Ah, Arrested Development. Is there a more perfect, quirky comedy TV show? Sadly, it was not fully recognized as the comedic breakthrough that it deserved to be, and it was cancelled after only 3 seasons. They sure managed to pack a lot of hilarity into those 3 short seasons, and now that the show is coming back for a 4th season exclusively on Netflix on Sunday, I thought there would be no better snack to indulge in than some chocolate-dipped bananas while watching the awesomeness unfold!

G.O.B can tell you, chocolate-dipped bananas are the perfect snack for a guy wearing a $4,000 suit… come ON!

Making these chocolate-dipped bananas is a lot easier and much less painful than using the Cornballer, as Michael can tell you. Bananas on popsicle sticks, dipped into chocolate and rolled in your choice of toppings! No, it’s not a trick, or even an illusion. It’s a simple treat that’s sure to go perfectly while catching up with the shenanigans of the Bluth family. Oh, and Tobias, too.

chocolate-dipped bananas

(yields 12 dipped bananas)

6 ripe bananas

1 pound chocolate (milk, dark or white), or almond bark

12 popsicle sticks

Toppings of your choice (some examples:
crushed Butterfinger candy bars, coconut, chopped nuts,
sprinkles, chocolate drizzle, cookie crumbs)

Line a sheet pan with some parchment paper, and clear some room in your freezer so that there’s a flat surface to set the pan on.

Peel the ripe bananas and slice them in half short-wise. Carefully insert a popsicle stick through the flat side of each banana so that there’s about 2 inches of stick left showing. Let the bananas rest on the sheet pan while you prepare your toppings!

I found the easiest, fastest way to crush the Butterfinger bars was to throw them into a Ziploc bag and bash them with a rolling pin. I’d recommend freezing the candy bar first so that the chocolate breaks apart with the rest of the bar. Repeat the bashing process with the peanuts in a separate bag (I used honey roasted peanuts, but plain would be just as tasty!).

Plain coconut is good, but if you want to use toasted coconut, pour an even layer of flaked sweetened coconut on a bare sheet pan and pop it into a preheated 350 degree oven for 14 minutes, stirring halfway. Your coconut may toast in more or less time, depending on how moist it was to begin with. Store brands tend to be a little drier (which is what I used), whereas Baker’s Angel Flake brand is suuuuper moist and takes significantly longer to brown.

Time to melt the chocolate! I used regular milk chocolate (not chocolate chips, cause they’ll be too thick when melted because of the stabilizers added), from Trader Joe’s. Chop up your chocolate (or almond bark) and put it into a microwave-safe bowl and zap it for 30 second increments, stirring in between, until it’s fully melted and warm. Mine took about a minute and a half, all total. Pour the melted chocolate into a tall glass and set it aside. Pour all your toppings into separate plates and arrange them near your work space so that you can easily roll the bananas into them.

Pick up a banana by the stick end and carefully dip it fully into the chocolate. It helps a bit to dip the bananas while holding them and the glass at a slight angle, as the suction of the chocolate can tend to pull the banana off its stick. I think that freezing the bananas for a bit once the sticks are in them might help them to stay on better, but I worried about the cold bananas solidifying the chocolate too quickly. Give it a try, it  just may work for you!

Pull the banana from the chocolate carefully, and drag one side across the glass to get rid of excess chocolate. Roll the banana into one topping, and lay it on the parchment-lined pan. Repeat with each topping, doing as many of each topping as you’d like.

To make some that are drizzled in chocolate, melt a small amount of the contrasting chocolate in a small dish in the microwave and pour it into a parchment paper cone. Snip a bit off the end of the cone, and once you’ve dipped your bananas and gotten rid of the excess chocolate, lay them on the parchment paper and drizzle the chocolate over them from end to end. It’s simple!

Once all your bananas are dipped and coated in toppings, throw the pan into the freezer for 2-4 hours or until the bananas are cold and frozen firm. When they’re all cold, you can store them in a large Ziploc bag or bag them each individually. To serve, remove them from the freezer for 5-10  minutes to soften slightly, then enjoy!

Double-dipped with extra peanuts. I think G.O.B. would love it.

These bananas are the perfect snack to serve at your Arrested Development viewing party. Some other food suggestions might be:

Seasoned curly fries, like Lucille ate poolside at the country club (don’t forget the club sauce!)

Lots of vodka-based drinks! Even though you can’t get your hands on a bottle of Cloudmir, Lindsay would still approve.

Plenty of ice cream sandwiches.

Juice boxes! Your party will be off the hook.

And a giant thing of candy beans. Cause you deserve it.

If you really want to go all-out for your viewing parties, send your friends home with goody bags! Perhaps some candy-filled pill bottles with Lucille’s name on them, some blue body paint a la Tobias, a cross necklace for Maeby (“Across from where?”), and a deck of playing cards to do some of G.O.B.’s magic tricks illusions, all stuffed into paper bags with “Dead dove, do not eat!” printed on them!

Happy viewing, y’all!