This year I've gone super simple with my Pesach recipes, and in keeping with that theme, here's an oldie but a goodie: chocolate-covered frozen banana pops.


It's literally as simple as dipping frozen bananas in chocolate and the toppings of your choice. I've included detailed instructions, but you can absolutely make adjustments to suit your family's tastes.


If you've been following my blog for a while you'll know I am passionately in favor of using salt in desserts—it really takes them up a level. So for toppings I used chopped nuts and toasted coconut. You can use plain toasted coconut, but I toasted it with a small amount of sugar and a generous sprinkle of salt.


Ingredients:

  • 5 bananas
  • 10 popsicle sticks
  • 100 grams / 3.5 oz. dark chocolate
  • ¼ cup chopped walnuts
  • ¼ cup chopped pistachios
  • ½ cup shredded coconut
  • 2 tsp. sugar
  • kosher salt
  • oil
  • optional: small amount of white chocolate for drizzle

Directions:

  1. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
  2. Peel the bananas and cut in half horizontally. Gently push a popsicle stick into each one. Place the banana popsicles on the baking sheet and freeze for 1-2 hours, until frozen solid.
  3. Preheat oven to 350°F (180°C). Toss the shredded coconut with 2 teaspoons sugar and a sprinkle of kosher salt (if you're using table salt, use a very small amount). Spread the coconut out in a thin layer on a baking pan, and place in the oven. Remove pan every 2-3 minutes, stir, and put back, for a total of about 10 minutes, until just golden. Set the coconut aside to cool.
  4. Melt the chocolate in the microwave or a double boiler. Once the chocolate is melted, add a small amount of oil to thin it out (start with 1 teaspoon and see how it feels).
  5. When the bananas are fully frozen, set up a dipping station. Place each item on a separate plate: the pistachios, walnuts, and coconut. And have the melted chocolate in a bowl. Optional: Melt some white chocolate and use it to drizzle over the dark chocolate.
  6. Dip each banana pop into the dark chocolate and immediately roll in the desired topping. Place banana pop back on the tray and back into the freezer. Once the chocolate has frozen, transfer the banana pops to a zip top bag or covered container and keep frozen until serving.

Yields: 10 banana pops