Last week I was watching Arrested Development (thanks for the Season One DVD lender, Beth!) and I got a huge craving for a frozen chocolate covered banana (a Bluth Frozen Banana to be exact!). I spoke my desire out loud. My boyfriend yelled jokingly from the other room, "Stop being so prone to suggestion! You're every marketer's wet dream." Well... when he's right, he's right.
Later that night, browsing Pinterest, I came across a recipe for frozen chocolate covered banana bites. HAPPY HAPPY JOY JOY!! When I followed the link, I was greeted by a picture from the very series that inspired my craving. I knew I wasn't alone!
Of course I had to change things up a little, but ladies and gentleman, may I present...
Frozen Chocolate Covered Banana Bites
(Adapted from (never home)maker)
2 4oz bars chocolate of choice (I used 60% cocoa)
3 bananas
1/2 cup chopped nuts of choice (I used cashews - OM NOM NOM!)
Chop bananas into bite-sized pieces and set aside.
Rough chop the chocolate and melt in a double boiler until smooth.* If you don't have a double boiler (raises hand) you can create one using a glass bowl on top of a pot of boiling water. Just make sure the bowl is big enough that it does not touch the water.
Dip/roll** the banana pieces in the chocolate and set on a cookie sheet covered with parchment or wax paper (Hello, easy cleanup!). Sprinkle the bananas with the chopped nuts and put in the freezer for at least an hour until the chocolate has hardened. When they are ready you can transfer them to a ziplock bag for compact freezer storage.
These bites are an absolute revelation!! They're bite-sized so they're easy to eat (no more gnawing on whole bananas on a stick) and they're just the perfect amount of sweet. You could even argue that they're good for you. Fruit, dark chocolate (better than milk) and good fat from nuts. :oD
*The original recipe called for melting chocolate chips in the microwave. I did that. It came out like this...
Shortly after this picture was taken, the paste turned to dust. Chocolate dust sounds cool, but it's not very handy for dipping. I think this happened because I tried to get "fussy" and added just a small splash of vanilla extract. I don't know what chemical reaction was responsible for this outcome, but it scared me into using the double boiler technique and using a higher quality chocolate. The microwave instructions are included in the link above, so use whichever method you prefer.
**In order to avoid having chocolate from fingertips to elbows (not that that's a bad thing) I used toothpicks as my dipping mechanism. They allow you to stab-n-dip without losing much/any chocolate where your fingertips might have been.
That looks awesome! :) Might have to try it!
ReplyDeleteLucky me, I have all the ingredients to make these! Yum!
ReplyDeleteYour chocolate chips seized because you added liquid. You can only add oil to something like that. Melting bricks are the easiest to use, but you don't get the same awesome flavor. Tempering real chocolate is something I try to stay away from. ;)
Oh good! So easy and so delicious. Takes no time at all. I also dipped bite-sized pretzels into the leftover chocolate I had. Hooray for salty/sweet combos! :o)
DeleteWell now I know. But I know I've added vanilla to chocolate when making a ganache or something. But I think there's also been cream involved, so maybe the high fat content of the cream carries the vanilla? Meh, the double boiler method works for me!