Never feel bad about scooping a spoonful of cookie dough into your mouth again! This…
Chocolate & PB Dipped Frozen Bananas
Talk about a healthy treat to beat the heat! These chocolate, PB2 and topping dipped bananas are that sinfully-satisfying, sweet treat that’ll make you feel great when you splurge for dessert.
Sometimes you just need something to satisfy that sweet tooth of yours. As much as I am a fan of plunging into a pint (or gallon) of your favorite, calorie loaded ice-cream, there are so many fun and delicious options that leave you feeling proud. Your kids, on top of it all, will go NUTS (no pun intended) for this treat! Kid approved, for sure!
Really, Michelle? A banana is going help me get over my need for ice cream? Umm, no, BUT if you are trying to lay off that frozen dairy for just one or two snacks, these insanely decadent bananas can help. I assure you, they will have you craving more.
Look at it this way, I could be suggesting a bowl of fresh fruit over a pint Ben & Jerry’s Half Baked but there’s no way those two can even be in the same ball park. I’m just saying, biting into chocolate peanut butter covered anything is a start! If you’re anything like me, slowly sweating to death in Florida’s sun, something cold is the trick. Make it better by adding that chocolate coating, with some low calorie peanut butter (that’s right) and a topping is perfect as we close out the summer.
I’m a big, actually, HUGE fan of those handheld, prepackaged ice cream cones with the chocolate and the nuts all around them. If you think about it, you’re not even concerned with the ice cream center, you just want the coating and the crumbles of the outer shell! Seriously, don’t tell me that when you’re eating ice cream with “chunks” you’re not more excited about the chocolate bits and pieces hidden in all that glory.
These bananas are just that. The fruit is just the part that makes you feel better about what you’re doing. The coating around it is the teeny tiny bit of pleasure you can pull out of the dessert without feeling weighed down and mad that you had to indulge in dessert. You should never feel bad about wanting something sweet!
This is also a great pre or post workout snack that provides you with the vitamins, potassium, protein and antioxidants needed to keep you refreshed and revitalized. PB2 is one of my go-to ingredients as well because it’s low in calories, freezes well, AND gives you the protein boost you need. I’m not saying it’s the healthiest thing to eat but you deserve a treat that will make you smile and feel good about what it is, all at the same time.
Melting the chocolate the correct way is key! Here’s some tips and tricks for that before you start!
- If you have a double boiler, this is ideal. If you don’t that’s ok, but do NOT rush the process!
- Melting in the microwave is totally fine. I would do 30 second increments on medium-high heat and then stir. Do this as many times as it takes with the coconut oil/creamer added and stir or whisk until everything is melted and smooth.
- I added everything to a stovetop pot and melted on a burner. Turn the burner to a low-medium temperature and gently stir or whisk the chocolate and oil/cream until it becomes shiny and smooth and remove.
- If the chocolate becomes oddly hard and difficult to stir, add milk or more cream. I added almond milk.
- Your goal is to get the consistency to be smooth. Not too liquidy but not too tough. It’s weird to determine, I know, but once you know how to dip, you’ll know what I mean.
- Getting the right consistency for the PB2 is just as important. Since it’s powder, you need to add water in little bits and then add more (and maybe even more than the recipe suggests) to get it to be “dippable” but also easy to spoon and smear the PB2 around the banana.
This is also a great time to get creative and customize the banana YOU want and what you will enjoy. Here are a few great toppings you can add or utilize if you have them on hand:
- If you need real, full-fat peanut butter, that’s totally fine! You can also sub any other nut butter that your family enjoys and that’s recommended for your diet.
- Any type of nut will work! I love pistachios, peanuts and almonds as they offer a lot of great crunch and flavor but cashews, walnuts, pecans and even hazelnuts would work. Explore all your favorite options.
- Other toppings could include coconut, sprinkles, crushed chocolate cream cookies (I was all about that), freeze-dried fruits, hard candy coated chocolates, peanut butter coated chocolates or even a drizzle of more chocolate and/or peanut butter.
- This is a great, post Halloween treat with tons of leftover candy that you want to get rid of (if you have any).
- A dash of sea salt would really boost the sweetness of these bananas!
These are so easy to make. I made a whole batch of them before my parents arrived and I swear we had them for breakfast, lunch and dessert! There are no rules if you’re eating fruit!
