Chocolate Peanut Butter Banana Bites Recipe

In my never ending quest to fill up my 7 year old son's tummy, I ran across a scrumptious snack: Banana chunks covered in dark chocolate and peanut butter. The whole family loves them. Best of all, these Chocolate Peanut Butter Banana Bites are SUPER easy to make and you can easily customize them.

First, a few notes about the recipe. The bananas should not be ripe; that is to say, they shouldn't have brown spots on the peel. I use yellow bananas that are still slightly green at the stem. They should be firm when you slice them. Ripe (browned) bananas may lead to mushy, brown bites.

For the chocolate, you can really use whatever type you like. Dark chocolate is healthier, and we like it with the sweetness of the banana. I recommend choosing a brand of chocolate that doesn't use child slave labor. (You can see a list of the offenders here.)

With the peanut butter, you can use any type you like. I use "natural" style because it contains less sugar. I also use smooth peanut butter, but I think you could use chunky, if you wish.

At the end of the recipe, I discuss ways to customize the recipe, too.



Chocolate Peanut Butter Banana Bites Recipe

2 large bananas
1/4 cup dark chocolate chips
1/4 - 1/3 cup natural peanut butter (I use 1/3 cup)

1. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. If you don't have any, I think you could use wax paper or maybe even aluminum foil. Measure out the chocolate chips and peanut butter and put them in a microwave safe bowl.

2. Peel the bananas and cut into chunks. The size is up to you. Mine are about an inch long or so.

3. Place the bowel of chocolate and peanut butter in the microwave and heat for 30 seconds on high. Remove from the microwave and stir. Continue heating for 30 seconds, then stirring, until the chocolate chips are nearly melted. Then continue stirring until there are no more chocolate lumps. (If you don't want to use a microwave, just put the chocolate and peanut butter into a small, heavy saucepan and place over low heat, stirring frequently until nearly melted. Then remove from the heat and continue stirring until fully melted.)

4. One at a time, dip the banana chunks in the chocolate mixture, coating all sides. Don't worry if there are spots where the banana shows through. Place the chocolate covered chunk on the prepared baking sheet. Repeat until all the banana chunks are covered. Spoon the remaining chocolate mixture over the banana chunks, covering any areas where the banana was showing through the chocolate.

5. Pop the baking sheet in the freezer and freeze until the banana chunks are hard. Transfer to a freezer bag.

To serve, I prefer to remove servings from the freezer and place them in a dish or bowl to sit for perhaps a minute before eating. (This way, the banana chunk isn't so hard.) But it's totally a matter of preference!

Customizing the Recipe

You can add so many things to this recipe!

 * A tablespoon of coconut oil, for health and flavor. (Add during the melting phase.)
* Coconut flakes. (Sprinkle on just after covering the bananas in chocolate.)
* A different type of nut butter in place of peanut butter.
* Finely chopped peanuts, walnuts, or any other type of nut. (Added immediately after covering the bananas in chocolate.)
* Chocolate or candy sprinkles. (Added immediately after covering the bananas in chocolate.)


Thanks to The View From Great Island and Never Homemaker for giving me the idea - and a recipe to work from - for this yummy snack!