January 13, 2009

Banana Popsicles dipped in Chocolate and Nuts

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Ice-cream is such a dangerous thing to have "on hand"! The oh-so-easy snack, comforting and indulgent. Now, with so many kinds of them... Lowfat, FatFree, LowSugar, SugarFree, LowCarb, Heart Healthy and many more, an average person no wonder gets overwhelmed.
I take time to read each and every ice cream's nutritional facts before settling on one, seems like an awful lot of time to be reading some label, but here is why it is important.
Most of the fatfree stuff has tons of sugar in them, I don't know why, but they seem to be compensating the lack of grease with sugar! And then there is the story about artificial sweeteners, the jury is still out on that. But either way doesn't help. The fat content is something that needs to be taken into account too.

Every child reserves the right to a nutritious and healthy food, why feed him/her junk, greasy, sugary stuff in the name of fast-food then? Why would one opt for such a lifestyle for your own kid? Beats me...

So, when your child asks for an ice cream the next time(I am not for denying a child the little pleasures, but moderation is what I suggest), if possible make a home-made low sugar and fat version at home. But if you are one who says "Wish I had more time and resources to be making ice creams at home" then this is something you'd want to consider.

Firstly, the bananas when frozen do not get hard. They are still soft and chewable.
I used a combination of dark and semi-sweet chocolate this time, and I am going completely dark the next time. I was not sure how this was going to turn out, so opted the easy way out by mixing both.
If you are making this for children, I don't think they would be enamored by the dark chocolate taste, so go for semi-sweet all the way.
It is very important to freeze bananas completely before dipping them in chocolate and after. Skimping on time will end in a mess. They stay frozen for a long time, so make sure to make lots of them and store them in the freezer in bags for a quick treat any time of the day.

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Banana Popsicles dipped in Chocolate and Nuts

Ingredients:

Bananas - 5 large
Dark/Semi-sweet chocolate - 1 cup
Fatfree Half and Half milk- 2 tbsp
Chopped Nuts (Almonds/Peanuts/Walnuts/Pistachios) - As needed

Hardware:
Skewers or Ice-cream sticks - 10 (break off sharp tip if using skewers)
Tray
Wax paper

Method:

Cut bananas in half, insert an ice-cream stick into each one. Lay it on a tray lined with wax paper and freeze for about 4-5 hours. I freeze them overnight. They need to be really cold and frozen before the next step.

Melt chocolate and milk over a double boiler, the top bowl should not touch the water below.

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Keep stirring the chocolate till it becomes silky smooth.

Take the bananas right when you are going to make the dipping, not before that.

Dip or spread the chocolate onto the bananas and immediately sprinkle or roll in chopped nuts.

Lay it flat on a wax paper on a tray and freeze again for 3 hours or till the chocolate has hardened.

To store, you may store it in freezer bags once they are completely frozen.

Makes a great snack for kids and for the kid in you!

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85 comments:

  1. Beautiful dessert and beautiful pictures Anu. looks great. Wonder if this suits Meeta's Monthly Mingle. Send it if it suits! :))

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  2. this looks delicious... I have a lot of bananas and have no idea what to do with them... will try this one :)

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  3. FANTASTIC idea!!!!!!!!!!! must have been the "weekend of bananas"!

    check mine out @ http://sweettreatsdani.blogspot.com

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  4. Great idea Divya, Looks great. Would love to try them but I have to eat it myself...my daughter does not even touch a banana so making her eat is hard to imagine for me.

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  5. You know what I ve recently saw an article about low fat icecream (like Butterscotch (low fat or reduced) is higher in calories than a normal Vanilla ice cream! How is that? Ur popsicle reminds the arun ice cream choco bar, well i am not banana person but the choc and nut re really tempting!

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  6. Truly Kiddie (adults as well) delight.What you said is true-this healthy oe is much better for everybody.I sometimes prefer apple wedges like this as well.Though skewering is a bit diffficult in that.Perfect delight

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  7. This is my kind of treat!

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  8. My kids would love these. I must make these for them for a surprise sometime! Thanks for your question on my blog. Mincemeat is a sweet, cooked mixture of apples, raisins, currents, nuts and spices like nutmeg and cinnamon. Mine also contained green tomatoes.

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  9. Hi Anu.. Great idea when my daughter asks for icecreams.. will try it and let you know..
    Fresh methi leaves are really worth tasting. do give it a try..

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  10. Those look so good right now!

