Banana Nutella Triple Decker

4 large eggs
1/2 cup milk
3 slices brioche
2 tablespoons butter
1 ripe banana, cut in half lengthwise and then into slices
1/2 cup Nutella

Whisk together the eggs and milk in a shallow dish.

Dip the brioche in the egg wash on both sides and allow it to absorb.

Heat a large sauté pan over medium heat and add the butter. When it is foaming, add the brioche to the pan and cook, turning once or twice, until golden brown on both sides and cooked through. Remove from pan.

Put a piece of brioche on a plate. Top with half of the Nutella and half of the banana slices and sprinkle with salt. Cover with a second piece of brioche. Repeat the Nutella and bananas layer, then top with bread.

Sprinkle salt on top and serve warm.

Nutella Linzer Cookies

Cookie Dough
2 cups blanched hazelnuts, toasted and cooled (see instructions)
1/4 cup cornstarch
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 large eggs
6 tablespoons Nutella

Filling
1/2 cup Nutella
1/2 cup raspberry jam
1/3 cup confectioners' sugar (optional)

Grind the hazelnuts, cornstarch and salt in a food processor for 30 seconds or until finely ground. Add the eggs and 6 tablespoons Nutella and pulse until the mixture comes together. Pat the dough into a circle, wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Divide the dough in half and roll out each piece between 2 sheets of parchment or wax paper to 1/4-inch thickness (or 8 x 10 inches). Using a 2-inch fluted cookie cutter, cut out 12 cookies per piece. On one baking sheet, using a 1-inch cookie cutter, cut into the center of each cookie and remove that cutout leaving a hole for the jam. Transfer the cookies to a fresh parchment paper or aluminum foil-lined baking sheet and bake for 8 minutes. Cool on a rack.

Spread the cookies without the holes (these are the bottoms) with 1 teaspoon of Nutella, then 1 teaspoon raspberry jam. Sift confectioners' sugar over the cookies with the holes and place them on top of the bottoms, creating 12 delicious sandwich cookies.

* To toast the hazelnuts, preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Spread the hazelnuts in a single layer on a baking sheet and toast them in the oven until golden brown, about 10 minutes. Allow the nuts to cool completely before handling.

Makes 12 servings.

Baked French Toast with Nutella

Makes 4 to 8 servings.

Make-ahead trick: Fill the French toast and make up the custard in advance. In the morning, about 40 minutes before eating, dip toast in custard and bake it while the coffee brews and you set the table.

Toast
4 ounces cream cheese or Neufchatel cheese, at room temperature
6 tablespoons Nutella, at room temperature
8 slices white bread

Custard
4 eggs
1 cup milk
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
Confectioners' sugar
Maple syrup (optional)

To make sandwich: Mix cream cheese and Nutella until combined. Spoon mixture on 4 bread slices and spread all the way to outside edges, then top with remaining slices to make sandwiches. Place in resealable plastic bag and refrigerate until ready to bake.

To make custard: In flat container with an airtight lid large enough to hold a bread slice, beat together eggs, milk, sugar, vanilla extract and nutmeg. Cover and refrigerate until ready to use.

To assemble: Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Mist a 9 x 13-inch baking pan with sides with nonstick cooking spray.

Dip sandwiches into custard, turning once, for 2 minutes on the first side and 1 on the second to soak up as much of the custard as possible. Lay drained slices on pan and bake for 15 minutes, then turn them over and bake for 20 minutes more, or until toast is golden brown on both sides. Sprinkle lightly with sifted confectioners' sugar and serve with syrup, if desired. Recipe can easily be doubled.

Banana Nutella Chimichanga

Nutella
1 banana
1 flour tortilla
Cinnamon-sugar mixture

Spread Nutella to within 2 inches of the edge of the tortilla. Place banana in tortilla. Roll up the tortilla. Seal edges with water. Deep fry until tortilla is crispy and blistered. Drain; then roll in cinnamon-sugar.

Serve with ice cream.

Nutella Bundt Cake

1 cup Nutella, divided
4 large eggs, divided
1 (18.25 ounce) box yellow cake mix
1/2 cup buttermilk
1 cup confectioners' sugar
2 tablespoons Frangelico liqueur or hazelnut syrup

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly grease and flour 10-inch Bundt pan.

In small bowl, whisk together 2/3 cup Nutella and 1 egg. Blend until completely smooth and set aside. In large bowl, using electric mixer on low speed, stir together cake mix, remaining 3 eggs, buttermilk and remaining 1/3 cup Nutella until moistened. Scrape down sides and beater(s) and increase speed to medium, beating for another 2 minutes.

Remove 1 cup batter and mix with RESERVED Nutella-egg mixture. Pour leftover batter evenly into prepared cake pan. Spoon RESERVED Nutella batter over it and, using a knife, gently swirl batters together to create marble pattern. Smooth top of cake and bake for 40 to 50 minutes. (Cake is done when moist crumbs cling to inserted wooden pick.)

Allow cake to cool in pan for 15 minutes. When ready to handle, carefully invert onto cooling rack and remove pan. While cake continues to cool, make glaze by whisking together confectioners sugar and Frangelico liquor until smooth. Drizzle glaze over cake.

Serving ideas: For a spring touch, sprinkle top of cake with candied orange and lemon slices.

Alternative: To make mini Bundt cakes, use 2 mini Bundt pans (6 cakes each) instead of a 10-inch Bundt pan and follow above instructions, dividing batters into 12 smaller cake forms. Bake cakes for 20 to 25 minutes.