I don’t bake a lot but I was actually moved to try to come up with a cookie recipe to fix a craving. Not a cookie craving. A craving for chocolate hazelnut spread. I’m not much one for this spread on bread, it is fine by the spoon but I was leaning toward dunking bananas and/or something with a little crunch, like a pretzel. Then, why choose? Banana flavour + a little crunch = banana cookie. This is a subtle cookie on its own, because it’s intended to be paired with this full-flavoured filling, so if you’re going to make the cookies to enjoy solo, you might want to add a little more sugar or a tablespoon of honey.
While these cookies are ideal for, well, everything–cookies being awesome–there’s something that jumped out about these cookies to me.
These are cookies for Santa.
The first time I bit into one, I knew. It’s the kind of cookie you want to wash down with a cold glass of milk. And with their banana flavour and construction they’re going to stand out from any plain-old non-sandwiched, chocolate chip variety. I’m not saying it’s going to drastically affect what’s left under your tree, but it just may erase a white lie or two from your year-end scorecard.
Chocolate Hazelnut Banana Cookie Sandwiches
1/3 c granulated sugar
1/2 c room temperature butter
1 c mashed overripe banana, (about 2 large bananas)
1 large egg
1/4 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/2 c all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
Pinch salt
Chocolate hazelnut spread
Preheat oven to 375F degrees.
Cream butter and sugar together in a bowl with a mixer until light and fluffy. Mix in the mashed banana, egg and vanilla until well combined. Whisk the baking soda and salt into the flour and add the dry ingredients in 3 equal additions, mixing well before each addition.
Spoon a dozen tablespoons of filling each on 2 parchment-lined baking sheets and press with damp fingertips to flatten. Bake for 18 minutes in the middle rack of the oven until the tops of the cookies are golden. Bake in batches if needed. Remove from oven and let cook for a minute, then transfer cookies to a wire rack to cool completely. Spread a layer of the spread on the flat side of a cookie and sandwich with the flat side of another cookie. Repeat with remaining cookies.
Makes 12 cookie sandwiches.