Introduction: Split Banana Pops

By EXCAVADE
About: I'm a Designer, Creator, Inventor. #1 Hobby - brainstorming. I invented the Unicorn Poop cookie, as published here on instructables. And now I am a metalsmith. <3

Bite-Sized Frozen Bananas made with cuteness and flavor!!

I love chocolate covered frozen bananas but it's always an overwhelming amount of frozen banana to deal with, this is a solution, and it makes for a cool party dessert.  I made these for Father's Day, to have after an amazing steak BBQ.  My mom kept running into the house "come on!! are they done yet? we have to go soon!!"  

Sad thing is - I was also baking my dad's fav - peanut butter cookies.  No one cared about the cookies and they all hovered around me, waiting for these Split Bananas to be ready!  *rolls eyes*  :)  Needless to say, they were a hit. I was only left with a few at the end of the night and that is the reason for the scarce photos.

Step 1: Stuff

You will need bananas!

Chocolate.  I used milk chocolate chips.  
Whipped cream out of the can.
Fresh cherries!
Sprinkles!
Canola Oil.
Paper Straws.

Step 2: Cut Your Bananas.

I peeled them, put them (one at a time), onto a paper plate and cut them.

I wanted to make sure that they stood up on their own, so I cut them to be as straight as possible.  With too much curve, they will tip over.

I placed them onto a cookie sheet lined with wax paper.  Make sure that your freezer has enough space for what you're putting into it. ;)

Step 3: Sticks and Straws.

Have your chosen sticks or straws ready.  I cut mine in half so that they were size-appropriate.

I got my paper straws at Bed, Bath and Beyond.  They are super cheap with a 20% off coupon!

Slowly press the straws or sticks into the bananas after you've cut them and stood them up.  They will slide nicely into them.  Just make sure to check your piercing direction because you don't want to go in at the wrong angle and bust out the side.

Once you're done, pop them into the freezer for a couple hours.  :)

Step 4: Melt Your Chocolate.

Okay, per every cup of chocolate chips, you need 1 Tbs of canola oil.  Put your chocolate chips into the small pot, then your oil on top.  Turn the heat on medium so it starts to melt.  Make sure to constantly mix so that nothing gets burned.  The oil makes it really smooth, and it melts very evenly.  Once you have melted your chocolate, let it cool for 5-10 mins, to room temp.

Take your frozen bananas out of the freezer and get ready to make magic.

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At this point, I had cookies in the oven and people watching and waiting like crazy, so I am just pulling a couple photos from google to just illustrate what I'm talking about.  
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Your chocolate should be normal temp, not hot, not cold.  Pick up one of your banana pops and swirl it into the chocolate.  Go as deep as you'd like and you can use a spoon to scoop some chocolate onto your banana to fully cover it if you'd like.

Make sure to get all the excess drips off and then transfer over to a bowl of sprinkles.  Just do a light, circular sweep and let the chocolate pick up all your colorful decor.  You will be impressed about how easy this is.  :)  If you're scared - you could always sprinkle them by hand/fingers, but they won't achieve the symmetrical look.

Once you're done dipping and swirling, place them (standing up again) onto that wax-papered cookie sheet and re-freeze.  They will start to harden once you've worked on a number of slices - it's amazing.  

But for the fully hardened feel, just freeze.  Other recipes say that it takes 3 hours to harden but mine were super-powered and hardened like nothing.  Love it!!

Step 5: Enjoy!

Let your guests swarm your frozen mini treats and get all the flavor that they're looking for.

For extra pizazz, you can spray some whipped cream on top of the banana and add a fresh cherry.  This just makes it more fun.

I only had a couple left because people were even taking some home, hahaha.  It was a great fathers day with great food, all around.

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