Carob-Dipped Frozen Banana Bites with Toasted Coconut

This is a small, real treat you can make in about 5 minutes of hands-on work and keep waiting in the freezer: a banana, a few pantry staples, and a little patience while the freezer does the rest. No baking, no special skill required.

Bananas are a source of potassium, involved in steady muscle and nerve function and in keeping fluid in balance. The carob here stands in for chocolate and carries its own gentle, malty sweetness, naturally caffeine-free, so this reads like a real treat rather than a stand-in for one. The coating itself stays modest, just a light dip and a scatter of toasted coconut over the whole banana underneath.

There is a particular kind of care in freezing fruit on a stick and dipping it yourself. It slows you down: you wait the hour, you dip, you sprinkle, you watch the coating set against the cold. A small treat made with this much attention is worth looking forward to.

Ingredients

• 2 bananas, cut into 1-inch slices
• 4 tablespoons toasted coconut flakes
• 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon (optional)
• 3 tablespoons melted coconut oil
• 2 tablespoons carob powder, to taste (used in place of cocoa, which is excluded during elimination)

Note: the source pairs carob with coconut oil as an elimination-stage 'magic shell.' Carob is kept; cocoa or chocolate is never used during the elimination phase. No nut topping is included.

Method

Spear each banana slice on a toothpick and lay the slices on a tray or plate. Freeze for at least one hour, until solid.

While they freeze, stir the toasted coconut flakes together with the cinnamon in a small bowl. In a separate mug or cup, stir the melted coconut oil and carob powder into a thin, smooth coating.

Working one at a time, dip a frozen banana piece into the carob coating, then roll or sprinkle it in the coconut. The coating firms up almost instantly against the cold fruit.

Eat right away, or return the bites to the freezer and keep them on hand for whenever the craving turns up.

*Adapted from acleanplate.com*