across a bag of Hershey’s Candy Cane Kisses, I’ve been fixated on making holiday cookies with them.

Lucky for me, I had a Cookie Connoisseur at my disposal. That’s right friends, my 5 year old niece Maya. I asked Maya what kind of cookie she liked. Sugar cookie? Peanut Butter? Chocolate? Nutella? “NUTELLA!”, she exclaimed! I think it may be a result of her morning Nutella Sandwiches for breakfast.

As fate would have it, Giada De Laurentiis had a recipe that I could work with. With her “Chocolate-Hazelnut Smooches”…..Bada-Bing, Bada-Boom! I had my Candy Cane “Kissed” Nutella Cookies. True Story.

These cookies were simple to make and had that wonderful crispy exterior, chewy interior, and minty finish to it. WINNER! And you know what “up’ed” the ante on this cookie? I actually made the dough a few days in advance, rolled it, and froze it. When it was time for me to use it, I added 3 minutes to the baking time and it was F-A-B-U-L-O-U-S!

So MOVE OVER prepackaged-store bought cookie dough….these gems are SO much better and are just as quick!! But of course, they would be just as amazing if you made the cookies right away.

Oh that Maya…. she knew what she was talking about 🙂

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Candy Cane “Kissed” Nutella Cookies
Adapted From Giada De Laurentiis

1¾ Cup All-Purpose Flour
1 Teaspoon Baking Soda
½ Teaspoon Salt
½ Cup Nutella
½ Cup Butter, softened
½ Cup Sugar
½ Cup Light Brown Sugar
1 Egg
1 Teaspoon Vanilla extract
½ Cup Sugar (to roll cookies in)
24 Hershey’s Candy Cane Kisses (approximately)

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

In a medium bowl, combine flour, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.

In another medium bowl, place the nutella, butter, and both sugars. Using a hand mixer, cream the ingredients together, about 3 minutes. Add the egg and vanilla and blend until incorporated. Stir in the dry ingredients, just until incorporated.

Shape the cookie dough into walnut-sized balls. Rolls the balls in the sugar pressing to adhere. Place the cookies on a heavy cookie sheet about 4 inches apart. Bake for 8 minutes. Remove the cookies from the oven. Quickly place a chocolate kiss in the middle of each cookie. Return the cookies to the oven and bake for another 3 minutes. Cool the cookies on a wire rack.

**If you would like to freeze the dough to bake at a later time, place the sugar coated cookie dough balls in a single layer on a parchment lined cookie sheet. Move the cookie sheet to the freezer and allow the dough to harden for at least 30-45 minutes. The dough balls can then be transferred to a gallon sized freezer bag and kept up to 2 weeks in the freezer. When it’s time to bake, place dough balls directly from freezer to cookie sheet. Add an additional 3-4 minutes baking time.

Desserts/Pastries

Chocolate Chip Cupcakes with Nutella Cream Cheese Frosting

September 20, 2010September 22, 2010 The Culinary Chronicles6 Comments

Alas dear Friends, life has had its way with me. And as much as I’ve wanted to, I haven’t had much time for many “foodventures”–let alone write about them. But I’ve missed “this space” and like all great relationships, we’ve got to make the time 🙂

So allow me to share my last cupcake adventure that happened just a few week’s ago when the bf’s family made a spontaneous and fun-filled visit. It also happened to be right around his mom’s birthday—so sweet treats were a must! (Happy Bday, Mrs. M!)

I knew I wanted to use a Nutella Cream Cheese frosting that I had played around with earlier this year but couldn’t decide what the cake base should be. With “decadence” in mind, I came across “My Baking Addiction’s” version of the Chocolate Chip Cupcake—BINGO!

Fairly simple to make, I pulled together the cuppies, put a quick swirl of frosting on top, and sprinkled them with crushed hazelnuts.

How did they turn out? SUPER RICH! Borderline, too rich (if that’s possible!). The cuppies were quite yummy—moist and full of chocolate flavor. The frosting was rich with accents of hazelnut. Great on their own but it may have been a tad too much combined. My suggestion if you do make these cuppies—pair them with a tall glass of cold milk. 🙂

And although the photos I snapped, weren’t my fav (BOO on lighting and exposure issues!), I was quite happy to have made them. You never know unless you try, right? After all, experimenting is half the fun!

