This frozen chocolate-cover bananas recipe, a tribute to Elvis, melds several of the King’s favorites—bananas dipped in chocolate and coated in bacon and crushed peanuts. Hubba hubba.
Adapted from Matt Armendariz | On a Stick! | Quirk, 2011
These frozen chocolate-covered bananas are a revamped version of Elvis’s favorite sandwich–peanut butter, bananas, and crisp bacon–that’s easy to make and stash in the freezer. And if you’re wanting a little less of an indulgence, you can make the portions of chocolate-dipped, peanut-smothered, bacon-sprinkled bananas smaller simply by cutting each banana in half.–Renee Schettler
☞ Contents
Frozen Chocolate-Covered Bananas
Ingredients
- 4 pop sticks
- 4 medium bananas peeled, halved if desired
- 1 cup chopped cooked bacon
- 1 cup roasted peanuts chopped
- 4 cups semisweet chocolate chips* (or grated or chopped milk or dark chocolate)
Directions
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or aluminum foil.
- Insert a wooden popsicle stick in the bottom end of each banana or, if smaller portions are desired, in each banana half and place on the prepared baking sheet. Freeze for at least 1 hour.
- Combine the bacon and chopped peanuts in a dish. Melt the chocolate in a double boiler over medium heat or a bowl set over but not touching simmering water, stirring occasionally.
- Dip each frozen banana in melted chocolate and allow any excess to drip off. Immediately roll the banana in the bacon-peanut mixture and then return to the parchment-lined baking sheet.
- Freeze again for at least 1 hour or until ready to serve.
Notes
*WHAT CAN I DO WITH LEFTOVER DIPPING CHOCOLATE?
Lucky for you, if you have some of the non-banana parts left at the end of your dipping and freezing, we have a great idea for you. As one of our testers noticed, quite happily, that you can mix the warm chocolate, peanuts, and bacon together. Drop by teaspoonful onto parchment paper and refrigerate until solid. We think you-know-who would approve.Show Nutrition
If you make this recipe, snap a photo and hashtag it #LeitesCulinaria. We’d love to see your creations on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter.
Originally published July 21, 2011
Recipe Testers’ Reviews
How on earth could you fail with chocolate, peanuts, and bananas?!
I varied the recipe slightly in that I cut each banana into 4 pieces and put each piece on a stick, instead of leaving them whole. One whole banana would make a whopping huge Frozen Elvis. I used Callebaut chocolate for these. My peeps at work deserve the best, and the chocolate really shines in a recipe like this. I served these last week, and every day I’m asked if I’ve brought in more. The quarter-of-a-banana size was just perfect as an after-lunch treat.
One word of caution, though. The bananas weep when left out of the freezer too long, so these need to be eaten pretty quickly.
As a bonus treat, the leftover chocolate, peanuts, and bacon can be mixed together and dropped by the teaspoonful onto parchment and then refrigerated. The people at work enjoyed those, too!
Try it. I mean, why not? I was skeptical about the bacon-and-chocolate concept, and I wasn’t sure I wanted to commit to eating an entire banana covered with them—plus leaving Elvis half-eaten seemed disrespectful—so I cut each fruit in half crosswise before inserting a popsicle stick in it. I’m glad I did, not because I didn’t care for how the Frozen Elvis tasted, but because it was so rich that a half banana was just enough. The salty bacon was great with the chocolate and had a crunch that was different from the texture of the peanuts. It was fun to make and eat.
When “dressing” the bananas, work quickly so the peanuts and bacon stick while the chocolate is still wet—it freezes on the frozen fruit in seconds.
What a fun and delicious recipe to make with children. These chocolate-peanut-bacon-covered frozen bananas are wonderful.
An adult could easily supervise a child who likes to help in the kitchen. The recipe calls for the cooked bacon to be chopped, but it would easily work if it was crumbled. The only note that I’d add to this simple recipe is to let the banana thaw a little before taking that first bite of goodness.
This was, amazingly, very good. All my tasters enjoyed it. We loved the salty, sweet, chocolaty, creamy, crunchy goodness on a stick.
I think a whole banana is too much for a serving, though, and next time I’ll cut my bananas in half. I’ll also only use about 3 cups of chocolate chips since I had a large amount leftover after dipping 4 bananas. I had a bit of a problem with the popsicle sticks—my bananas split when I inserted 2 of them, and 1 banana fell off the stick when I started to dip it.
Maybe a bamboo skewer might work better since it has a sharp end? I might try that next time. Despite these minor problems, the end result was delicious.
HUNGRY FOR MORE?
If you make this recipe, snap a photo and hashtag it #LeitesCulinaria. We'd love to see your creations on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter.
Get a piece of floral foam — the kind intended to hold stems upright for flower arrangements. You can impale the sticks in it to harden upright for a more attractive presentation.
Save the foam. As long as you use the same sticks — flat v round — you can reuse it indefinitely. And if you change the sticks just turn the foam upside down and start again.
I did these for my grandson all summer long. … minus the bacon but that sounds good!
Great suggestion! Thanks, Rainey.
These are so yummy! What a simple and satisfying treat. I only used about 1 1/2 cups Ghirardelli semisweet chips and it was just enough to cover 4 bananas. I would start small and then add more if needed so there is not a lot of chocolate left over. I only used chopped almonds, no bacon or peanuts this time, but I thought just the chocolate and almonds were the perfect combination. The method is fairly straightforward. I froze overnight and they came out perfectly. I also used bananas that were just on the border of turning ripe from unripe and they came out perfect!
Swell, Mrs. E! Lovely to hear it. And lovely to hear from you!
If you insert sticks before peeling (just cut off the end) they’ll stay together and be less likely to split on ya.
Never tried these with bacon, but it sounds like an awesome combo! Thanks!