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  11. super po...sama tempting...as cham says it looks like arun ice cream choco bar...hmmm now i miss india :)

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  12. What a yummy treat, 'for kids and the kids in us', rightly said by you..Never knew bananas dont become hard upon freezing. I will try this out sometime, am sure my son will love it..

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  13. New info that bananas dont become hard when freezed..Innovative idea..Pics are tempting..

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  14. such a fab idea!
    You have a great blog here, with some really innovative recipes, will be dropping in often:)

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  15. Nice treat for the kids. my kids will love it :)

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  16. popsicles look so tempting for an adult I am sure children will fall in love with it :)

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  17. delicious divya..u make me drool all the time dear...its just awesome..

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  18. great idea...love the popsicles...almost like choc-strawberries sans nut.

    they look adorable

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  19. So simple n so tempting ones... Quite innovative too
    Love the pic.

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  20. Thats true..every child has the right to have nutritious food..! And this one,is a relief for me coz'whenever my daughtie asks for ice creams,i somehow manage to escape or indulge her with something else..regrets..This is a great idea and gives me several ideas too...thanks for poking my brain..ha ha.

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  21. What a beautiful, and creative idea, Anu! My tofu desserts generally fit the bill since they are tasty and nutritious but this is a great party option for childrens' birthday parties. Will keep this in mind!

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  22. Banana is my fav fruit..i always buy them from costco , half to eat and rest to make something ..this is the best snack for kids and everyone else..looks appealing also..gr8 recipe

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  23. My GOODNESS..
    Its lovely ..yea kids will jump into it ... :)..GREAT..

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  24. I love frozen bananas! They're so versatile too, so many choices for toppings.

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  25. What a fun dessert and nutritious too. I love desserts where there is no guilt. And I never feel guilty about chocolate! Good going.

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  26. You mentioned that you have been cooking up all kinds of things in your kitchen lab, if this is the kind of thing you have come up with I assure you, your time has been very well spent....simply awesome!

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  27. Great idea for a low fat dessert. Looks yummy...

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  28. Yummy popsicles Divs! gr8 idea.

    Do try making the puris by urself next time. It was a gr8 hit at my residence :-)

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  29. A little drizzle of salt on banana's give a new flavour to it. But this version is simply scrummy. Love it.....

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  30. I went .. Oh my what a plateful; then Oh my what a glassful; and then again What a plateful! :-))
    Such a lovely idea Anudivya! Rather .. a healthy idea. :-)

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  31. Looks so inviting Divya..:)

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  32. i love all the ingredients mentioned in this recipe. even adults will enjoy this. sapadnum pola iruku ippo, after dinner especially :( velila snow, veetukulla frozen dessert a? kalaku.

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  33. hey looks yummy Divya... bookmarked to try.. I keep craving for something sweet most of the time :D

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  34. These have been on my to-make list forever! My plans is to melt dark chocolate and peanut butter together and dip the bananas in that. I'm not sure it will work but I don't really care, it's going to be delicious! Excellent as usual Anudivya.

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  35. Its looking too good,I fell in love with these:P Lovely combination Anu!

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  36. I thought iam the only person to combine banana with choco dip and nuts. Your presentation is awesome. cheers.

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  37. Oh wow! I'm wishing I had more than one measly little banana sitting in my fruit bowl right now! I can't wait to try these on the kids!

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  38. Oh what a great idea, looks lovely too.(my daughter was next to me, i hadn't even read your post, but one look at the pic and i knew I'd be in for trouble if SHE saw the picture...now keying this in trying to keep her away from the laptop)!

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  39. WOwo this looks and sounds super delicious. Even i would love this.
    Actually wish i had atleast one to taste now.

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  40. Wow..looking so tempting and delicious..tht's a real gud idea...perfect for kids and ofcoz for the kids in us ;).....gud one as usual

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  41. Hi divya, lovely pic! am sure this would be a hit in any kiddo party!

    Happy New Year

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  42. This is what I call pure torture especially when I am trying to keep myself off such delicacies :)

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  43. It is a unique recipe n droolo-licsious at it! Tks for sharing.:)

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  44. drooling recipe....inviting pic....happy pongal dear

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  45. Oh these are so cute.. i remember seeing something similar on foodnetwork and I was thinking how it would be perfect for a kids' party. Of course, it is sure to enamour us adults too :)

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  46. Banana pops... you are very creative. I bet they taste fab frozen too!!! (less calories then the real thing for sure).

    Plus you top it off with not good.. but GREAT ingredients...

