Dark Chocolate-Dipped Frozen Banana with Cocoa Nibs
Author: 
Recipe type: snack, dessert
Prep time: 
Cook time: 
Total time: 
Serves: 4
 
Ingredients
  • 1 lb. bananas (three or four small, peeled, one end trimmed off)
  • craft wooden popsicle sticks
  • 1 lb. (or slightly less) dark chocolate, melted in the top of a double boiler (or microwaved in short bursts until soft, stirring between each zap)
  • ½ cup unsweetened cocoa nibs
Instructions
  1. Cut and trim bananas as desired. I prefer the end that's on the stick to be straight to make it easier to insert the stick and to eat the popsicle. So I either cut the bananas in half or cut off one end of the banana and save it, frozen, for another purpose (my morning smoothie). With an especially thick banana, I may cut the banana in half lengthwise.
  2. Insert a popsicle stick into each banana.
  3. Lay the bananas onto a baking sheet. Put the baking sheet in the freezer and freeze for at least two hours.
  4. Melt chocolate, either in a microwave or on the stove top. For the stovetop, simmer water in the bottom of a double boiler while melting the chocolate in the top pot of the double boiler. It is important that no water gets into the chocolate.
  5. Remove bananas from freezer, dip into melted chocolate one by one. If your pan, like mine, is too small to submerge the chocolate, drizzle or spread chocolate over the rest of the banana with a spoon or spatula. Work quickly if you are planning to add cocoa nibs or something else to the banana, since the chocolate sets up quickly on the frozen banana.
  6. Set the banana on a parchment-paper-covered baking sheet.
  7. Sprinkle cocoa nibs on the banana, turning it to get both sides.
  8. Enjoy one right now, or place bananas back in the freezer on the parchment-paper covered baking sheet.
  9. The bananas can be transferred from the baking sheet to a large zip-lock bag once the chocolate is completely firm, which will take only a few minutes in a large freezer.
  10. There will be 7 or 8 oz. of chocolate left over. Pour it onto a parchment-paper-covered baking tray. Let it cool, plain, to use again, or sprinkle it with your favorite topping and cool it at room temperature to make a chocolate bark.
Recipe by Fit and Fed at http://fitandfed.net/2013/02/17/chocolate-dipped-frozen-banana-cocoa-nibs/