Way back in 2010, we took a trip to San Juan del Sur, Nicaragua with the kids. We spent our days on the beach, doing yoga and surfing. When in need of a cool treat, we visited a local family to buy frozen chocolate covered bananas. As a dietitian mom, I loved that my kids preferred the dark chocolate covered frozen bananas on a popsicle stick over ice cream. There is something really special about frozen bananas and chocolate.
Don’t tell them it’s not ice cream.[/caption]
I really love the combination of frozen banana and dark chocolate, so I decided to re-create this lovely combination with peanut butter as well. Drizzling these treats with melted chocolate and chopped nuts gives them a much more sophisticated appeal. It was hard to keep everyone’s hands off for long enough to get a good photo.
FODMAPs in bananas?
Monash re-tested ripe banana and found them to be higher in fructans than originally thought. The FODMAP limit for ripe bananas was decreased from 1 whole banana to 1/3 of a banana. However, one firm banana is still low FODMAP. For this recipe, I suggest you use firm frozen bananas or limit yourself to 1/3 of a banana which is about 2 or 3 pieces.
They all disappeared within minutes.
These banana bites make a perfect low FODMAP alternative to ice cream and they are really easy to make. Once frozen, you can store the leftovers in a container in the freezer. When you are ready to eat, partially thaw them on the counter for a few minutes to allow the bananas to soften.
Enjoy!
Recipe:
- 2 bananas (firm, unripe) peeled and sliced crosswise into 3 cm pieces
- 1/4 cup peanut butter
- 1/4 cup dark chocolate
- 1 tsp coconut oil
- 2 tbsp finely chopped walnuts, almonds or peanuts
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Place the sliced bananas on the parchment paper. Top each banana with peanut butter.
- Freeze for at least 30 minutes.
- Gently melt the chocolate and coconut oil in a saucepan or microwave. Stir to combine.
- Once the bananas are frozen, drizzle with melted chocolate and sprinkle with chopped nuts.
- Place back in the freezer for 10 minutes till chocolate and bananas harden.
- Enjoy right away.
