Naturally sweet banana discs wrapped in a vanilla and cinnamon flaky pastry swirl, these sweet little mouthfuls are super easy to make with minimal ingredients.
Makes: 12-14 puffs
Prep: 10 minutes
Bake: 15-20 minutes
Ingredients:
- 1 x 375g (13oz) sheet of ready-rolled puff pastry*
- 3 large ripe bananas, peeled
- 1 tbsp vanilla extract
- 1 tbsp maple syrup (optional)
- 1 medium egg*, beaten
- 2 tsp ground cinnamon, plus a little extra for sprinkling
- 2 tsp demerara sugar (optional)
Preheat the oven to 200°C fan (220°C/425°F/Gas 7) and line a large baking sheet with non-stick baking paper.
Unroll the pastry and lay it out horizontally in front of you on a flat, clean work surface.
Work quickly here as the pastry will become sticky and difficult to work with if sat out for too long. Mash half of one of the bananas with a fork in a small bowl. Add the vanilla extract, maple syrup, if using, and 2 tablespoons of the beaten egg. Mix very well, then scrape every last bit onto the pastry. Use the back of a spoon or a pastry brush to spread the mixture evenly across, reaching right to the edges of the pastry. Use your fingertips to sprinkle the cinnamon over from a height so there is an even coating.
Place the remaining 21 ⁄2 bananas in a line across the length of the pastry sheet, positioned approx 7.5cm (3in) away from the edge closest to you. You essentially want a long sausage shape, with no gaps between the bananas if possible. If your bananas are a little bendy, tear them in half to straighten the sausage shape out. Gather the pastry edge closest to you and roll the pastry up and around the bananas. Keep rolling up until all the pastry is wrapped around the fruit.
Trim the ends of the pastry if there’s no banana inside, then cut into 2cm (3 ⁄4in) discs using a sharp knife. Lay the discs on the lined baking sheet, cut banana-side up. If any banana pieces fall out, just push them back into the centre of the pastry. The pastries may look a little messy right now, but don’t worry as they’ll puff up and even out as they bake.
Brush the remaining beaten egg over the sides and top of each banana puff. Sprinkle a tiny amount of extra cinnamon on each banana piece. If you like, add a tiny sprinkling of demerara sugar to each one too, this will caramelize in the oven to give a delicious taste and texture.
Bake in the preheated oven for 15–20 minutes until the pastry has puffed up and turned golden on top. Allow to cool on the tray for 10 minutes before serving warm, or let cool completely and store to enjoy cold later on.
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