My youngest son Cole goes bananas over the Trader Joe’s Gone Banana bites. Who am I kidding? So do his mom and I. They always sounded like such a “kid” treat to me, so I never gave them much thought after buying them and sticking them in the freezer. And then I tried one. Then two. Then three. Then, an entire box. They are crazy good. Obviously, by the looks of them, they seem very easy to make, so I decided to make them myself, taken up a notch of course.
As I rummaged through the pantry, I realized that this could get messy. A fun messy though. Making these gives me an open canvas where I could go 101 ways with them. How cool is that?! So I grabbed some Ghirardelli dark chocolate, peanut butter, Nutella, caramel, marshmallows, coconut and Rice Krispies and went to work. And I came up with three delicious snackables that kids love and are parent approved – peanut butter and marshmallow, coconut and caramel, and Nutella and Rice Krispies.
All of that work and within minutes of taking them out of the freezer, poof, they were gone. Cole woofed them down as if he hadn’t eaten in days. I threw several down myself and justified it by telling myself that there is fruit in them, so why not? And the pregnant momma here? Well, let’s just say, she requested another batch. Done. Easy enough. Now I just have to convince my other boy, Blake how good these are. He is definitely the pickiest in the family. Outside of that, there’s nothing better than making the family happy and feeling like a hero for a few minutes. And besides, it saves me from another trip to Trader Joe’s for a while.
The next time I make these, if there are any left over, they are getting tossed into the BlendTec for a Summer smoothie of some kind. I think we would all go bananas over one of those.
Banana Bites
By Published: May 12, 2014
- Yield: 6-8 Servings
My youngest son Cole goes bananas over the Trader Joe's Gone Banana bites. Who am I kidding? So do his mom and I. They always sounded …
Ingredients
- 11 oz. Ghiradelli Chocolate, 65% cacao
- 2 tablespoons vegetable shortening
- 3 medium bananas, sliced
- 3 tablespoons peanut butter
- 6 large marshmallows
- 3 tablespoons Nutella
- 6 tablespoons Rice Krispies
- 3 tablespoons caramel
- 4 tablespoons sweetened shredded coconut
Instructions
- Reserve one banana for each flavor. Slice each banana to 1/4 inch thickness. Place peanut butter, Nutella and caramel in separate plastic baggies and snip off one corner; set aside. Place chocolate and shortening in a small saucepan over low heat and stir until melted; set aside.
- To make Peanut Butter & Marshmallow: Pipe peanut butter onto slices of banana. Cut large marshmallow in half and place on top. Dip in chocolate and place on parchment lined bake sheet. Transfer to freezer for approximately 5 minutes or until chocolate sets.
- To make Nutella Crunch Banana Bites: Pipe Nutella onto slices of banana. Dip in Rice Krispies and then place second slice of banana on top. Dip in chocolate and place on parchment lined bake sheet. Transfer to freezer for approximately 5 minutes or until chocolate sets.
- To make Coocnut & Caramel Banana Bites: Pipe caramel onto slices of banana and then place a second slice on top. Dip in chocolate and cover exterior with coconut. Place on parchment lined bake sheet. Transfer to freezer for approximately 5 minutes or until chocolate sets.
I’m impressed! These look really great! I also love that your pantry always has things like good chocolate, coconut, caramel, etc. There must be a food blogger (or two!) in your house!
Exactly, Mary! That helps, cause I hate making so many trips to the grocery store. Thanks so much as always and hope you had a fantastic weekend!
Wowza! These are such a fun little treat, Matt. I could probably eat an entire batch of these too!
Seriously Julie, they are so good and fun!
We are going to a family friends sweet 16 party this weekend. This looks like a perfect treat to bring:) They look so good!
So cool Debbie, let me know if you make them!
So cute!! Love this idea!!! Chocolate and bananas are such a delicious combination!!
Thank you Leah! The perfect combination. I LOVE the peanut butter in them too.
These look amazing! My kids are OBSESSED with bananas. I know they would love these:)
Thanks Justin, SO easy to make too!
Those look lovely and so yummy! What did you use for the white decoration on the peanut butter and marshmallow ones?