Until next Friends!

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Chocolate Chip Cupcakes with Nutella Cream Cheese Frosting
Makes approximately 14 Cupcakes

Ingredients:

Chocolate Chip Cupcakes (From My Baking Addiction)
¾ Cup Unsweetened Cocoa Powder
¾ Cup All-Purpose Flour
½ Teaspoon Baking Powder
¼ Teaspoon Salt
¾ Cup Unsalted Butter, room temperature
1 Cup Sugar
3 Large Eggs
1 Teaspoon Vanilla Extract
½ Cup Sour Cream
¾ Cup Semi Sweet Chocolate Chips

Nutella Cream Cheese Frosting
3 to 4 Cups Confectioners Sugar, sifted
½ Cup Unsalted Butter, room temperature
¾ Cups Cream Cheese, room temperature
½ Nutella
1-2 Tablespoons Sour Cream (can substitute with milk)
½ Cup Crushed Hazelnuts to top
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line 12-cup standard muffin tin with paper liners.

Into a medium bowl, sift together cocoa, flour, baking powder, and salt; set aside. In a mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each, then beat in vanilla. With mixer on low speed, add flour mixture in two batches, alternating with sour cream and beginning and ending with flour. Gently fold in chocolate chips.

Pour batter into cups, filling each 3/4 full. Bake until a toothpick inserted in centers comes out clean, 20 to 25 minutes. Cool in pan 5 minutes; transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

While cupcakes are cooling, prepare frosting. In a large mixer bowl, whip the butter and cream cheese for several minutes until very light and fluffy. Add Nutella and whip until combined. Slowly add the confectioners sugar until the frosting becomes thicker and stiff. Add sour cream and whip until desired piping consistency.

Fill piping bag with the frosting and pipe large swirls on top of cupcakes. Sprinkle crushed hazelnuts on top. Enjoy!

Desserts/Pastries

Nutella Chocolate Chip Cookies

August 18, 2010August 18, 2010 The Culinary Chronicles9 Comments

Not too long ago, I had stumbled upon a post by Sugar Cooking for Nutella Chocolate Chip Cookies. Oh yes, you read correctly….Nutella and Chocolate Chips in a Cookie!

Now I was intrigued. Sure, at first I was a little skeptical of the cookie’s flavor. Would it be true to the Nutella flavor or would it taste like a regular chocolate cookie??? Oh dear friends, I am happy to report that it does do justice to the luscious hazelnut-chocolate spread. Had I added additional hazelnuts to the dough, it may have tasted even more like Nutella. However, I am a sans-nut kind of gal for my cookies and brownies. My exception is of course, White Chocolate Mac Nut Cookies—delish!

I made very little adjustments to Sugar Cooking’s interpretation of the cookie. I also chose to make the cookie a little smaller than my usual preferred cookie size–about a 1 tablespoon round versus a 2 tablespoon. I wanted to go for a smaller cookie that would only require a bite or two so that you could pop one in your mouth whenever your sweet tooth was calling.

I do have to caution you though, these chewy-chocolatey-nutella honoring cookies are darn addictive. You simply can’t just have one. 🙂

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Nutella Chocolate Chip Cookies
Slightly Adapted from Sugar Cooking
Makes Approximately 30 Cookies

Ingredients:

1⅓ Cups All Purpose Flour
1 Tablespoon Unsweetened Cocoa
¼ Teaspoon Baking Powder
¼ Teaspoon Baking Soda
½ Teaspoon Salt
8 Tablespoon Unsalted Butter, room temperature
⅔ Cup Granulated Sugar
⅓ Cup Light Brown Sugar
⅔ Cup Nutella
½ Teaspoon Vanilla Extract
1 Large Egg
½ Cup Chocolate Chips

Mix together flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Set aside dry ingredients.

Cream together butter, granulated sugar and brown sugar until light and fluffy. Mix in Nutella and vanilla extract. Mix in egg. Add flour mixture and mix until just incorporated. Add chocolate chips. Refrigerate dough for approximately an hour.

Drop approximately one tablespoon of dough 2 inches apart onto parchment lined baking sheets. Bake at 350 for about 11 minutes until the edges look set. Cool on baking sheet for 5 minutes then carefully remove to cooling racks.