Hazelnut & Banana Chip Cookies

My desire for something banana flavoured, in light of the current banana situation here in oz, lead me to seek solace in the form of banana chips. Banana chips are basically sweetened, dried slices of banana - nice to snack on but a bit lacking in substance. So I decided to make a feature of them in this hazelnut butter cookie - the banana providing a flavour hit, the hazelnut meal providing texture to an otherwise plain butter cookie.

A glass of cold milk a perfect partner to a stack of these morish cookies.



Hazelnut & Banana Chip Cookies
[Makes about 40 cookies]

150 grams softened butter
150 grams caster sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 egg, lightly beaten
50 grams hazelnut meal (ground hazelnuts)
150 grams self-raising flour, sifted
banana chips

Using a mixer, cream the butter and sugar and light and fluffy - about 5 minutes. Add in the vanilla extract and mix again before incorporating the beaten egg. Continue mixing until fluffy.

Stir in the flour and hazelnut meal until well combined.

Roll spoonfuls of the mix into balls and place them on a baking paper lined tray - leave room for spreading. If the mix feels too soft then place it in the fridge to harden a little.



If you aren't confident in rolling the balls, then consider using a tiny ice-cream scoop to form the balls. Indent the centre of each ball slightly before pressing in a banana chip.

Cook in a preheated 180°C/350°F oven for 10-15 minutes or until golden.

They will be soft at first so allow them to cool slightly on the baking tray before moving them to a wire rack.



Once cool, they will have crisp edges that just dissolve in your mouth, softening slightly as you move to the centre where the crunchy banana chip awaits.



Yes, photography is hard work, but someone has to do it!

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