Chocolate Peanut Butter Banana Bites

Admit it: Your mouth is watering just after reading the title of this post, isn't it?  It's okay, I just wiped some drool off my keyboard, so we're even.

I'm addicted to sweets.  Chocolate is especially dangerous, as is ice cream.  This is why I'm 100+ pounds overweight and trying to change my lifestyle, but even so, I refuse to completely give up sweet things; I just want to move past the addiction part.

One of my favourite naughty things to do is snitch semi-sweet chocolate chips from the freezer when no one is looking (the crinkly packaging tends to give me away, though).  I keep them in the freezer because for some reason the cold chocolate is more satisfying to me than room temperature chocolate.

Photo: momsneedtoknow.com

Anyway, eating handfuls of chocolate chips randomly throughout the day is never a good habit to get into.  And I've been doing it since I was a kid.  Then my friend suggested chocolate peanut butter banana bites.  They are a little time-consuming to make, but definitely worth the effort.  Plus, they're big enough to satisfy a sweet tooth craving but come in easy-to-grab single servings so you don't over-indulge.

A note on the peanut butter: I recommend using a more natural peanut butter such as Adam's, or even fresh-ground from your local health food store such as Trader Joe's or New Seasons.  Skippy, Jif, and other popular brands are tasty, but there's a reason for that - they're full of sugar!  For an effectively healthy treat/snack option, go for the low-sugar, low-sodium varieties.

Ingredients
Bananas
Peanut Butter (I used creamy, but crunchy would add texture and protein)
Dark chocolate chips (the darker the better - the darker it is, the less sugar it has)

Directions
Slice the bananas into relatively thick slices and line them on a wax paper lined cookie sheet.  Place the cookie sheet in the freezer until they are no longer sticky.

Working quickly (to avoid creating a sticky mess), spread a generous dollop of peanut butter on top of each banana slice.  Replace them in the freezer.

While you wait for the bananas to freeze, put the chocolate chips in a double boiler (you can create one by filling a larger pot with water and placing a smaller pot inside it for the chocolate) and begin melting them over med-low heat.

Once the chocolate is melted, pull the bananas out of the freezer and drop them one at a time into the chocolate.  Use forks to roll them until they are completely covered, then replace them on the cookie sheet.

Place the sheet once again in the freezer, and once they've all completely hardened, pull them from the wax paper and place them in a gallon Ziploc freezer bag and put them back in the freezer.

What healthier suggestions do you have for avoiding over-indulging on sweet snacks?