Inspired by The 6 o’clock Scramble’s Snack list. The soft marshmallows on top of creamy melted peanut butter are a winning combination. Seriously. The smell of this snack was very distracting during the “photo shoot”.
1 ripe banana, peeled and sliced
4 teaspoons nut butter (such as peanut or almond)
8 mini marshmallows
Line the bottom of two small bowls with 4 banana slices each. Top each with 1 teaspoon nut butter. Layer on another four banana slices and additional teaspoon of nut butter. Place 4 marshmallows on top.
Microwave on high for 20 – 30 seconds or until marshmallows start to melt. Top with sprinkles or chocolate sauce and serve.
Yield: 2 servings
Prep-time: 5 minutes
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A friend of mine special-ordered this recipe. I hope it provides a happy home for all of her overripe bananas.
3/4 cup old-fashioned rolled oats
1 1/4 cup white whole wheat flour or all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg
1 large egg, beaten
1 cup mashed ripe banana (from two medium bananas)
1/3 cup canola oil
1/4 cup honey
3/4 cup buttermilk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2/3 cup frozen or fresh blueberries
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
Put the oats, flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg in the bowl of a food processor. Pulse for 10 seconds. Set aside.
In a large mixing bowl, stir together the egg, banana, oil, honey, buttermilk and vanilla. Make sure that the honey is dissolved and not hiding out anywhere in a big clump. Add the flour mixture to the banana mixture and stir to combine. Add the blueberries and fold them in gently.
Pour batter into a greased muffin tin. Fill the cups 3/4 full. Bake for 23-25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle of the biggest muffin comes out clean.
Yield: 12 muffins
Prep-time: 20 minutes
Bake time: 23 minutes
Note: My friend tested these out for me and told me that mini muffins only take 13 minutes to bake. Oh, and she said they have earned a place in her recipe box! Yippee!
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These are so good! I have yet to make my own chocolate-hazelnut spread. But it is completely on my list of things to do.
2 slices whole grain bread
1/2 of a ripe banana, sliced into 1/4″ slices
1 tablespoon Nutella or other chocolate hazelnut spread
1 teaspoon butter, divided
Preheat a saute pan over medium heat.
Place the banana slices on one slice of bread. Spread the nutella on the other slice of bread. Put the nutella slice of bread on top of the banana slice with the nutella side down.
Melt 1/2 teaspoon of the butter in the saute pan and swirl it around the bottom of the pan. Cook the sandwich for a few minutes or until golden brown. Remove the sandwich. Add the rest of the butter to the pan. Return the sandwich and cook the other side for a couple more minutes.
Cut the sandwich into small squares or shapes as your whim dictates. Serve. Allow to cool a few minutes if you are feeding young ones.
Yield: 1 sandwich
Prep-time: 10 minutes
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I’m not totally sure if this recipe is post-worthy. But my youngest just devoured several of them . I’m sure the chocolate sauce didn’t hurt, but still it is out of character for her to eat several of anything. I think this would be a nice treat for toddlers. To top it all off, I used up an over-ripe banana and some leftover rice. Bonus!
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Yes, we have a jar of petro-chemical based “cherries” lurking in our pantry. No, I am not ashamed. Unsurprisingly, my “testers” consumed these with glee. Next time I might need to put a bit of whipped cream around the base of the ice cream.
1 banana, peeled and sliced
1/2 cup chocolate frozen yogurt
1/4 cup crispy brown rice cereal
2 teaspoons rainbow sprinkles
2 maraschino cherries (optional)
Cover the bottom of two shallow dishes with the banana slices. In the center of each bowl, place ¼ cup frozen yogurt. Sprinkle with 2 tablespoons cereal and 1 teaspoon sprinkles. Top with a cherry (if desired).
Yield: 2 sundaes
Prep time: 5 minutes
Note: Cherries could be replaced with a dollop of strawberry jam or just a plain ol’ strawberry.
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My kids had a wonderful time making these and getting terribly messy in the process! This is the quickest way I’ve come up with to use up over ripe bananas lurking in the kitchen.
2 tablespoons powdered sugar
2 teaspoons cocoa powder (preferably dutch process)
1 teaspoon ground flaxseed
2-3 bananas cut into 2-inch thick slices
Popsicle sticks
Mix sugar, cocoa powder, and flaxseed in a small shallow bowl. Roll the banana slices around in the powder mixture until coated. Transfer to plate and insert popsicle sticks. Serve immediately. The banana can sometimes slip around on the popsicle stick, but just eat it and try another one.
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Kids can easily help make these treats. Put your leftover banana half in the freezer for a smoothie. I use bread instead of frozen puff pastry because a) the ingredient list is a little daunting on puff pastry and b) the instant it starts to cool packaged puff pastry starts to taste like styrofoam. I figure the bread is healthier and more likely to already be in the kitchen.
4 slices soft whole grain bread
4 tablespoons cream cheese
1/2 ripe banana
4 teaspoons semi-sweet chocolate chips
Preheat oven to 400 F.
Cut crust off of bread slices and discard. Arrange slices on a flat surface and roll flat with rolling pin until they are as thin as possible.
Spread 1 tablespoon (or less depending on the size of the slice) over each of the flattened slices. Slice banana into discs 1/4″ (or less) thick and arrange 2-3 banana slices on one half of each of the bread slices. Top with 1 teaspoon of the chocolate chips on each of the bread slices.
Fold over the bread, covering the bananas. Crimp edges closed with a fork.
Transfer to an ungreased baking sheet and bake for 10 minutes. Allow to cool for 1-2 minutes (more if you are feeding a toddler) and serve.
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I had not heard of banana dogs until recently. My kids love them. We actually eat them as a part of breakfast more often than as a snack. This recipe works just fine with bananas that are ripe or nearing over-ripe. I’d try something else if your banana has more black than yellow on its peel as the banana does need to hold its shape.
2 whole grain hot dog buns
1 ripe banana
2 tablespoons strawberry jam or organic chocolate syrup
Cut banana in half lengthwise. Put each banana half in a bun and top with 1 tablespoon jam or syrup. Serve. Makes 2.
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1/4 cup walnut oil
3/4 cup brown sugar, packed
1 large egg, beaten
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 ripe bananas, peeled and mashed
3/4 cup buttermilk
1 cup whole wheat pastry flour
1 cup all purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 cup ground flaxseed
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/3 cup milk chocolate chips
Preheat oven to 350 F.
Mix oil and sugar in large bowl. Add egg and vanilla and mix again. Add bananas and buttermilk and mix well and set aside.
In a medium bowl, whisk together flours, flaxseed, salt, nutmeg and cinnamon.
Pour flour mixture into banana mixture and stir until just combined. Add chocolate chips and stir to disperse chips in batter.
Spoon batter into greased mini muffin pan (makes 1 and 1/2 pans).
Bake for 10-12 minutes or until toothpick inserted comes out clean. Move to wire rack to cool. Serve warm or cooled.
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