Frozen Chocolate Covered Banana Bites

These Frozen Chocolate Covered Banana Bites are a special treat for a hot summer day. Dip frozen bananas in chocolate and then sprinkle with nuts, coconut, granola or sprinkles!

“There’s always money in the banana stand!!!” Who’s an Arrested Development fan out there? I treasure the original series on DVD, and re-watch the whole show every few years (or, in a pinch, just watch the “Pier Pressure” episode (The Hot Cops!)).

From The Cornballer to Lucille Two’s vertigo. From “It’s an illusion, Michael” to life lessons with J. Walter Weatherman. From Tobias being a Nevernude to “No Touching!,” I love it all.

However, anything involving the frozen banana stand is my favorite bit of the show. Sadly, I don’t have a banana stand lined with hundred dollar bills, but I do have a bunch of chocolate chips and some frozen banana chunks (I used some bananas to make caramelized banana splits, and a few for banana pancake ice cream, and then froze the rest). 

I’m a sucker for cold desserts in the summer, like frozen yogurt pie and peaches and cream ice cream bars. And, I’d been wanting to make my very own chocolate covered bananas for pretty much as long as I’ve been watching AD, so I finally crossed it off my bucket list.

These frozen chocolate covered bananas are the perfect treat to eat while you’re on a TV-watching binge, no matter what show it is.

How to make chocolate covered bananas:

For these frozen chocolate banana bites, you’ll need 4 bananas that are ripe but still firm (not mushy). Peel the bananas and cut each one into 4 chunks. Use toothpicks or small bamboo forks (link to the ones I used in the recipe card) to skewer each banana chunk.

Lay them out on a parchment-lined sheet pan and pop them in the freezer until they’re fully frozen.

Then, you’ll be melting chocolate chips in a double boiler. Nobody owns a real double boiler, so just use Bon Appetit’s instructions for how to make a double boiler with a pot and a bowl. It works like a charm!

You’re going to be pouring the melted chocolate (in batches) in a short glass or cup so that you can dip the bananas and the chocolate will come all up around the sides. If you have a short but skinny glass, that’s the one to use to use for chocolate covered banana bites.

Dip each frozen banana chunk into the melted chocolate, and then immediately sprinkle the frozen chocolate covered bananas with the toppings of your choice. More on that below!

Pop the chocolate covered bananas back into the freezer so they can firm up again before you eat them (make some grilled sockeye salmon for dinner while you wait).

Which toppings should I use?

You can certainly enjoy these frozen chocolate bananas simply plain, but I think they’re more fun with toppings. Almost anything that you can dream up, you can use as a topping for chocolate covered bananas.

For some visual ideas for toppings for frozen chocolate banana bites, check out the caramel apple board I made for Instagram. Almost all of those toppings would be perfect for these frozen chocolate covered bananas too, like:

• sprinkles – rainbow sprinkles or nonpareils or whatever else you might have left over from Halloween cake pops last year.
• shredded coconut – I’m a sucker for coconut, even in coconut risotto. Any extra coconut can be thrown into a carrot cake smoothie.
• chopped nuts – I like cashews, but pecans and walnuts and peanuts are great for these chocolate covered banana bites, too.
• peanut butter chips – if you like the banana + chocolate + peanut butter combo, you’ll like my grilled banana boats, too!
• granola – this really adds a crunchiness that I like.
• chopped pretzels – for a sweet and salty situation.
• flaky sea salt – which I also love on top of Baileys brownies.

How to store frozen chocolate bananas:

When you originally freeze the banana chunks onto the toothpicks, you’ll want to put them into the freezer uncovered, just so that the cover doesn’t stick to them or anything.

Then again once the the frozen chocolate banana bites are dipped in chocolate and sprinkled, you’ll put the in the freezer uncovered until they are fully frozen.

But once the finished chocolate covered bananas are fully frozen, you’ll want to transfer them to a container with a lid, or even carefully place them in a freezer bag, to keep them fresh.

How long do frozen chocolate covered bananas last?

These chocolate covered bananas are best eaten the same day that they’re made, but they last up to 3 days in the freezer. After that, they start to get a bit funky, to be honest. So eat these chocolate covered banana bites up in a few days!