Recipe: Bat 'N' Ball Banana Split
Looking for a fun dessert to go with your Chili Dawgs ("Taste of Life" recipe, p. 46 of June 2010 ParentLife)? Try this Bat 'N' Ball Banana Split! With the banana as a bat and a scoop of vanilla ice cream as the ball, you’ve got a banana split for baseball fans. Heating the banana briefly and then drizzling it with caramel sauce gives it a little something extra, but if you prefer, you can serve the banana plain. Just don’t forget the red licorice stitching or the chocolate chip autograph. (Makes 4 servings.)
Ingredients:
- 8 thin red peelable licorice strands (sometimes called “whips,” not the thicker licorice twists)
- ½ cup mini semisweet or milk chocolate chips, or to taste
- 4 peeled bananas
- Caramel sauce, for drizzling
- 1 large scoop vanilla ice cream per person
Directions:
Place the licorice strands on a small serving plate and pour some chocolate chips into a small serving bowl. Set aside.
Place the bananas into 4 shallow microwavable soup bowls. Drizzle each with a little caramel sauce and, working with one at a time, microwave on high power for 30 to 45 seconds, or until the bananas are just softened.
When the bananas come out of the microwave, scoop a generous ball-shaped serving of ice cream into each bowl, centered on the banana. Work quickly so that the warm bananas do not melt the ice cream too much.
Bring the bowls to the table immediately and have each person decorate the ice cream: Bend the licorice strands to form “U” shapes and place two each onto the ice cream ball, facing in opposite directions, where the stitches would go. Spell out your name or your favorite player’s name with chocolate chips — or just spell out the initials. Serve.
Recipe and photo excerpted from Friday Night Bites by Karen Berman (Running Press, 2009). Used by permission.
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