I had never had a frozen banana before so I had no idea what we had been missing out on. I had seen frozen banana pops on an old episode of Rachael Ray’s 30 Minute Meals and thought that looked like a really weird snack. What could possibly taste good about frozen bananas? Boy, was I wrong!
When frozen, bananas actually taste like ice cream. They are cold and creamy and have none of the texture that they have when they are in their normal state. Rolled in chocolate and sprinkles, they make heavenly treats that are pretty figure friendly versus the ice cream variety.
Best of all, these treats are easy on the pockets and are a great way to use up some of the bananas that are sitting on your counter. They are quick to make and a fun treat to eat.
My husband ended up working late yesterday and I was having a hard day with the kids. I told them that we were going on a picnic and at the end of our picnic dinner, we would all get a fun treat to eat. I packed up summer sausage, cheese, crackers, pasta salad, and grapes. While I made the pasta salad, I put together our banana treats and popped them in the freezer to harden.
There was a lot of grumbling from my son about not wanting to go on a picnic, but I finally got him convinced. He was pretty surprised when the picnic was in our yard and not at the playground. I threw out a blanket on the lawn and we ate our dinner out there. It made for a quick clean up and it was a nice surprise when Ryan got home from work.
The kids played on the swing set while I cleaned up from our dinner and then I brought out the snack. My son, who is a huge banana fan, thought it was the coolest thing ever and he ended up eating two of them. After he finished, he was covered in chocolate so I let him take the hose and rinse himself off. He was soaked, but had a huge grin on his face. That is what summer is all about!
We are approaching his fifth birthday so I have started thinking about themes for his day recently. I noticed that Martha Stewart’s new line over at Michael’s has a really cute monkey birthday party set. Wouldn’t these be a cute treat to serve along with other fun monkey snacks (monkey bread & banana pancakes)? I am thinking of using this idea for Ethan’s birthday this July. Having the kids help make these with you for the party would be a fun way to involve them in the party process. Not only that, but what a cheap party snack they will make!
I highly recommend adding these sweet treats to your snack rotation. You can also make them a healthy breakfast snack, by incorporating other ingredients into them. Here are a few recipes to try. Feel free to share some of your own favorite banana popsicle ideas!
Chocolate Covered Bananas
6 ripe bananas
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
Peel bananas and cut in half crosswise. Insert a wooden stick into the flat end of each banana half. Lay bananas on a shallow pan (I used a small cookie sheet) and freeze for approximately three hours. Melt chocolate chips in the microwave or over hot water. With a spatula, quickly spread melted chocolate over banana, coating well. Then roll in sprinkles, crushed nuts, or rice cereal. Wrap each banana in foil and store in your freezer.
Breakfast Banana Pops
4 large bananas
2 cups fruit-flavored yogurt, Nutella or peanut butter (For easiest spreading, dilute nut butters with enough vanilla or plain yogurt so it’s the consistency of thick cake batter)
1 cup combination of chopped dried fruit, granola, crushed cereal, crushed cookies or crushed candy
Peel the bananas, cut in half crosswise, and dip them in the yogurt. Roll them in the toppings to coat. Freeze until firm. Serve when firm.
Crispy Banana Pops
2 medium bananas
1/4 cup crisp rice cereal
1/4 cup miniature chocolate chips
2 tablespoons finely chopped peanuts
1 tablespoon light corn syrup
Cut bananas in half and insert a wooden popsicle stick into the cut end of each half. Freeze until firm (about ten minutes). Combine cereal, chocolate chips and peanuts in a shallow bowl, mix well. Uncover frozen bananas and brush with corn syrup. Roll bananas in cereal mixture to cat. Loosely wrap each coated banana with plastic wrap. Store in freezer for about ten minutes or until serving time. Serve frozen.