“Boo”nana pops are a healthy and no-fuss addition to your Halloween snacks menu. Rich dark chocolate and the natural sugars provided by bananas make this ghostly Halloween recipe treat a sweet indulgence that doesn’t push you or your children off the healthy path.
Whenever there is an opportunity to fit dessert into the realm of healthy eating, seize it! The beauty of fruits is that they bring natural sugars to the table, satisfying your sweet tooth without budging your belt line. Alone, fruits may be lackluster, but if you pair them with an ingredient that is slightly richer, you can also achieve the textures and bulk needed to properly replace a dessert snack.
This “boo”nana pops feature bananas as the ghosts’ figures. Bananas are chockfull of vitamins and minerals, including vitamin B6, manganese, vitamin C, potassium, dietary fiber, protein (it’s true!), magnesium, and folate. Bananas’ health benefits include the ability to lower blood pressure, reduce the risk of developing asthma, prevent and combat cancer, boost heart health, treat type 1 and 2 diabetes, treat diarrhea, preserve memory, and improve mood.
To add that extra bulk and creaminess necessary for a dignified dessert-like Halloween recipe, the banana pops are dipped in melted coconut butter. Unlike coconut oil, which is the oil extracted from pressed coconut meat, coconut butter is a result of desiccated coconut meat (including all its oils) being whipped up to a creamy finish. Coconut, in all its forms, is incredibly beneficial to health and beauty.
For a dessert snack so simple, it’s incredible how powerful its health benefits are. Try these “boo”nana pops out with your kids. Because they are festive and look like ghosts, children are more likely to eat them, unaware that they are noshing on the healthy kind of treat. Satiate yourself and your kids, and avoid a Halloween hangover while you’re at it!
Prepare the pops with your children or friends, and get creative with how you adorn them. You could alternatively melt the dark chocolate chips and coat some of the banana pops in chocolate instead of coconut butter.
Enjoy!
Healthy Halloween Recipe: “Boo”nana Pops
Serves 8
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup coconut butter, melted
- 16 70% dark chocolate chips
- 2 large bananas
- 8 Popsicle sticks
Directions
Cut the bananas in half, crosswise. Next, slice each half lengthwise so that there is a flat face and a rounded face to each banana quarter. Insert a Popsicle stick into the flat bottom edge of each quarter and place them on a parchment paper-line baking sheet. Pop the baking sheet into the freezer and let freeze – this will take about 2 hours.
Once the bananas are frozen and ready to be dipped, melt the coconut butter over a double boiler, stirring the butter until it is thin and creamy. Once ready, turn the stove off but keep the pot on the stove. The coconut butter will begin to cool down fast, so you may have to restart the double boiler to melt it down again.
Use a spoon to scoop up the coconut butter and spread it across the rounded sides of the banana quarters. You could alternatively try to dip the frozen banana quarters into the mixture, but be careful not to use too much coconut butter on the bananas.
Once both sides are coated, place 2 chocolate chips at the top of each banana quarters to resemble the ghosts’ eyes. If they aren’t holding in place, use a little coconut butter behind the chocolate chips to adhere them.
Return the pops to the parchment paper, flat side down, and return the baking sheet to the freezer for another hour before enjoying.
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Banana Ghosts Image from Shutterstock
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