Campfire Bananas

Since summer officially began last month, I have been craving s’mores. Warm, ooey, gooeyness barely held together between two graham crackers. I thought I would do some research and come up with my own ‘heathy’ s’more ‘alternative’. But then I thought the better, why mess with perfection? Instead, I decided to come up with a different campfire treat that’s equally delicious, a tad healthier and even easier consume. Don’t get me wrong, Campfire Bananas are just as warm and melt-in-your-mouth like their s’more counterpart. But, at least these dessert gems are all kept together within the confines of a peel making consumption a whole lot easier.

You get to the be chef with this recipe basically filling the insides with whatever you like. All you need is one large, ripe banana, some aluminum foil and the fixings that make your mouth water. I opted to make two bananas for myself. The first I considered to be my ‘healthy’ attempt. The second banana was straight-up s’more inspired. The healthy Campfire Banana included: almond butter, sliced almonds, granola, and raw carob chips. Some other awesome healthy toppings might include: Nuttzo, shredded coconut flakes, honey, dried goji berries, and/or dark-chocolate covered berries (strawberries or blueberries for example).

The s’more inspired Campfire Banana had all the usual fixings: crumbled graham crackers, mini marsh-mellows and chocolate chips. When preparing the Campfire Banana, split the banana length-wise making sure to not cut all the way through. You want to create a ‘boat’ to hold all of the ingredients. Wrap each banana in aluminum foil and place near the campfire in order to melt the innards. The banana should be good and black before it’s completely ready to consume with a spoon. And, if you aren’t in camping mode, but would like to recreate the Campfire Banana at home, just bake them! Place 2-3 bananas on a baking sheet and bake at 425° for 20 minutes.

{healthier} Campfire Banana 

1 large (really) ripe banana

1 tablespoon almond butter

‘sprinkle’ sliced almonds

‘sprinkle’ vegan flax seed granola

‘sprinkle’ raw carob chips

{s’more} Campfire Banana

1 large (really) ripe banana

1-2 crumbled-up graham cracker(s)

‘sprinkle’ mini marsh-mellows

‘sprinkle’ chocolate chips

Keep in mind, I started off craving a summertime s’more. But now I’m convinced, a Campfire Banana has the s’more beat if you ask me! Seriously delicious and so easy to make. I promise you this will be your new ‘go-to’ for a sweet, melt-in-your-mouth treat!

Link: http://lavamagazine.com/recipe-campfire-bananas/