In tribute to Mr. Ferrero, King of Nutella

You may have heard that Michele Ferrero, father of Nutella, passed away on Valentine's Day. Fitting since, via Nutella, he really was a valentine to us all. ♥


Apparently, Mr. Ferrero's father began combining hazelnuts and chocolate during World War II when cocoa was in short supply and hazelnuts were plentiful. His son, Michele, was credited for making the mixture more spreadable and coining the name Nutella in 1964. (Same year Mr. E was born...it was a good year.)


In tribute, I thought I'd revisit one of my favorite Nutella concoctions here on the blog, Nutella-Filled Banana Muffins. Maybe they're one of my favorites because the dose of Nutella is in its pure form...not mixed, not baked...the perfect dose of chocolate-hazelnut goodness. It makes these the best banana muffins ever.


Nutella at breakfast makes any morning a good morning.
(You can quote me on that.)


Here's the low-down:  the mashed bananas keep the muffins soft and moist, the salted butter and kosher salt give a double-shot of salty to the sweet, the nutmeg & cloves add just a bit of spice and interest, and the Nutella?  Well, it pushes the delicious factor over the top.


Want to make them?  Yes, yes you do.  Here's how...

Nutella-filled Banana Muffins

2 cups unbleached, all-purpose flour
1 & 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. kosher salt
1/2 tsp. freshly grated nutmeg
1/4 tsp. ground cloves
1/2 cup (1 stick) salted butter
1 cup sugar
1 egg
2 medium bananas, mashed
1/3 cup milk
2/3 cup Nutella

instructions:
Preheat oven to 350.  Line 12 regular size muffin tins with liners and lightly spray with cooking spray (this will keep the muffins from pulling away with the liners).  Set aside.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and spices. Set aside.


{Don't you love freshly grated nutmeg?  If you never tried it, do.  you don't even need a fancy-schmancy microplane....the small holes on your grater will do.}

With an electric mixer, cream the butter and sugar together until smooth.  Beat in the egg, mashed banana, and milk.  Scrape down the sides and bottom of bowl as needed.

With a silicone spatula, gently stir the dry ingredients into the wet.  Divide the batter into the 12 muffins tins.  Bake 20 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean.


Place on a wire rack and let cool for 10 minutes.  After 10 minutes, remove from the tin to cool completely.


Meanwhile, spoon the Nutella into a pastry bag fitted with a large tip. (I used a Wilton 4B.) Once the muffins are cooled, poke the tip into the center of each muffin.  Fill until you see the muffin expand a bit and, while squeezing, pull the tip up and out of the muffin.

DEVOUR.

*this recipe first appeared on the blog in 2012 and has become a family favorite. 

Thank you, Mr. Ferrero! ♥ 

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