Frozen Chocolate Banana Pops

Yes, it’s now officially the first week of Fall and I am already taking a break from Fall flavors to discuss the awesomeness of these frozen chocolate banana pops.  I had been saving these cute wooden sticks from The TomKat Studio  for what seems like forever and I finally decided that these frozen banana pops were worthy of their use.

Eating these take me back to carefree childhood days and I feel like I’m eating something completely indulgent, except they are actually not so bad for you since they are basically just frozen bananas wrapped in some dark chocolate.   Banana pops are fun and simple to make.  First, cut each peeled banana into small pieces and insert a wooden stick into each piece.  (I cut the bananas into fourths and cut the tips off of the ends so that each piece had a more uniform shape.)  Next, freeze the bananas for at least a couple of hours.  It’s important to be patient and not skip this step.  Now is when the fun begins!  Melt the chocolate with a bit of coconut oil so that the chocolate becomes slightly thinned and velvety smooth.  Take the frozen banana pop and quickly dip it into the melted chocolate.  Allow the excess chocolate (is there such a thing as excess chocolate?!)  to drip off the banana and watch it solidify into a yummy chocolate shell.  If you want to add a topping, dip the chocolate covered banana into the topping before the chocolate completely solidifies.  If you wait too long, the toppings will not stick, but if you dip too soon, you will have a sticky mess.  Takes a little practice, but you will get it, I promise.  I think I am going to go order a huge supply of these wooden sticks because from now on, we are going to be making these all of the time.  I’m thinking birthday parties, playdates, family nights…. chocolate banana pops for everyone.  Oooh yeah.

Frozen Chocolate Banana Pops

• Yield: 16-20 pops

Ingredients

• 2 3.5-ounce dark chocolate bars (I used bars with 72% cacao)
• 1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon coconut oil
• 4-5 bananas, cut into pieces
• sprinkles, coconut, or crushed peanuts for dipping

Instructions

1. Insert wooden stick into each banana piece. Freeze for at least 2 hours.
2. Set a small glass mixing bowl over a small saucepan of simmering water and place the chocolate and coconut oil in the mixing bowl. Stir until the chocolate is completely melted and smooth. Pour the chocolate into a medium sized glass for easier dipping.
3. Quickly dip each frozen banana piece into the melted chocolate and allow the excess chocolate to drip off. After the excess chocolate has dripped off, but before the chocolate is completely solidified, dip the chocolate into desired topping. Serve immediately or return to freezer to serve later.