This is one of those recipes…
One of those recipes that’s impossible to stop eating until every last chocolate bite has disappeared. Rich dark chocolate, complemented by creamy banana filling…
I made two batches (for five of us who were watching the Olympics last night). One batch was just banana and a second batch was peanut butter banana, where I blended a big spoonful of crunchy peanut butter into the filling.
There were no leftovers.
Monkey See Monkey… Eat
The summer after I finished third grade, my family took a trip to Vermont and stopped at the Ben & Jerry’s factory to see how ice cream is made. (I think that same summer, we visited a brewery and got to see how beer is made. It was a very educational summer for me!)
After touring the factory came the best part: sampling ice cream. We tried chocolate, we tried Cherry Garcia, and finally we tried their #1 seller, Chunky Monkey. I decided this flavor was my favorite, mostly because I thought the name was funny. The tour guide then informed us that this particular product had a different name in Japan; it was simply called Banana Nut. Apparently, if you try to translate the name to Japanese, you get “Chunks of Monkey.”
Ever since that trip, whenever I see anything chocolate-and-banana flavored, my mind automatically thinks of chunks of monkey.
So… who’s hungry now?
Chocolate Monkey Bites
- 1/4 cup plus 1 tbsp cocoa powder
- 1/4 cup virgin coconut oil, melted
- 20-30 nunaturals vanilla stevia drops (or 3-4 tbsp liquid sweetener, such as agave)
- 1/2 a banana (see “nutrition info” link below for all substitution notes in this recipe)
- tiny pinch salt
- optional: 1-2 tbsp peanut butter (or pb2, or another nut butter)
Combine first three ingredients in a bowl and stir until it makes a chocolate sauce. Pour a little of the sauce (saving the rest for later) into the bottoms of cupcake liners, mini cupcake liners, or candy molds. Then freeze 8-10 minutes. Meanwhile, blend (or mash and stir with a fork) the banana, salt, and optional ingredients. Take liners out of the freezer and top each with banana mixture. Now evenly distribute the rest of the chocolate and re-freeze until solid. This recipe makes 9-10 mini cups (as shown in the photos).
View Monkey Bites Nutrition Facts
Link of the Day:
Julie H. of Spinach and Sprinkles says
“Chunks of monkey” ——–> Seriously, too funny!
Erica { EricaDHouse.com } says
Oh why do you do this to me!?!?
Teresa says
When I lived in Germany one of my favorite treats from the holiday market was chocolate-covered apples, yes, whole apples on a stick dipped in yummy bittersweet chocolate. The chocolate-covered fruit kebabs were good too. But the apples were amazing; crunchy and juicy with chocolate that melted quickly in your mouth.
Hmm, my favorite chocolates in a mixed box are always the fruit cream ones. So really, any fruit-filled chocolate cup would probably be amazing. My second choice would be for caramel – the melty kind like in Cabury caramel eggs or Caramello bars.
Or you could stick with a recurring theme and do cookie dough chocolate cups. Those sound really yummy too.
tiffany says
ohh i love making the fruit creme chocolates at christmas. my family always loves the cherry ones the best. they’re not really healthy at all but maybe cck could do something to make them a bit better. the filling is almost like a flavoured butter cream icing but a bit firmer. maybe a fruit flavoured creamy tofu version would work well? you could either use real cherries or maybe the cherry flavouring instead.
Tanya @ Playful and hungry says
A caramel cup sounds great! Katie, didn’t you want to recreate that caramel sauce from your vacation in NY anyway? That would be great in chocolate cups!!!
Alex @ Brain, Body, Because says
WOW. Chocolate and coconut is a dynamit combo. I am absolutely trying this. Thanks for the fun recipe that doesn’t require the oven 🙂
Katie @ Peace Love & Oats says
hmmm, probably peanut butter, but with something mixed in, like bits of marshmallow, or dried raspberries, strawberries or bananas!
Rachel says
this combo sounds amazing! I love chocolate and strawberries 🙂
Sara says
It won’t let me see the nutrition.
Elzie says
Um….. You could do double chocolate…. except I think you could not keep the chocolate inside melted when you froze it 😛 Have you every thought about trying to put ice-cream in it??
Kelly says
omggggg ice cream inside?! Epic idea.
Nikki says
Since I love chocolate covered strawberries, I would love a strawberry chocolate cup! (I don’t think you could use peanut butter . . . but macadamia nut or cashew butter, perhaps?)
bob says
http://www.pincookie.com/inside-out-chocolate-filled-strawberries/
Kate says
I just made these with raspberries – just smashed up raspberries with no nut butter. They were lovely just as they were.
Anonymous says
Strawberries and yogurt inside!
