Chocolate-covered bananas are inexpensive, easy-to-make and great for summer barbecues by the pool. According to the Chiquita Bananas website, this fruit is high in fiber, loaded with potassium and healthy to eat compared to snacks like chips or popsicles.

My favorite part about this recipe is garnishing the bananas with a variety of toppings – pretty much anything you can think of. Colored sprinkles, toffee bits, small chocolate chips, coconut flakes, almond slices or Oreo crumbles will all make for excellent additions to your banana pops.

You can use milk chocolate or dark chocolate chips, depending on the flavor of chocolate you prefer. I used the chocolate magic shell because it is easy to apply and hardens quickly on cold surfaces like frozen bananas.

You can make many bananas with different colored sprinkles and toppings for a large crowd, or you can make a few to keep as snacks. The following recipe makes eight servings.

This recipe is adapted from afewshortcuts.com

Chocolate-Covered

Bananas

4 large bananas

1 (12 ounce) bag semi-sweet chocolate chips

1 tablespoon vegetable or coconut oil

8 popsicle sticks

Cut the bananas in half with the peel on and insert a popsicle stick in each half. Carefully remove the peel.

Put the bananas on a baking sheet and place in the freezer for a day.

In a microwave safe bowl, microwave the chocolate chips and oil for 30 seconds and stir. Repeat until the chocolate mixture is smooth and melted enough to dip the bananas into.

Dip the banana into the chocolate while the chocolate is warm and sprinkle toppings on immediately. I used crushed pecans, coconut flakes and sunflower seeds for my toppings, and put a variety of colorful sprinkles on. Serve immediately.

Anna Puccinelli can be reached at [email protected]