Thanks Maggie! I used a peanut butter glaze. Melt 2 tspn of peanut butter,1 tspn of water, melted in microwave together, mix into 1/2 cup of powdered sugar. We did that more to designate which one is PB since my wife is allergic to it.
Thanks for the fast reply! So after making the glaze, how to apply them on the chocolate? Did you use a spoon or some other tool?
You’re welcome:) I put it in a plastic baggie and snipped off the corner. Super easy!
Sounds easy enough! Gonna try out those soon. 🙂
So cool Maggie, let me know how they turn out!
Yup, we always have a box of those too. The kids (and me) love them and they’re so simple!
Thanks Gerry, they are indeed to so easy and ridiculously good when really cold.
Ohmygooooosh yes please! I’ll take a dozen coconut caramel in my face, like, yesterday! My husband surprised me with chocolate-dipped fruit yesterday for mother’s day and It’s basically all I want to eat for the next week!
You’ve got one smart husband Jenn! These were a huge hit with everyone here and it cracks me up because I am craving them so badly today. Waiting until at least lunch though!
Oh I totally had the leftover chocolate strawberries for breakfast. Shhhhh!
Haha love that! Don’t worry, I won’t tell a soul.
Totally awesome! Adult and kid friendly! I have not had chocolate covered bananas since I made the ones on a stick when I was a kid.
Thanks Rina! These are so good, hope you try them someday!
Thank you so much, Rina!
Can you believe there’s no TJ’s anywhere near me?! BUT, I’ll just print this lovely recipe and stuff my face with your awesome homemade version!
Isn’t every city by law required to have a TJs?? But you’re right, these are way better anyway:) Especially when it’s HOT out, like it is here this week. Brutal.
I love these, and so much better than store bought! The Nutella crunch is calling my name!
Thanks Laura! That one is Cole’s favorite too. All so easy to make.
Man, those looks awesome like really awesome; I’m deffo going to give ’em a try.
Btw, great pictures too!
Thanks Mike! They are pretty darn good. Hard to stop eating them.
There’s no Trader Joe’s in Canada, or at least, I don’t know of one, and I’m always jealous of their delicious snacks every one talks about! Now I can make them at home! I love the Nutella crunch idea, because hazelnut, chocolate, banana deliciousness sounds like my kind of treat. And throwing them in a smoothie would be amaaazing! Beyond amazing, actually. Yum! 🙂
Thanks Allison! Don’t worry, these are better than the TJ ones:)
I love that you instantly grabbed Rice Krispies. Yes please. Why have I never seen these at TJs?? Your version looks dangerously easy.
Thanks Karen! They are in little yellow boxes next to the ice cream there. But don’t bother, these are better, I swear! 🙂
What an easy recipe idea! I didn’t know Trader Joe’s had these, even though I’m there all the time. 🙂 Sounds like a winner to me! Especially the Nutella option. I *never* buy the stuff but got a jar last week and have been basically digging into it with a spoon. I think the addition of fruit to my Nutella is a great idea! So many fun flavor combinations here too. 🙂
So easy Meggan! Let me know how they turn out if you every try them. They’re especially good in this brutal heat!
I’m not sure which of these variations sounds best! When I was a kid, I loved chocolate covered whole bananas. I have yet to try the sliced ones. Now however, I am pretty sure they are in my near future 😀
Thanks Janet! It’s hard not to eat a ton of these bad boys once you pull them out of the freezer. Hope you try them sometime and thanks so much for stopping by!
Wowzers! These look awesome! Chocolate makes fruit much better! 🙂 I bet freeze dried apples would be tasty sandwiched in it too, so many options!
That is such a great idea Paula! Seriously, doing that next time for sure. Thanks!
I really love how you’ve created such elegant treats! Very impressive.
Thanks Jennifer! They were so fun and easy…and good!
Ohh, these itty-bites are perfect for snacking! I keep eyeing that peanut butter and marshmallow bite!
Thanks Sandra! That one is the perfect combination in my opinion too!
Oh my gosh the add-ins are genius. SO totally making these!
I hope you do Dorothy, they are so good and incredibly easy to make!
omg first off, i’m a Trader Joe’s loyal customer, and have NEVER had the banana bits. Shameful. These look awesome, and I honestly would hardly feel guilty eating them!! My favorite part is that you made them in layers 😀 Pinned!
