Peanut Butter & Jelly Chocolate Covered Frozen Banana Pops

peanut-butter-jelly-chocolate-banana-pops

Turn the classic Peanut Butter & Jelly flavor into a frozen treat! A great gluten free dessert for hot summer days that uses just six ingredients.

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Keyword chocolate, dessert, gluten free, healthy, peanut butter

Prep Time 15

Freezing Time 1 30

Servings

Calories 373kcal

Author Taryn Solie

Ingredients

2 ripe bananas
⅓ cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
¼ cup creamy peanut butter
1 tbsp coconut oil
¼ cup salted peanuts
¼ cup freeze-dried strawberries

Instructions

Items Needed:

A large flat plate
A piece of parchment paper (to cover the plate)
Four popsicle sticks (or two 10-inch bamboo skewers and pair of pliers)
A knife
A cutting board
Measuring cups
A food processor (or large sharp knife and cutting board)
A small flat plate or board
A small spoon
A small, microwavable bowl
A measuring spoon

Directions:

Take out a large, flat plate. Cut a piece of parchment paper to fit over the entire plate and set aside.
If using popsicle sticks, get them out now. If using bamboo skewers, take a pair of pliers and clip off the pointed end. Then clip the skewer in half, making two piece of equal length. Do the same with the second skewer.
Peel the bananas and discard the peels. Using a knife and cutting board, cut them in half width-wise so there are two shorter pieces.
Take one stick and slide it into the center of the bottom flat (cut) part of the banana. Don’t insert so far that the stick comes out on the other end, but 1.5 to 2 inches in should be enough. Repeat with the other three banana pieces.
Place each banana piece with their sticks on the plate so they’re not touching and place in the freezer for at least one hour. This may take longer depending on the temperature of your freezer and where you’re able to fit them in. They need to be completely frozen solid before coating them in the chocolate mixture.
Once bananas are completely frozen, begin by making the outer coating. Measure out the amount of peanuts with a measuring cup and place it in a food processor. You can also chop them up by hand with a cutting board and large sharp knife if you don’t have a food processor. Chop them until they are in small pieces, but not a fine dust. Remove them from the processor (or cutting board) when done and place on a small, flat plate or board.
Next measure out the freeze-dried strawberries and place them in a food processor. Chop until the pieces are very small. This will likely results in most of the strawberries turning into a fine dust, which is okay. The dust will coat the peanuts and blend the flavors together more. Once done, remove from the processor and combine with the peanuts on small plate, making during to mix them together well. This part can also be done by chopping the strawberries on a cutting board with a sharp knife then, if necessary, grinding them a bit with your fingers to get some of the fine dust and make larger pieces smaller.
Now make the chocolate mixture. Be sure and leave the bananas in the freezer when making the mixture and only take them out when ready to cover them, otherwise they’ll start to defrost and it will make dipping them more difficult.
With measuring cups and spoons, measure out the chocolate chips, peanut butter, and coconut oil and place all three in a small microwavable bowl.
Heat the bowl on high for 50 seconds to start. Using a spoon, mix together the ingredients until they are well combined. The mixture should be thin and without any lumps. If necessary, return the bowl to the microwave to heat again in 10 second increments, checking after each to make sure the chocolate isn’t burning.
Now take the bananas out of the freezer. Take one and start to coat it in the chocolate mixture. This can be done by first swirling it around in the chocolate, then using the spoon to ladle the mixture over the banana.
Once the banana is covered in chocolate, turn it upside down (the bottom of the handle will be facing up) to let the excess chocolate drip off. After the chocolate is mostly done dripping, roll the banana in the peanut/strawberry topping. If you’re not able to get all sides of the banana, grab some of the topping in your hand and sprinkle it on any bare spots.
Set the banana down back on the plate with the parchment paper and repeat the process for the other three bananas.
After all of the bananas have the chocolate mixture and the topping, place them back in the freezer to harden for at least 30 minutes before eating. Again, this may take longer depending on the temperature of your freezer and if your bananas softened a bit during the dipping process.

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