Frozen ChocoNana pops AT HOME MY WAY!

 

Frozen ChocoNana Pops

Recipes at the Top; Chit Chat at the bottom

(REMINDER:  The bananas need to freeze overnight before dipping the next day so allow time for that when making these frozen dipped banana pops).

Ingredients:

• 3 Bananas - ripeness of your choice 
• Popsicle sticks (I bought mine at Walmart for less than $1.)
• 1 cup chocolate chips (I used semi-sweet but you can use dark chocolate or milk chocolate chips if preferred.)
• 4 teaspoons coconut oil (Shortening like Crisco will also work but isn't as good for you.  You can even get a little coconut oil from Dollar Tree)
• Optional: Sprinkles, coconut, crushed nuts (toppings of your choice)

Directions:

1. Peel and cut bananas in two or three sections.  Each banana pop should be about 4 inches long.
2. Place popsicle sticks inside each banana section so that you can hold the banana on the stick.
3. Freeze bananas with sticks - overnight.  They need to freeze solid before dipping. (I placed mine on a plate and stuck them in the freezer overnight.)
4. In the microwave or in a double boiler on the stove, melt chocolate chips.  (If melting in the microwave, cook only short bursts of 30 seconds, stirring/checking often because chocolate burns fast and can seize up when overheated.)   (I used a heat proof mug in a shallow pot of hot water for making a DIY double boiler but definitely don't let the water come in contact with the chocolate because those two don't mix.)  
5. Stir melted coconut oil or shortening into the chocolate.  
6. Dip each banana section in the chocolate.  You may need to swirl the last banana to get enough chocolate to cover.
7. Sprinkle with toppings just after dipping.  They need to be added to wet chocolate.  
8. Place dipped bananas on a plate, not touching of course, and put them in the freezer until the chocolate is solid.
9. Move dipped choconanas to a resealable container for storing them in the freezer.  They can touch at this point since they are frozen and the chocolate is solid.
10. Stores up to a month (or more, really) in the freezer.

The Chit Chat

This summer I attended our town festival called "Heritage Days" and at the parade, we stopped by a food truck vendor to get a frozen treat.  It was so hot!  We all needed some refreshments.  Well, low and behold-I saw that they had an old school favorite.  I grew up calling them "Choconanas" and this food truck had whole bananas, frozen on a stick and dipped in melted chocolate (no toppings).  I REALLY wanted one - UNTIL I SAW THE PRICE.  Inflation is definitely a thing when one frozen choconana costs $9.  $9 each??!!!!  Bananas are one of the cheapest fruits to buy and I usually can buy a bunch of them for less than $2.  I'm all for people making money but that was ridiculous!  I actually saw a lady walking around eating one!  $9!-yea...  

Growing up in central Florida, my mom often had "Choconanas" that she had made in our freezer.  We loved them and I'm sure our mom was offering a much healthier treat than the grape, cherry, and banana frozen popsicles that she sometimes got for us.  (Remember those pixie brand popsicle sticks that could be connected?  I digress..)

Anyway, our mom made hers from a little yellow box kit (Chiquita brand) that was sold in the produce section of the grocery store along with those boxes of red hard candy apple mix.  (She made those in the fall, back when our teeth wouldn't break off from eating them lol.)  

I knew that if I could find a recipe for homemade Magic Shell (dipping chocolate), I could make my own choconanas.  So - I made them for my grandsons this summer.  The baby was teething during a visit "to swim in PawPaw's pool" and I thought frozen bananas would feel good to his sore little gums.  (Of course, I left chocolate off of a few frozen banana pops for the baby.)  We loved these frozen treats and my daughter especially enjoyed a blast from the past.  

Isn't that one of the best things about going home?  Enjoying yummy food prepared by the same loved ones who made yummy food when you were little?  For me, food is a kind of blessing that I can give to my kiddos and I hope to do more of it now that we have a normal size house to cook in. 💕

Here are some FUN FACTS that I found for frozen, chocolate dipped bananas - because inquiring minds like mine want to know!

Fun Fact #1 - The first chocolate-dipped frozen banana was sold in 1940 by the Frozen Banana King himself- Don Phillips on the Balboa Peninsula in Orange County, California.

Fun Fact #2 - The treat was eventually brought to Disneyland in 1955, helping to spread its popularity across Southern California and beyond.  

Fun Fact #3 - Chocolate-covered frozen bananas are still available at Disney's Animal Kingdom.

Fun Fact #4 -  When made with dark chocolate, the dessert can have nutritional benefits from both the bananas' potassium and the chocolate's antioxidants. 

Fun Fact #5 Chiquita Banana Pop making kits are still for sale, from Amazon and possibly near the bananas in your grocery store.  However, my recipe is so simple that there really is no need to buy a kit!

Choconanas / Frozen, Chocolate Dipped Bananas are a fun summer treat.  They can be made ahead and avoid the dripping factor, that ice cream has.  Frozen, chocolate dipped bananas are delicious!  We love having choconanas in our freezer, made AT HOME MY WAY!  I hope you give me them a try!

Enjoy!

Gina