Chocolate Dipped Frozen Bananas - Cooking with Kids

This is such a fun summer activity! Not to mention a delicious treat! And it is completely appropriate for kids as young as 3 to make.

Chocolate Dipped Frozen Bananas

Ingredients:
1 bottle Magic Shell
5 bananas
10 Popsicle sticks

Additional optional ingredients:
Sprinkles
Chopped nuts
Toffee Pieces
Coconut

Begin by peeling your bananas and cutting them in half. Insert a Popsicle stick into the cut side of the banana. Place the bananas on a sheet of wax paper on a tray and put them in the freezer. I usually do this well in advance and that way they are ready to go whenever the kids want to make them: after slip n sliding, during a sleepover, as a reward for completing their summer bridge workbook assignment for the day, or whenever the mood strikes you.

When you are ready to make them take your bottle of Magic Shell out of the cabinet, shake well, and pour into a fairly large cup. A Solo cup works perfectly, but you could just as easily use any cup in your cabinet. Tim used a tea cup for this batch!

Hold the banana by the stick and dip into the Magic Shell.

You may have to swirl it around a bit to obtain maximum coverage, but the kids never seem to mind that part!

I normally put the bananas back on the tray covered with wax paper and pop them in the freezer for a minute or two. This is much, much easier than trying to get the kids to stand there holding their chocolate dipped bananas, without eating them, while they wait for the chocolate coating to harden!

Pull out of the freezer, serve, and revel in the happy faces!

Oh and yes, you just got them to pick a fruit for snack. Score one for Mom!

Variations:

Now that we've been making these for awhile, I've started to spice them up. Some of the fun additions we have done, or that we are planning to do are:

1. Set out an array of sprinkles on the counter. After the kids dip their bananas in the Magic Shell they can pick a sprinkle, or two... or seven and shake them all over the bananas. If you don't have a dog, it is best to have them do this over some sort of tray. 

2. Take a shallow pie plate and cover the bottom in chopped nuts (I like pecans). After the kids dip their bananas in the Magic Shell, have them gently roll them in the nuts. Stick them in the freezer for a few minutes. If you are happy with the result, eat them. If you are related to me, remove them from the freezer. Dip them a second time in the Magic Shell. Place in the freezer for just a minute more, and then enjoy!

3. Take a shallow pie plate and cover the bottom in toffee pieces. After the kids (who am I kidding, you totally know I made this one for me), dip their bananas in Magic Shell, gently roll them in the toffee pieces. Place them back on the tray in the freezer. In a few minutes, remove from the freezer. Dip them again in the Magic Shell. Place in the freezer a second time, this time for just a minute. Enjoy!

4. Same procedure as above but use coconut!

The possibilities are endless!