Frozen bananas are a great way to get your kids to snack healthy this summer. The banana turns frosty and creamy when it is frozen and has the texture of ice cream. The natural sweetness intensifies so there is no need for added sugar.
In fact, you can freeze chunks of banana, pop them into your blender or food processor, and have soft serve ice cream in just a few pulses. Put it in a cone or a dish, add sprinkles if you want, and it is delicious.
My kids always preferred the chocolate covered banana pops, though. It’s a lot like eating an ice cream on a stick and takes only a few minutes to make. I usually let kids 5 and over make them with supervision – and I melt the chocolate, of course.
Frozen Banana Pops
Ingredients
- 6 firm bananas – ripe but not mushy
- 12 popsicle sticks
- 12 ounces of chocolate to melt – white, dark, semi-sweet, etc.
Instructions
- Melt the chocolate in the microwave at 50 percent power.
- Stir every 30 seconds.
- Peel the bananas and slice them in half horizontally.
- Push the sticks into the flat edge of the cut bananas.
- Dip each banana in the melted chocolate, covering it completely. You may need to roll it around a bit.
- Sprinkle the chocolate covered bananas with nuts, sprinkles, or crushed candies and lay them on a wax paper lined cookie sheet.
- Place them in the freezer for at least three hours.
When frozen, cover the banana pops with plastic wrap to keep them fresh.
Makes 12 pops
photo credit: marye audet
