Banana and Nutella Pastry Bundles

Growing up I did not enjoy sweets. I only liked Hershey's chocolate bars that my grandmother would buy boxes of at Costco to give me as treats. To this day it is my favorite candy bar. My mom used to having a cake business so I used to sit and watch her create beautiful masterpieces, plus I got to eat frosting. I was about 4 or 5 years old at the time but at that age I knew I wanted to bake cakes/sweets just like my mom. As I got older and was slowly allowed to take the reigns in the kitchen, I not only started making dinner but dessert as well. It was a beautiful, funny irony: I loved to bake sweets but did not like sweets myself...until recently. I don't know what has happened to me, maybe my brain turned on a sweets switch that has been off for 25 years, but I now like a whole lot more sweets. My favorites being donuts, cookies and flaky pastries. This recipe combines two things I enjoy: nutella and a flaky pastry. You could attempt to make your own puff pastry but I have heard horror stories behind the making of this delicious delight; either way even chefs use pre-made puff pastries! The egg brushed on the pastry is what makes it golden, extra crispy which is the lotto for my taste buds. It also seals everything together, however, do not be alarmed or surprised if yummy gooey-ness does leak out of the pastry. The beauty of this recipe is that it does not have to be perfect. You can enclose the banana nutella ingredients in the puff pastry as you choose because the more rustic it looks the better. Have fun with the shapes you can form; I personally made little purses. Enjoy!

Recipe:
1 puff pastry sheet, thawed
1 banana, sliced in 1/2 inch pieces, 9 pieces total
9 teaspoons of Nutella
1 egg, beaten

1. Thaw the puff pastry until you can easy handle it. Pre-heat the oven to 400 degrees.

2. Lightly flour your work surface and place your puff pastry down to cut it into 9 squares (remember to not worry about being perfect, it's ok!).

3. In each square, place a teaspoon of nutella topped by the banana slice. Brush the egg along each edge. Take each opposite corner and press tightly together. Repeat to all pastry pieces.

4. Place the pastries on a baking sheet and brush all over with the egg for the extra golden color when baking. Bake for 15 minutes or until golden in color.

5. Place on a cooling rack when done for about 5 minutes then enjoy!