Last week I got the inclination to re-create one of my favorite childhood treats–Frozen Chocolate-covered Bananas. My favorite children’s cookbook calls them Frozen Bananoids, which, aww, isn’t that cute. I should probably have consulted said favorite children’s cookbook yesterday, when I finally got around to actually making this favorite delectable treat. I left out a crucial ingredient and ended up with a banana disaster.
Disaster may be too strong a word, really. No one was harmed, and the frozen banana things are edible, even if they do look a little weird. I just feel like a bit of a dumbass for screwing up a recipe I made a million times when I was ten.
See, I left out the ingredient that would have made my melted chocolate creamier and more easy to coat over other food substances, namely bananas. That ingredient was milk. Doh. I just tried to melt some chocolate chips and dip banana pieces in the melted chcocolate. The chocolate quickly hardened, and then got kind of chalky, and refused to stick to the bananas no matter how much I tried to bribe it. Damned chocolate.
The following is the recipe for Frozen Bananoids, done the correct way. Following this lovely recipe, your Frozen Chocolate Bananas will turn out just fine. Not like mine.
Frozen Bananoids
- 1/2 a bag of chocolate chips (about 1 1/2 to 2 cups)
- 1/4 c. milk
- 4-5 bananas
- nuts and perhaps shredded coconut, if you’re into that kind of thing
Set up a double boiler, or a double boiler-like contraption (I just use a small mixing bowl that fits right inside a big saucepan, with enough space for about an inch of boiling water at the bottom.) Heat the water until it starts simmering, and then put the chocolate and the milk in the top part. Stir continuously until the chocolate melts and you have a smooth chocolate syrup. Seriously, don’t forget the milk.
Cut the bananas into small pieces, about an inch or so long. Using a fork or some tongs to pick up the banana pieces and roll them around in the chocolate until they’re nicely coated. You can then dip them into nuts or coconut or even little sprinkles or something, if you want.
Put them on a baking sheet covered in parchment or waxed paper, and put them in the freezer until the chocolate is hardened and the bananas are frozen. This should take at least three hours, but if you’re impatient, they’re edible after only an hour or so. And they’ll keep in the freezer for awhile. After they’ve frozen completely (probably wait overnight) you can take them off the baking sheet and put them in a big plastic bag or something, for quick night time treats that don’t feel as guilt inducing as ice cream. Because it’s fruit! It’s healthy! See!
As you might notice, only the first of my bananas allowed itself to be coated in the chocolate. I’m not entirely sure what happened, other than that I forgot milk, but it was like the chocolate had a visceral reaction to the bananas, and wouldn’t touch it! Perhaps the cold bananas froze up the chocolate. I had no idea, but they sure don’t look the way they did when I was a kid. Of course, I’ll eat them anyway.