Thanks Kelly! The layers are what make these for sure. The combination of flavors and textures. Huge hit with the boys here!
I wish I had a batch in front of me now! They look amazing, and like the perfect afternoon snack!
They would be gone in minutes Jaclyn, trust me. Doing them again in the summer for sure!
Oh my goodness, do these ever look good! I really love how you got creative with them and went beyond just dipping them in chocolate and leaving it at that. It’s hard to pick which one sounds best, I think I might have to try them all! ; )
Thanks Crystal! They were actually really fun to make too!
Matt, oh my gawd, love these!!! perfect for adults and kids! 😛 I’m making the Peanut Butter & Marshmallow ones first! love!!
Thanks Alice! My fav too!
These are totally genius! I want to eat them off the screen!
Thanks Shareba!
Coconut caramel? peanut butter marshmallows?? Nutella what? I am freaking happy seeing these. Ok…I must settle down and act adult-like and just go make them! Thanks 🙂
Yes you should go make some Zainab! They will help you focus:) Thanks so much!
Oh wow! These look absolutely beautiful! Too pretty to eat! LOL!
Thank you so much! They were indeed pretty, but way to good NOT to eat. Thanks for stopping by!
The Nutella crunch has my name written all over it! And I like the idea of making them into a smoothie, but I can’t imagine how you’d ever have any leftover!
Absolutely ZERO left over Allie. Next time the smoothie will happen for sure!
Wow, these sound really really good. I can see myself munching on a few or a lot of these. We always have bananas in the house, so I need to try a few of these combos. Pinning!
Thanks Cindy! Kinda the same thing here, always fruit around, so it’s fun turning them into something different.
These don’t sound tooooooo hard to make, but look so fancy!! And I can almost taste the goodness. The Nutella ones…OMG, yes, please! I think this would be a fun (albeit messy) thing to make with my 4 year old 🙂
You should totally do that with your 4 year old! It would be fun, and yes, messy. These are so good and I am bummed that they are all gone!
These look delicious! I never had Trade Joe’s banana bites, but I’m sure they’re good. I’m gonna make the coconut caramel one. 🙂 Thanks for great recipe, Matt!
Thanks Shinee! If you try them, let me know how they turn out! Always love hearing about that. Thanks!
Hey, these look great for my son’s first birthday 🙂 he loves banana and peanut butter! Have you ever left them in the freezer for longer than 5 minutes or so? I doubt marshmallow would keep but, otherwise, was hoping I could mke them a few days in advance, and just pop them in the fridge to defrost?? Save some time at birthday weekend 🙂
Hi Carrie, you may be right about the marshmallow ones, they may not keep in there. They were gone too quickly here! All of the others yes for sure. If you do try that and they work, let me know. And what a fun idea for your son’s birthday! Thanks so much for stopping by!
When I tried to make these about a week ago I had trouble with the peanut butter or Nutella getting soft due to the heat and then the banana would want to slide off. These do not do well in the freezer as the bananas will turn mushy when they thaw. I am wondering how you were able to combat the problem that I had with the peanutbutter to make yours look so uniform? And how were you able to dip them? Perhaps a video presentation will work?
Thanks!
Thanks Brian. I didn’t have the same trouble with peanut butter and Nutella sliding off, but to combat that problem try patting the banana slice dry prior to piping the spreads on top. And don’t forget, the more ripe the banana, the “wetter” its surface area will be once cut. Use bananas that are yellow and free of spots.
As for the bananas turning mushy once removed from the freezer. that is the case if you leave the bananas in there too long or if you are working with bananas that are too ripe. The freezer is just to set the chocolate, so don’t leave it in there any longer than that. But if you do, yes, they will turn mushy–even the Trader Joe’s ones that inspired this have that mushed texture since they are sold as frozen banana bites.
Hope that helps!
Love this idea! I’m going to have to hunt down those Trader Joe’s banana bites next time I’m in the store… that, or a bunch of bananas and dark chocolate. 🙂
These ones are so much better:) Totally addicting once you bite into one. Thanks for stopping by Kate!