These Ghirardelli dark chocolate covered banana bites are a kid-friendly snack that your whole family will love! They are a perfect summertime snack! Keep them plain or add sprinkles for some extra fun. Just 1 WW FreeStyle SP per banana bite!
A perfect summertime snack that you can pull out any old time.
If you are looking for some great snacks to make and eat with your kids, these 3 ingredient (or 4 ingredient, if you add sprinkles) snacks are where it is at! They are so easy to make and delicious to eat. Plus, you can double or triple the recipe and store them in the freezer so you can pull out 4-5 at a time whenever you are craving a delicious treat!
The inspiration for this recipe.
There were four different things going on this past month that made me want to give this little dessert/experiment a try. (After all, recipes are really just delicious experiments that we make based on past experiences and educated guesses, right?)
1. Chocolate fondue date with my daughter.
We had a night last month where all of the boys were doing something else, so it was just me and my daughter. I asked her what she wanted to do, and she said she wanted to go to the Southbend Chocolate Factory nearby and eat chocolate fondue together. It sounded like a fun little girls night, so we did it…and we had a blast!
2. My daughter’s creation.
On a different occasion, my daughter requested that we get chocolate syrup a couple of weeks ago because her friend had some at her house, and she liked it. Then, a couple days after I got it, she told me, “Mom, I made you a snack! Can I bring it to you?” (Yes, please! Who can turn that down?)
She came back to me, proud as a peacock, as she explained her creation: she cut a banana into slices, drizzled it with chocolate syrup, and served it with a fork to make it easy to eat. I told her it was very good and that it reminded me of a banana split.
She went on to make one for both of her brothers, who also enjoyed her snack. After seeing everyone’s pleasant reactions, she asked that I take a picture and share it on the blog, which I was happy to do, of course. (Good job, Keely!)
3. My son’s question.
Then, later, my son asked if we had any Magic Shell. We did not. (Have I mentioned that we love chocolate in my family?) If you have never had Magic Shell, it’s a liquid chocolate that hardens when it touches something cold, and it’s delicious. It’s perfect on ice cream.
I told my two boys, who were both paying attention by this point, that I could make my own version of magic shell and that only takes two ingredients.
I did a little demonstration, showing them how to use dark chocolate morsels and a little coconut oil to make “magic shell.” When the mixture is heated and poured over something cold, it hardens and tastes very similar to Magic Shell. This works because both the chocolate and the coconut oil melt when they are heated and harden when they get cold.
They were really impressed and happy to eat my “experiment” over a scoop of ice cream. It was a feel good moment.
4. I love chocolate covered bananas, but I don’t love that they aren’t easy to eat!
After my little demonstration with my boys, it clicked. I love chocolate covered bananas, but I don’t love that they are not easy to eat. Why not try combining all of the tasty things we have been up to this month or so?
Because I already had all of the ingredients on hand, I got to work right away. I am eager for you to try these tasty treats. But first, let’s talk for a second about how to store them and variations to making them.
How to store chocolate covered bananas in the freezer.
There is a little bit of a 1-2-3 step process to making, and storing, these bite-sized yummies: the steps are freeze, freeze, and freeze.
- Cut and freeze the bananas.
- Cover bananas with chocolate and freeze them again. (Sprinkle with add-ons, if using them.)
- Store them in the freezer until you are ready to eat them.
That third step is sort of a two step process. Once the banana bites are frozen for about an hour, I transfer them to a plate and stick the plate in a zip-close freezer bag.
Once they have been frozen for several hours, the bananas will be thoroughly frozen and will not stick together. At this point, I remove the plate and leave them in the bag so I can pull out a couple at a time when I want to eat them.
Fun little variations.
The three main ingredients used in this recipe are chocolate, coconut oil, and bananas. If you are counting WW FreeStyle SP, one banana bite made this way is 1 WW SP.
To change things up, you can make things fun with sprinkles, chopped peanuts, or peanut butter (for additional WW SP).
Sprinkles or Chopped Peanuts.
If you are using sprinkles or finely chopped peanuts, you will want to make sure you sprinkle them on immediately after you dip the bananas in the chocolate. If you wait until the chocolate hardens, the little pieces will not stick to the chocolate.
