Nutty Banana Pops: 5 minutes, 5 easy steps!

I mocked up these Nutty Banana Pops for the girls one day.  They are the easiest treat to make that I want to share them with you.  There’s not even a recipe, just a how-to.  I think some of you will appreciate that, because sometimes we just want ideas instead of specific ingredients and recipe ‘rules’!

These can be made in about five minutes, and are easy as 1, 2, 3 (okay… and 4, 5)

1. Get a couple of bananas, peel and cut in half, and place on a plate or sheet of parchment.  I used fairly ripe nanners, and I learned they were a little too soft.  So, either just perfectly ripe, or even a touch more yellow-green.
2. Shmear on (yes, that is shmancy culinary talk) some peanut butter, nut butter, or seed butter (sunflower, hemp).  I did one batch with pb, another with almond butter. The nut butter part gets a bit messy, but is easier if the bananas aren’t too soft.
3. On a plate or another sheet of parchment, mix a few toppings.  I chose brown rice crisp cereal, unsweetened shredded coconut, and mini vegan chocolate chips for one batch, the other more brown rice crisp cereal and Mum’s coconut cocoa nibs.  Other ideas?… chopped cranberries (colorful), hemp seeds, crushed nuts, cocoa powder, coconut sugar… to name a few!
4. Take a stick (I used wooden kebab sticks and trimmed the pointy end so no dangerous sharp edges) and insert (precut end, not the end you cut) into wide end of banana halves.
5. Roll in the toppings.  Voila!  Banana Pops!

I froze the pops, because I wanted them cool during the summer heat, and also wanted to save a few for later.  (If freezing, you can slide a small baking tray right under the parchment and transfer to the freezer.)  But, if you are having a play date or something with a group of children, you could simply serve up as is – plus the kids can get involved in the process!

(Photo story:  My photo shoot for these pops amused the family.  Our eldest daughter has been working out all summer to make a girls’ rep hockey team in September.  So, she is in the family room doing squats and lunges and the like, and sees her mom running through the garden with banana pops and then no banana pops and instead some flowers.  She said “Dad, what is mom doing, is she okay out there?, she’s running awful fast“… They soon laugh at me when I explain that I had positioned the banana pops outside for a pic, but had to move fast before the flies and wasps got into the scene – so I’m running back and forth, thinking some flowers might look nice in the pic, and all the while trying to protect my pops!)  I have mentioned before that I’m a food geek.  A little nutters you could say.  Nutty Banana Pops very fitting.

Think you’ll try these?  What will you choose for nut butter/topping combos?  Enjoy! 🙂