TUESDAY TIP: 4th of July Frozen banana pops

“There’s always money in the banana stand”…or just a really good treat. Either or. Dad’s Frozen Banana stand meets easy 4th of July party treat…just freeze, dip and sprinkle and you’ve got yourself a healthy chocolatey treat for this great American Holiday

If there are two things that the Clifford’s stand by, it’s the 4th of July and Dad’s Frozen Bananas on Balboa Island in Newport Beach, California.

We love both just about equally. And if the two were to fall on the same day then we would be standing IN heaven.

You should consider taking the trip to Dad’s banana stand if you have never been. At Dad’s, they take a perfectly ripe banana, freeze it and then dip it in the best chocolate melt (from what looks like a crockpot), and then gently roll it in YOUR choice of delectable toppings.

*cinnamon crunch * peanuts *toasted almonds * sprinkles *toasted coconut * toffee bits * oreos *all of the above

The thin chocolate coating then hardens to make the perfect crunch all while the banana stays frozen. It really is a miracle all on it’s own.

We were lucky enough to live in southern california, home of the Dad’s Frozen Banana stand for 5 glorious years. Jude asked me the other day when we were reminiscing on the frozen banana…”mom, if you were to guess how many frozen bananas you had during the 5 years you lived in newport beach, what would your number be…like 2,000?”

well yes jude…almost. If we had 2 every week for 5 years…which I dare say we did. We would have eaten 780 frozen bananas. ha! I won’t calculate the price of that wonderful treat. It was worth it, whatever it cost us.

So, since we don’t currently live near the infamous balboa island where Dad’s is located. We had to make our own. And for no better holiday than that of the 4th of july.

INGREDIENTS:

• bananas

-before freezing your bananas, be sure they are ripe. Not banana bread ripe…but not green either. Maybe with a few brown spots. You want them sweet.

-always remove the peel prior to freezing. And if you are sticking a stick in them, do that as well prior to freezing.

-take the bananas out of the freezer RIGHT before you are ready to dip them. They soften faster than you may think. So, have the chocolate melted before you take your bananas out of the freezer.

• melting chocolate

-If you are wondering how to make it crispy shell chocolate…or have a hard outer shell? Well, the answer is tricky BUT doable! If you use Guittard chocolate, or Wilton melting wafers, then it will be crispy simply by just melting it in a double broiler or microwave. However—

-Guittard has a great article on how to temper chocolate so it will be crispy. Read it here! It will change your chocolate dipping life.

-I used Columbian 85% Dark chocolate from Sprouts. I didn’t have to temper it, just melted it in the microwave and it was thankfully crispy!

• Sprinkles or any kind of topping

Voila! And you’ve got yourself a nice 4th of july treat.

Since you were wondering what our whole family looked like in heaven.

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