This my friends, is either a stroke of genius, a stroke of luck, or a pretty nice combination of the two.  In less than 5 minutes, assuming you have these ingredients on hand, you TOO could be enjoying a warm brownie-like concoction.  And I have Elliott to thank for it.  (Sort of.)

You see, we have ventured into the world of solid foods.  One evening Elliott got to enjoy 1/2 of a ripe mashed banana.  After I put him to bed I had a chocolate craving.  I didn’t want a cookie, I didn’t want ice cream, I didn’t even want my Goo-Goo Cluster Supreme I had stashed away.  This chocolate craving was specific to a fudgy brownie taste.  My brain quickly flashed to the Nutella in my cabinet, then to the half banana remaining, and with that I had the idea to do one of those microwave mug brownie/cakes.  I’ve seen recipes that call for vegetable oil, applesauce, egg, etc.  I figured the banana would moisten it up, and add tons of flavor.

Ding dang… This was good!  This was SO good I got on Facebook and shared on my blog’s Facebook page.  And then again on Twitter.  Basically the social media equivalent of shouting it from the rooftops.  The following weekend I made a point to feed Elliott another 1/2 ripe mashed banana, so that I could have the other half to make another mug brownie to photograph and share with you!

The first time I made it, I didn’t fully cook it, and I enjoyed it as a brownie batter-like dessert.  The second time I made it I cooked it longer, and sure enough ended up with what was pretty darn close to a gooey brownie.  The nutella flavor is there as is the banana aroma & flavor.  This most CERTAINLY hit the spot.  I have a feeling this version will stay in my repertoire long after Elliott moves on to whole bananas.  😉

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Banana Nutella Microwave Brownie

Yield: 1 serving

You can take the time to measure ingredients exactly, or you can just eyeball it. I've done it both ways, and it always turns out delicious.

Ingredients:

1/2 ripe banana
1 oz chocolate chips (or chopped chocolate)
1 1/2 tablespoons flour
1 1/2 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon butter
1 heaping tablespoon Nutella

Directions:

Add banana to mug and mash with a fork. Add remaining ingredients.

Microwave on HIGH for 30 seconds, stir well with a fork. Microwave 1-2 minutes more until it looks like a brownie (depending on your microwave, mine took an additional minute and 10 seconds for a total of 1min 40sec).

LET COOL (this will be VERY hot), and enjoy!