Nate's Banana Nutella Turnovers

My brother in law Nate introduced us to his delectable Banana Nutella Turnovers on a recent visit to Charleston.  Between these and his hot pepper infused guava martini- we considered moving in permanently.

Nate swears by a particular high-end brand of frozen puff pastry that he found at Whole Foods.  The name has escaped me but we'll see if we can get him to share via a comment.  I went with the standard Pepperidge Farm frozen puff pastry this time around.

Ingredients:

1 package- 2 sheets of frozen puff pastry

2 ripe bananas

1 1/2 cups of nutella

1 egg

raw or turbanado sugar for sprinkling

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.  Give the bananas a rough mash with a fork in a large glass bowl and then mix in the the nutella.  Set aside.  Next, mix the egg with a tablespoon of water in a small bowl.

Thaw the puff pastry over night in the fridge or for 20-30 minutes on the counter top at room temperature.  Working with one at a time, roll each sheet of puff pastry out to a 12 by 14 inch rectangle.  Use a little flour on the board to keep it from sticking.  Leave the other sheet in the fridge while you fill the first batch.

Cut the sheet into nine, 4 x 4 inch squares using a paring knife.  Place a generous spoonful of filling in the center.  You want to put as much as you possibly can while still allowing it to close all the without any filling squishing out.  (After the first one or two you'll get the hang of exactly how much that is.) Work quickly to close them up before the filling oozes too much. Then brush all four edges with the egg wash.

 

Fold in half to form a triangle and press the edges together with the tines of a fork to seal.  Set on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper.  Once you've filled the first tray, brush the top of the pastries with more of the egg wash and sprinkle with sugar.  Place back in the fridge while you roll, cut and fill the second batch.  Bake both trays for 25 minutes or until golden brown.  (Switch the trays between the two racks half way through for more even baking.)

CAUTION: As tempting as it is to stuff one into your mouth when they come out at the oven, the filling is HOT, so let them cool 10 minutes first.  Store them on the counter for up to 12 hours.  Beyond that they keep for a day in an airtight container.  (Goodness knows they didn't last that long in our house.)

The turnovers are delicious for breakfast, for a mid-afternoon coffee snack or as I did below, served as dessert with some whipped cream and a chocolate fudge drizzle.  Thanks Natester, this one's a KEEPER!