Tuesday, April 24, 2012

Chocolate Banana Bon Bons (GF)


Chocolate plus banana equals frozen deliciousness! These little bite-sized treats feature a crisp, dark chocolate shell and a cold, creamy banana center that almost (but not quite!) tricks your taste buds into thinking it's ice cream. I bet you can't eat just one! Don't feel too guilty...at least they are healthier than a Klondike bar. I've been thinking the only way to make them "yummier" might be a smidge of peanut butter between the banana and the chocolate. What do you think?

Are you ready to get started? Here's what you need to make these little gems....

You're going to need about 3 ripe bananas (spots are fine), some good quality dark chocolate--60% cacao or more--and an oil that melts to a liquid but is solid at room temperature. I prefer refined coconut oil, which has no coconut flavor (Honestly! I hate coconut but use refined coconut oil in SO many things.). Palm oil would be another great choice. Palm and coconut oils are both full of the same healthy fats that avocados boast. Crisco would work in a pinch, but personally I don't like using anything with hydrogenated or partially hydrogenated oil--ie. trans fats.



Measure out about 1 cup of bittersweet chocolate chips and add 2 teaspoons of coconut oil (or shortening, if you must). Slice 3 bananas into healthy sized chunks...about 3/4 an inch or so.



Place a glass bowl into a shallow skillet of water on the stove at a low temp to melt (double boiler method) or place in the microwave for one minute. Stir chocolate frequently to avoid scorching and keep water away from the melted chocolate to avoid weird clumping. Microwave at 30 second intervals until chocolate is smooth and liquidy. Mine took 1 min. 45 sec. but your microwave may vary in size and cooking time.

Add 2 or 3 banana slices at a time and use a fork to "fish" them out, tapping the excess chocolate off and dragging banana across the edge of the bowl. If you don't do this...you'll have puddles of chocolate under your bon bons. Which will only affect the look--not the taste. :) Work quickly or the chocolate will begin to get thick again. If that happens --reheat until liquidy again.


Tip the fork up slightly to slide the banana slices onto a cookie sheet lined with parchment or waxed paper.



This is easy enough a 5 year old can do it! LOL!



Continue until all of the bananas have been dipped or you run out of chocolate, then place cookie sheet in the freezer for a minimum of 6 hours. Trust me...it's worth the wait! 


I did 3 medium bananas and had a small amount of chocolate left, which I poured onto parchment and allowed to harden up again. I hate the thought of wasting good chocolate! (PS...I ate that "blob" later because I needed a little something to help me stay sane until my hubby arrived  home to save me. Yep...the whole thing! It's thinner than it looks. Haha!)

These will store beautifully in a container or plastic bag in your freezer. I have absolutely no idea how long they will keep because ours are gone within 48 hours. True story! Now that I think about it, I would NOT recommend putting them in something see-through, because these bad boys will scream at you every time you open the freezer door. Enjoy!

Ashley




8 comments:

  1. These sound awesome Ashley!! Always looking for a healthier snack to give the boys when they come home from school. These are definitely going on the list!

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    1. Six or eight of these would be PERFECT, Rene! I'm not sure I could even eat that many in one sitting. About 3 is my limit (well....in a 10 minute period! Ha!) Not to mention that many would equal a serving of fruit, too. Both of my kids love them. I am pretty sure Charlotte thinks they are ice cream. LOL I'm not telling her otherwise. ;)

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  2. I'm getting ready to make these now. I'll let you know what we think!

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    1. Please do, Tera! My kids LOVE them and I hope yours do too! In the summer, they would be especially refreshing. You even cut the bananas a bit bigger and put them on a popsicle stick to eat outside. :)

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  3. I hate banana's but the boys in this house love them. So I may have to try this just for them.

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    1. They have a completely different texture when they are frozen. You should try them! Maybe you'll like them covered in chocolate. ;)

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  4. I am totally making these :) Thanks Ashley!!!

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  5. I can't even begin to describe their deliciousness!

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