Chocolate Peanut Butter Banana Ghost Pops: A Nourishing Halloween Treat

These chocolate banana ghost pops are the perfect snack for the days leading up to Halloween! Almost too adorable to eat, these nutty, sweet and FUN little ghost pops make a wonderful and satisfying Halloween season snack. Make them with your kids!

Kids and grown ups alike love the adorable look of these tasty ghosts, and how could they not? The flavour is a hit, too, roasty, nutty peanut butter with sweet white chocolate is a perfect pairing (this dietitian mom is a big fan of this combo!). These ghost pops have a pleasing texture; biting into the firm banana through the lightly crunchy white chocolate and peanut butter shell is delightful. Bonus – kids love nearly any snack served on a stick!

How to make these chocolate banana ghost pops

Your children will think you spent ages on these (and they’ll feel so special!) but they actually don’t take much time to make, for the most part, they’ll be chilling in your freezer. First, you’ll slice a banana into quarters, insert sticks and pop them into the freezer for an hour (or overnight, making it an even faster prep the next day!).

Dip each banana quarter into the peanut butter mixture. Freeze about 20 minutes, until the peanut butter is solid. You’ll have peanut butter leftover after dipping, why not use it to make a Halloween pumpkin smoothie to savour while you wait for these to chill? Just sayin’.

Lastly, dip them into melted white chocolate.

Add a couple of chocolate chips for eyes, return to the freezer, until the chocolate is solid, and enjoy! 

Pro mom tip:  Little kids think it’s the best day ever when they get to add the chocolate eyes. Word of warning, your ghosts will likely end up with more than two when kids get creative. Or one eye, when kids eat the chips before they can pop them onto the bananas.

For more pro tips, see the notes at the bottom of the recipe!

What is in these frozen banana ghost pops? 

These ghost pops are a winning combo of nutrient dense and fun, sweet ingredients. They are made using only 5 ingredients in total! Banana, peanut butter, white chocolate, dark chocolate and coconut oil, and that’s it. In addition to their other nutrients, the healthy fats in the peanut butter and the fibre in the banana give these snacks staying power, which helps us feel fuller longer in between meals. The sweet, creamy white chocolate and the dark chocolate “eyes” give us energy, add delicious flavour and whimsy, and make these pops taste extra-special.

I encourage you to not try to “healthify” these pops further by swapping out the white chocolate, it’s what makes them taste so yummy, and after all, food is about more than nutrients. It’s about making memories and connecting, and it makes us feel good. As well, it’s part of the Halloween holiday tradition. Plus, if you swap out the white chocolate, these just won’t taste as wonderful ;).

Why make these Halloween themed snacks? 

Because they are delicious, they are huge crowd pleasers, and they are packed with Halloween delight. In my blog post The Halloween Candy Strategy that this Dietitian Mom Swears By, I remind parents that “Halloween can be a great teaching opportunity for kids, to learn to be mindful and calm around treats and sweets. As parents, we have the power to use this holiday to strengthen our child’s relationship with food and help them to be calm and mindful around sweets.”

Halloween is one of kids’ eagerly awaited holidays. After all, the thrill of dressing up and trick-or-treating only comes around once a year, and then only until they reach their teen years, so we have a limited time to promote the enjoyment of this special holiday. Along with chatting about their costumes, school activities and trick-or-treating safety, we can show that we are excited right along with them by making special, holiday-themed snacks like these ghost pops. Connect with your child AND your inner child!

I hope you and your family give these frighteningly flavourful and eerily easy-to-make snacks a try! Happy Halloween!

Chocolate Peanut Butter Banana Ghost Pops: A Nourishing Halloween Treat

Yield:
8 ghost pops

Prep Time:
27 minutes

Additional Time:
1 hour 40 minutes

Total Time:
2 hours 7 minutes

These cute little ghost pops are just spooktacular. Yup, I said it! They are sweet and flavourful snacks, just perfect for the days leading up to Halloween. You can make them together as a family or surprise the kids by displaying the ghost pops in a Halloween themed basket or pail for a scarily yummy after school (or anytime) snack! See my tips in the notes below for the best results.

Ingredients

• 2 large bananas, yellow but firm, sliced into quarters
• 1 cup natural peanut butter
• 1 cup white chocolate chips
• 1 1/2 tablespoons coconut oil
• 16 dark chocolate chips (for the eyes!)
• 8 popsicle sticks

Instructions

1. Slice each banana in half widthwise, then slice each half lengthwise, so you have 4 pieces per banana. Insert a popsicle stick into the base of each banana quarter. Add to a lined baking sheet and freeze for at least an hour, until solid. 
2. Into a mug, add the peanut butter and 1/2 tablespoon of the coconut oil. Heat in the microwave for 30 second increments, until runny.
3. Dip one frozen banana quarter into the peanut butter, swirling to coat. Hold it over the cup and move it around so the excess peanut butter drips off, then return it to the baking sheet. Continue with the remaining banana quarters. Once all are coated, return the sheet to the freezer for around 20 minutes, until the peanut butter is frozen. 
4. Into a mug, add the white chocolate chips and the remaining tablespoon of coconut oil. Heat in the microwave in 20 second increments at 30% power (see the tip), stirring in between, until fully melted. 
5. Dip one frozen, peanut butter coated banana into the melted white chocolate, swirling to coat. Hold it over the cup and move it around so the excess chocolate drips off, then return it to the baking sheet. Continue with the remaining bananas. Next, quickly, before the white chocolate firms up, place 2 chocolate chip “eyes near the top of each ghost. Return the pan of finished ghosts to the freezer to chill for at least 20 more minutes, until frozen. 
6. It’s totally fine and fun if a little of the extra chocolate settles around the pops, but if you want to be extra-fancy, you can shave off any excess chocolate with a paring knife once the pops are frozen solid.

Notes

Storage: Store the ghosts pops in the freezer in a freezer-safe bag.

Tips:

• It is important to heat the white chocolate at 30% power, as white chocolate overheats easily and will seize up and be too firm. Heating for 20 seconds at a time, at 30% power, stirring between each bout of heating will help to ensure you get smooth dipping chocolate.
• Choose a mug that is the same height or taller than the banana quarters for best results and easiest dipping! Try to work a bit quickly with the white chocolate to avoid melting the peanut butter coating.
• If your white chocolate freezes before you can add the eyes, simply dip the bottom of each dark chocolate chip in a little of the remaining melted white chocolate to use as a glue.

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