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  47. Wow!looking so tempting and delicious..Excellent as usual divya:) love it..

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  48. Looks so lovely and yummy :) Awesome Divya!

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  49. How lovely these look Divya, and what a great idea for a healthy snack for both kids and grown-ups. I would love one right now!

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  50. Looks cool...beautiful pics..Anu.

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  51. Looks lovely... Makes gr8 treat for not just kids but for grown-up too...

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  52. wow what a nice and healthy treat :)

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  53. Anudivya,
    My first vist to your blog. This is a brilliant recipe! Thank you so much for sharing it. Off to read your older posts now.

    Best wishes,
    Mamatha

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  54. Excellent! thank you so much for this wonderful recipe! Now very soon i'll be trying to impress sunny boy with this ;)
    The good thing is that you can hide the banana behind the chocolate. I only hope that he will eat the banana too and not just the chocolate. :D

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  55. Hurray ! tried it again & opened it :-)

    Lovely treat.

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  56. Thanks for dropping by Mixed Salad!

    I love chocolate covered bananas and I also love that you don't feel as guilty eating one of these vs. a big bowl of ice cream!

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  57. This is great idea! Our fave popsicle is freshly squeezed orange juice with strawberries bits throughout. The kid feels he's getting an ice cream treat, and I'm just relieved he's getting his Cs.

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  58. Fantastic! I looooove this idea--I need to live a sugar-free life, and ice cream is one of those things that I don't generally indulge in. The artificial sweeteners, the fat... this is the perfect solution! I already make my own sugar-free chocolate blend, so dunking in frozen bananas will be a snap!

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  59. I agree, the varieties of ice-cream in the grocery makes my head spin. Also so true that everybody deserves to eat healthy. I will definitely keep this in mind next time for my little one.

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  60. What a brilliant and easy recipe! Amazing as usual! Hey I tried your bread rolled in kadlai maav toast ..came out yummy!

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  61. i love banana and chocolate combo...so I'm sure this one would be yummylicious! hhmmm....

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  62. I make this n its "heavenly".Infact sometime back at a near by restaurant i saw Bananas dipped in Strawberry sauce and topped with jellies...it was gud.I loved ur pictures...really neat Anudivya!

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  63. Hi there,

    I would love to feature one of your recipes on my blog and link back to you!

    Please email me:

    sahar [at] fatfightertv [dot] com

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  64. This is so cool. Even I do it often... YUM!

    Happy Pongal!!!

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  65. Hi Anudivya,
    Happy Makar Sakranti to you & family!!!
    If I want to send an email...where should I? Please provide your email address here. Thanks.
    Sonu:)

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  66. this is a wonderful idea Divya! Perfect for kids. Thanks for the great recipe. Happy Pongal!

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  67. DELICIOUS!!!!!!!!
    I want!!! May I have one... just one?! Please?!

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  68. wow that looks absolutelu gorgeous, who wouldn't love to eat that

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  69. Unique recipe and lovely pictures...

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  70. Anu such a wonderful recipe..i saw it once on FoodNetwork...Yummy great looking pics

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  71. very intresting testy and nice thanx for all this

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  72. Happy Pongal to you too, Anu!

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  73. Thank you dear. I got ur id.:) Please check ur mail.

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  74. wow beautiful dips... and very nice presentation.. shall pick them for me.

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  75. Wow!! Anu i am just drooling over. Nice sanck for kids birthday parties. Your pictures are always inviting gal. You rock always.

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  76. Gotta like how the bananas don't get frozen too hard... I love frozen bananas but when they're hard as ice...

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  77. ohhh this is lovely!!! what a fantastic idea! hey if its original why dont you send it over to lore's original recipes? at culinarty? this one is definitely on... delish shots too!

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  78. Love this recipe/unique idea. I make something similar with a banana and nutella. I will try this for sure.

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  79. Those look so great and looking so beautiful

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  80. I've always wanted to make some banana popsicles dipped in melted chocolate but had been procrastinating. Thanks for the reminder.

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  81. Yummy! I love eating Popsicles, I miss my summer time in California,my favorite is Popsicle with almond.

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  82. This is so delicious edible dipped fruit.

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  83. Thanks for sharing your information. Its look beautiful and yummy.
    Sugar free products

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Thank you for taking the time to comment on this post. I will try to respond to queries as soon as I can. If I miss anything that needs to be addressed... please feel free to ping me again.
Happy cooking/baking or whatever it is you are doing in the kitchen! :)