I’ve labored over this recipe for days.
Never mind that it’s just store-bought shortbread cookies + Nutella + bananas + almonds. Never mind that there’s no baking involved or that it only takes 10 minutes to assemble.
The recipe is about the technique of the beautiful, fluid Nutella swoop.
It’s a very technically technical technique.
And if you’re thinking about subbing out the Nutella for something stupid like fat-free no-calorie peanut butter….don’t. Just don’t.
Shortbread Cookies with Nutella, Bananas and Almonds
Ingredients
- 24 shortbread cookies (I used Walker's Pure Butter Shortbread Cookie)
- 1/2 cup Nutella
- 2 bananas, sliced
- 1/4 cup chopped almonds
Instructions
- With your non-dominant hand, hold up your first three fingers. Slightly cup your hand and gently grasp a shortbread cookie by its edge. Position your hand so that your thumb is closest to your body, let's call this 6-o'clock position.
- Get a butter knife and with the non-serrated edge, scoop out exactly 1 teaspoon of Nutella. Position your knife at a 45-degree angle, serrated edge side down (using the serrated edge will give you ugly "teeth" marks on your cookie) above the cookie, pointing at the 12-o'clock position. Your cookie hand should still have your thumb positioned at 6-o'clock.
- Take a few calming breaths to relax and center your chi.
- Everything in this next step happens in one motion, so you might want to read this a couple of times over and practice the motions before proceeding. Lower your knife and in one flowing motion, rotate the knife counter-clockwise until you reach the 8-o'clock position. At the precise moment that the knife reaches this point, slowly rotate your cookie hand so that your thumb is now at the 9-o'clock position. When the Nutella swoop is complete, lift your knife from the cookie and follow through with a graceful wrist twirl.
- Top with bananas and almonds.
Notes
This little cookie comes from my friend Cynthia Nim's Gourmet Game Night cookbook, which makes a perfect gift for friends who enjoy hosting game nights, from mah-jong, Poker, Scrabble to Wii, Guesstures and Spin the Bottle (okay, uhnevermind, if you're playing spin the bottle, you prob will be drinking instead of eating). Cynthia calls these cookies "Nutella & Banana Galettes" and she even has a recipe for home made shortbread.
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i wanted something different but easy to make in a dessert choice and i thought this went well with your Vietnamese iced coffee , dinner was your steak and fresh herbs recipe and all turned out great , my guests were pleased with that combo choice.
Creating well-thought recipe ideas can be a chore, but this one has indeed been made with a great effort. I was recommended to this website by a friend, and I found this interesting. I am not yet sure whether this would be good for our party this week, but I’m sure this will be good to share among my colleagues. You’re amazing! Thanks!
I love your “favorite recipes” section! My mom would love these! She loves bananas and chocolate.
This is perfect. My husband bought 2 boxes of girl scout shortbread cookies. I’ve known him for 18 years and he should know by now that I only eat cookies involving chocolate. Your recipe will make those 2 boxes very edible!
I agree CW and the DELICIOUS Chocolaty photos!
I love how you presented this technical technique so technically correct.. :)) No matter that these are storebought cookies; it still looks delicious!
Oh. My God.
Sinful.
I’ve been seeing alot of nutella recipes and ideas lately. I have an amazing shortbread recipe and have a jar of nutella in my pantry. Plus bananas and walnuts; YUMM! Its calling my name!
Your Nutella swoop is dynamite!
I’ve made these twice now and everyone has loved them. They are so simple, but have a great presentation and taste wonderful!
This recipe is so simple yet elegant for tea-party! I am a sucker for anything “Nutella”.. YUMMYLICIOUS 😀
I love these little guys! I agree, keep the nutella and forget the low calorie non-sense!
I’ve been putting nutella on cookies ever since I discovered that nutella is awesome on everything. I was probably about 5 years old when I discovered that.
Know what else nutella is good on? Ice cream.
Nutella, Banana and Almonds… What a beautiful trio! If only I could pick up some 🙂
These cookies look fantastic. I love the combination of nutella and banana. My mouth is watering looking at the photo.
Can’t wait to try this–yum!
Simplicity never looked so good! I would like to visit the Nutella factory for my birthday, it is one of my favorite ways to indulge in chocolate and hazelnuts in one bite.
Thanks for a new variation. Your site is such an inspiration.
I love recipes like this! I’m sure they received just as many rave reviews as something you would have slaved over!
nom nom nom!! i love nutella!! 🙂 have you seen this?
http://graphjam.com/2010/10/04/funny-graphs-nutella-and-bacon/
I just love nutella. Growing up used to stop at the bakery and buy a loaf of french baguette. rushed home to slice it and load it with nutella! mmmm…. best snack in the world.
Trader Joe’s used to have this cereal that looked like life cereal but was filled with nutella what tasted like inside. I used to chop up bananas and have it in with the cereal in a bowl, then they discontinued it and I was very very sad. But this sounds like the perfect substitution! And even better because of the shortbread cookies, yum!!
Briliant instructions…I actually understand what to do and I’m lefthanded. Love your e-mails Jaden
Wow! Easy, delicious and fun to make. I’ll get the grandkids involved here!
You had me at Nutella! Well, and shortbread, too… 😉
These look heavenly!! I love that you used store bought cookies too! These be the dessert at my next dinner party 🙂
Muahahaha, I will henceforth refer to these as Chi Centered Cookies 😉
Love, love, love this “recipe”. I’m a huge nutella fan, so I definitely need to try this. Of course, I’ll have to practice the swoop quite a few times and I just can’t let the testers go to waste!
Beautiful and, since I LOVE Nutella, I’m sure absolutely delicious!
One word!!! YUM!!
These look amazing! Love them!
Maybe THESE should be called world peace cookies, I can’t imagine anyone disagreeing over them ;P
Got to love something SO easy and Nutellay! Love the swoop. I just made some zucchini bread with a cinnamon buttercream frosting to send back home for my Dad and my Aunt, both very elderly and always happy to have a home cooked treat.
Despite years of using all sorts of tools to decorate cakes and cookies, I just had to do my ‘technique’ I used when I was a girl and baked for my family. It also involves some swooping on the top of that frosting; seems much more in keeping with a 50 yr old recipe and something that will mean more to my Dad than the fanciest piping around.
So pretty…So Easy…and I bet, so good!
How great are these as a quick and yummy snack. I love Nutella!!
Wow, so beautiful and so ??easy??
I love the intricate instructions for this recipe and my favorite quote about the recipe is “And if you’re thinking about subbing out the Nutella for something stupid like fat-free no-calorie peanut butter….don’t. Just don’t.”
Oh Nutella…how I love thee! Thanks for making me smile today (and for making me regret my lunch when I could have had this instead).
Lol @ your extremely precise directions on how to spread nutella 🙂