Organic Raw Chocolate Covered Banana Bites

I have the most wonderful babysitter ever.  She is more like part of our family than a babysitter.  I am so thankful to have her help.  And my kids ADORE her.

She turned me on to these Chocolate Banana Bites from Trader Joe's.  They are a little taste of heaven in a box.  And bite sized too!  I love anything that comes in portion controlled servings!!  Here is what they look like:

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As good as they are, I wanted to try to recreate them myself, using raw organic chocolate.  They came out FANTASTIC and they were so easy to make!!

Why use raw chocolate?  Raw chocolate is chocolate that has not been processed, heated, or mixed with other ingredients.  Raw chocolate is packed with antioxidants and is without any added sugars or dairy. Natural News has some great information on raw chocolate:

"First of all, a little education on the matter...cacao, which is what chocolate is made from, comes from the cocoa plant which is native to the tropical regions of the Americas. The Maya believed that cacao was discovered by the gods, and they would hold an annual festival in celebration of the gift. The use of cacao is described in ancient texts in various mixtures for culinary, ceremonial and medicinal uses. It is thought that the first European to come across the delicious food was Columbus in 1502.

Raw chocolate is an almost complete foodstuff. It is loaded with more than 300 chemically identifiable compounds, and is higher in anti-oxidants than green tea and wine. It also contains protein, fats, calcium, iron, carotene, thiamine, riboflavin, and magnesium, which is essential for the correct functioning of the brain. Cacao contains caffeine, which means that a raw chocolate drink or desert will give you a similar kick to that of coffee, but in a healthier and raw way."

Ready to give it a try??  Now is the time!

Recipe:

3-4 ripe bananas (not too ripe because they don't work as well when they are too soft...I know this from experience)

¾ cup coconut oil, warmed to turn from solid to liquid

¾ cup plus 2 Tablespoons raw cocoa powder

3 ½ Tablespoons 100% pure maple syrup

pinch of sea salt

1. Blend all the ingredients except the bananas in a blender until smooth and fully emulsified.  Pour chocolate into a bowl.
2.  Line a cookie sheet with waxed paper or parch­ment paper. Slice bananas into coins about ½–¾ inch thick.
3.  Dip the banana chunks using a fork as a lit­tle chocolate-coating fork­lift, dip­ping them into the melted choco­late. Mine were a little messy because I let the kids help me 🙂 Place choco­late coated bananas on the pre­pared sheet and place in freezer until com­pletely frozen (minimum of 5 hours). Remove frozen banana chunks from the sheet and store in a freezer container.

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from cookstr.com

Maybe make these for your babysitter today?  🙂