Beach Bum Banana Bars

There is something about escaping your every day life and rubbing elbows with a beach town. I wonder sometimes if I was meant to live by the ocean. I love Utah. I truly do, and I would miss our mountain views that can take your breath away. It is lovely here. But..... The ocean just makes me happy! I love watching the waves crash and breathing misty sea air in the morning. I love that you can watch the sun set hit the horizon. These are a few things that speak to my soul in a way that dense winter storms never will... I don't know if I will ever live in a coastal town, but I sure love vacationing there. Don't you just love soaking up a different way of life on vacation? It is so fun to experience the little differences between a mountain town and a beach town. Life is pretty different for the two (at least right on the coast.)

Recently we vacationed in Laguna Beach thanks to my fun cousin Heather who invited us up to play with them! I loved it there! I haven't ever stayed in that area before and it was so charming and beautiful! The beach in Laguna was hoppin'. We also spent several days enjoying other beaches in the area. One of the fun things I discovered were the frozen bananas. It is the local treat to beat! Everyone was stopping in to little ice cream and frozen banana shops to get their fix. My cousin had me bring some good chocolate from home so she could make a treat, and this is what she had in store for us! These toasted coconut chocolate covered frozen bananas were so amazingly scrumptious! The texture of the banana was similar to ice cream. 

After experiencing those little morsels of delight I decided I would re-create the local treat at home when we returned. Oh baby. They are wicked. I mean seriously addicting. They only require three ingredients, which I love. Sometimes you need something to make without all the fuss. These are simple, yet very impressive. Thank you Laguna Beach for sharing a little slice of local fare with me. And thank you to Heather for introducing us!

Here they are in all their glory. They might not look like much, but they sure are good. I mean, really people, what is better than toasted coconut and milk chocolate? I really cant think of much that compares! Lets whip up some goodness, shall we?

First things first. You need ripe bananas. I used 5. Peel them and slice them in half. It would be great to use round Popsicle sticks for these, but I didn't have any at the time so I improvised with some wooden skewers. Use what ya got right?

Place the banana halves in a lined baking sheet and put them in the freezer for 4-6 hours. You can freeze them for longer, but they will be harder in consistency. They are good both ways, but I like the softer more ice cream-like consistency.

Start with 2 cups coconut. Toast in a skillet over medium heat, stirring consistently. Watch it close. When it begins to toast it will darken quickly. Have a plate on hand to pour toasted coconut on when it is ready. 

Toast coconut to a golden brown.

In the same skillet add 2 cups chocolate. The skillet will still be hot from toasting the coconut so turn off the heat, and this will be warm enough to slowly melt the chocolate. Stir constantly until melted.  

When your chocolate is melted and ready take your bananas out of the freezer. 

Use your Popsicle sticks (or skewers) to insert into the cut end of the banana and dip in the chocolate. Rolling to coat all of the banana. Then immediately roll in the toasted coconut. Place coated bananas back on the cold cookie sheet. This will cool them so that they harden quickly. 

Serve right away, or place them (covered) back in the freezer until you are ready to serve. You can freeze them for several days. When you are ready to use them take them out of the freezer 30 minutes early so that they can soften a little. 

So party on party people! Go eat your tasty Beach Bum Banana Bars. These are sure to put a smile on your face. :) Enjoy!