Creamy or Crunchy Peanut Butter.
Do you love peanut butter with chocolate and bananas? They go perfect together! Feel free to melt 1-2 tablespoons peanut butter in with the chocolate and coconut oil to change things up a little bit.
You only need these three ingredients:
2-3 bananas
60 Ghirardelli 60% Cacao Bittersweet Chocolate Baking Chips (approximately 2 ounces)
1 tablespoon coconut oil
Optional ingredients: Sprinkles or finely chopped peanuts
Here is what you do:
Cut the bananas into 20 circles that are about 1/2 inch thick each. Lay out banana circles on parchment paper lined baking pan or cutting board that will fit in your freezer. Freeze the banana circles in a single layer for 1/2 hour to 1 hour. (I didn’t use parchment paper the first time I made these. I did the next time and they were easier to get off of the surface after they were frozen. Don’t want to use parchment paper? Give these a try!)
In a small microwaveable safe bowl, place the chocolate chips and coconut oil. Microwave the chocolate chips and coconut oil for 1 minute, or until the mixture is melted, stirring after 30 seconds. Whisk until the two ingredients are well combined.
Take frozen banana circles out of the freezer. One at a time, use a fork to transfer the banana circles to the chocolate mixture and fully coat the banana. Using that same fork, transfer the chocolate coated bananas to a new piece of parchment paper (I used my copper grill mats that double as parchment paper replacements. Less waste and they work great!) that will fit on the same baking pan you used before.
If you are using the sprinkles or chopped peanuts, you will want to sprinkle them on the bananas immediately, before the chocolate hardens.
Place the pan of chocolate covered bananas in the freezer and freeze for 1/2 hour to 1 hour more. Using a spatula, pick up frozen bananas and transfer to a freezer safe plate that will fit in a freezer size zip-close bag.
Place the plate of chocolate covered bananas in the zip-close bag and keep them in the freezer until you are ready to eat them. After the bananas have been frozen for 4-5 hours, you can remove the plate if you prefer and just put the banana bites directly in the bag without the plate.
Makes 5 servings.
One serving is 4 chocolate covered banana bites.
One serving is 4 WW FreeStyle Smart Points.
Dark Chocolate Covered Banana Bites
Ingredients
- 2-3 bananas
- 60 Ghirardelli 60% Cacao Bittersweet Chocolate Baking Chips (approximately 2 ounces)
- 1 tablespoon coconut oil
- Optional ingredient: Sprinkles or finely chopped peanuts
Instructions
- Cut the bananas into 20 circles that are about 1/2 inch thick each. Lay out banana circles on parchment paper lined baking pan or cutting board that will fit in your freezer. Freeze the banana circles for 1/2 hour to 1 hour.
- In a small microwaveable safe bowl, place the chocolate chips and coconut oil. Microwave the chocolate chips and coconut oil for 1 minute, or until the mixture is melted, stirring after 30 seconds. Whisk until the two ingredients are well combined.
- Take frozen banana circles out of the freezer. One at a time, use a fork to transfer the banana circles to the chocolate mixture and fully coat the banana. Using that same fork, transfer the chocolate coated bananas to a new piece of parchment paper that will fit on the same baking pan you used before. If you are using the sprinkles or chopped peanuts, you will want to sprinkle them on the bananas immediately, before the chocolate hardens.
- Place the pan of chocolate covered bananas in the freezer and freeze for 1/2 hour to 1 hour more. Using a spatula, pick up frozen bananas and transfer to a freezer safe plate that will fit in a freezer size zip-close bag.
- Place the plate of chocolate covered bananas in the zip-close bag and keep them in the freezer until you are ready to eat them. After the bananas have been frozen for 4-5 hours, you can remove the plate if you prefer and just put the banana bites directly in the bag without the plate.
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Maryjane jacklitsch says
Thank you for the chocolate covered banana receipt. Making them tomorrow
Michelle says
OMG I have been looking for something like this that I would be willing to spend points on that would not be to much and something my family would love thank you so much!