Chocolate & PB Dipped Frozen Bananas
Talk about a healthy treat to beat the heat! These chocolate, PB2 and topping dipped bananas are that sinfully-satisfying, sweet treat that’ll make you feel great when you splurge for dessert.
Ingredients
- 3-4 large bananas ripe, peeled, halved
- ¾ cup peanut butter powder
- ¾ cup water
- 1 dash stevia, or zero calorie sweetener to taste
- 1 (10 ounce) bag dark chocolate chips
- 1 tablespoon coconut oil or heaavy cream
- ¼ cup chopped peanuts (optional)
- ¼ cup chopped pistachios (optional)
- ¼ cup shredded coconut (optional)
- ¼ cup crushed cookies (optional)
- ¼ cup sliced almonds (optional)
Instructions
- Line a tray/plate (that can fit in the freezer) with wax or parchment paper. Peel and halve all the bananas. If using small bananas, cut about an inch off the bottom and don’t cut in half. Recipe yields about 6-8 banana pops.
- Carefully insert a popsicle stick into the flat, cut end of the banana about half way through the fruit. Keep the popsicle stick in the center of the banana.
- Lay bananas on a lined plate and freeze for at least 45 minutes.
- In a large bowl, mix together peanut butter powder and water. Add a little more water at a time until the consistency of the peanut butter is smooth where you can still make peaks.
- Remove the bananas from the freezer and dip them into peanut butter. Use a spoon or small spatula to spread the peanut butter all over the banana, leaving a little banana exposed at the bottom.
- Place back onto the lined freezer plate and freeze again for 30-45 minutes.
- Melt down chocolate and coconut oil together in the microwave or on the stove top. If doing in the microwave, melt for 15-30 seconds on medium heat and stir. If doing this on the stove top, melt on a double boiler or in a sauce pan on low heat. The end result should be a completely smooth and silky chocolate.
- Prepare, chop, crush any and all toppings (nuts, coconut, cookies, candies) in individual bowls and set aside.
- Remove the bananas from the freezer and dip in the chocolate. Use a spoon or small spatula to spread the chocolate all over the peanut butter dipped banana, leaving a little peanut butter exposed at the bottom.
- Immediately dip or sprinkle on whatever toppings you choose to decorate the bananas. Set back in the freezer for another 30-45 minutes.
- Remove bananas that you are ready to enjoy and allow to sit at room temperature for about 2 minutes for a softer bite. Enjoy!
Notes
How long does it last and where?
After making these, they have lasted in the fridge for over a week. I think they could even push a little longer but eventually they may get to the point of becoming freezer burnt.
They MUST stay in the freezer until ready to eat!
Can you freeze it?
That’s the point!
Substitutions?
As stated above, there are tons of ways to decorate these with whatever type of chocolate, peanut/nut butter, toppings you have on hand.
Not a banana fan? Chocolate dipped pineapple slices or strawberries would probably work just fine!
Tips and Tricks
These take a little longer than they look because you have to wait for each layer to chill. If you don’t have patience to wait for the bananas or coatings to chill then I cannot promise they will turn out as pretty. I don’t believe they could be bad but you’ll see how the layers don’t hold to each other as well.
You ABSOLUTELY have to add the toppings to the chocolate immediately after you dip them. I was so excited when I dipped them that I forgot to add the toppings to the first banana or two. Quickly I was able to get some nuts onto them but it was much easier right when they were dipped.
Smaller bits of the nut/candy/topping coatings worked better. If you’re adding nuts or cookie bits, crush them up into small, even pieces so they stick and cover the chocolate portion of the banana evenly.
I used popsicle sticks because they were thicker and had the ability to grasp the banana better. I thought about bamboo skewers because they were easier to find but I imagined the bananas slipping right off.
Above, I spoke about consistency with the chocolate. Same goes for the PB2. Both need to be “dippable”. I also partly dipped them and partly spooned on and smeared the coating around the banana. It’s an art you’ll see once you do it!
What to serve with it?
These are perfect on their own as a dessert! Enjoy by the pool or just to cool off after a workout or a day in the sun!
Nutrition
Serving: 1pop | Sodium: 17mg | Sugar: 15g | Fiber: 6g | Cholesterol: 1mg | Calories: 262kcal | Saturated Fat: 8g | Fat: 14g | Protein: 6g | Carbohydrates: 30g
Servings: 6 people
Calories: 262kcal
*****Nutritional Facts are subject to change depending on the toppings you choose to pick. This recipe can be classified as gluten free if using toppings that have no ingredients with added gluten.***
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