Roasted Banana Boats

Yummy...

Sweet...

Warm...

Gooey...

Soft...

Crunchy ...

And...

FUN!!

Remember Hobo Pies, S'Mores, Pudgie Pies, roasted marshmallows, and hot dogs on a stick? All of these are traditional campfire goodies. Some people have memories of roasted or grilled bananas with various toppings as their camp fire treats. But you don't have to go camping, or even wait until it's grill season to enjoy this treat...

Let me show you how to have fun any time of the year...

This treat is always best with a fun group of people. I like to have kids around to put together their own banana boats. Kids love to come up with unusual combinations.

 First gather the ingredients. I got out ripe bananas, peanut butter, coconut, chocolate chunks, and cashews ~ but just about any topping would work. You might try butterscotch chips, miniature marshmallows, even other fruits like berries.

I put each banana individually on a piece of aluminum foil and slice through the skin of the banana, through the banana ~ but not through the other side of the peel.

 We filled our bananas with our favorite toppings. For the peanut butter I put some in a ziplock sandwich bag and clipped the corner of the bag so I could squeeze the peanut butter inside neatly. Next came coconut, chocolate chunks and nuts on top.

We sealed our bananas tightly and individually in the foil and then put them in a baking dish. If you are using a grill you can put them right on the grill and if you have a campfire you can tuck them into the coals. I baked them in a 400 degree oven for about 20 minutes. The time depends somewhat on the ripeness of the banana and how much filling you have so you may have to check them starting at about 10 minutes. You want the chocolate to melt and the banana to become soft and sort of caramelized.

When you take them out the banana skin is black and the fillings are all melty and sweet. Traditionally this is eaten right out of the peel with a spoon. Some people leave it in the foil, cut them in half and squeeze the filling out right into their mouths (I'd save that for rustic camping!). This is good with vanilla ice cream ~ but that's kind of cheating since campers rarely have a freezer to store ice cream...but since we're not camping...I'm heading out to the store for a big fat tub of ice cream...Vanilla? Chocolate? How about Neapolitan?


What was the taste tester's bottom line?
The black banana peel can be a turn off, but people tend to be less picky when they are camping. The "Gee Whiz" factor is high when you're camping. I think ice cream helps when you are at home. People can overlook blackened banana peel when they are scooping their ooey gooey banana goodness over a dish of ice cream and kids get a kick out of concocting a unique creation.

The bottom line: Watch for ripe bananas, and remember to get the ice cream.