Annie @ Naturally Sweet Recipes says
These look great! I think a nutella filling would be delicious. 🙂 Lots of chocolate flavor in that one! 🙂
Madeline says
I agree too!
kate says
Oohhh, Nutella Peanut Butter Cups!!
Laura Miller says
I also vote for this one ^!!! Nutella+peanut butter= my life
Sarah L says
Me too! Would be so amazingly awesome
Melissa George says
Well great…I’m trying to go through all of my recipes on Pinterest and actually make some of them now I have to add another one! But this one I’m making right now! This will definitely be a family favorite! Thanks. Seriously, thank you!!!
Chunks of monkeys!?! Hilarious and nauseating all at the same time!
Bailey @ Onederland or Bust! says
These look so good and so easy to make!
Rebeka says
The “chunks of monkey” translation made me laugh out loud! So funny. Thank you for sharing that antidote!
Also, I wish I had a friend who made homemade snacks like these for Olympic watching friend time! So fun!
Deanaa says
Cookie dough cups, hands down winner. Vanilla cupcake cups come in close second, with lemon creme cups finishing at third(;
How was NY, what was the best café there?
Chocolate-Covered Katie says
I couldn’t pick one “best.”
Although Lula’s was definitely the best place I visited ;).
Cathy says
I second all of your suggestions!!!!! cookie dough, vanilla cupcakes, lemon creme? YUM!!
Sophie Rae says
dying to try these! just a heads up, the nutrition link is broken!
Chocolate-Covered Katie says
Fixed! 🙂
Dawn says
Maybe something totally different like Mango? or Pineapple?
I make your chocolate bars at least once a week and I just love it, so I know I will love this recipe too!
Ali @ Peaches and Football says
Oh yeah I could seriously jump on board this bandwagon. Even better when I have all the ingredients on hand!
I’d love a chocolate covered strawberry cup. There’s no peanut butter so I don’t know if that counts, but a chocolate cup with flavorful strawberry oozing out when you bite into it sounds like the epitome of fantastic!
Cat says
Please make a caramel filled one !!!!!
Laura Miller says
How about, a cookie dough cup? Or a pb cookie dough cup? 😀
Or, ooohh, make a mint one! Walmart used to have these mint cups that were sooo good and soooo addictive. But all of a sudden they disappeared. We joked that they had drugs in them. 😛 So yeah, if you could recreate them in a vegan/healthier version, I would be your best friend for life.
bob says
I second the vote of mint!
Alanna says
Ooh, how did I forget about mint?? Best flavor combo ever. I found this when I was looking for a different recipe — should also work here as a mint filling!
https://chocolatecoveredkatie.com/2012/04/30/cosmic-chocolate-peppermint-patties/
Liz says
How about Nutella peanut butter cups? yummm!!!!
And FYI- the nutrition link isn’t working for me, either.
Sarah the official CCK drooler says
Caramel. And cookies and cream. and strawberry. and caramel.
Linda says
In the unlikely event of leftovers, would these need to be stored in the fridge/freezer, or would they keep a few days at room temp?
Chocolate-Covered Katie says
Freezer
Linda says
Thanks!
Tanya @ Playful and hungry says
I guess it would keep like two days in the fridge, too?
I guess I wouldn’t like to eat these straight from the freezer! =/
Megan says
I love incorporating protein powder into your recipes. I recently did a chunky monkey protein bar that was to die for.
Chocolate-Covered Katie says
I was definitely thinking about blending protein powder in with the banana. Might have to try that… chocolate protein powder, of course :).
Tamara says
peanut butter and maple syrup cups! or the classic peanut butter and jelly could taste wonderful with a chocolatey coating. and although it wouldn’t be my first choice, just throwing something random out there – oatmeal filled cups?
Kara @Nutritious-n-Delicious says
I almost don’t want to make these because I know I’ll eat the whole batch being home alone… dangerous. I think a S’more peanut butter cup would be awesome! I love putting peanut butter on my s’mores so a portable bite sized peanut butter s’more would be pure heaven. YUM!
Rachel P. says
I love to make PB&J cups. I picked up some chipotle raspberry jelly at the farmers market and when you mix that with crunchy PB and dark chocolate…unbeatable
Laura M says
This sounds absolutely amazing! What a great idea!
Erin says
Peanut butter chai? I wonder how that would taste. I was going to say green tea, but the pb would definitely overwhelm the green tea. Now I want to try some sort of chocolate-green tea cup 🙂 maybe something like coconut butter mixed with matcha inside of a chocolate cup?
Tanya @ playful and hungry says
White chocolate and green tea should work. Not too overwhelming…
May I Have That Recipe says
These look good, healthy and easy!! Love how you used coconut oil, i also love using it in desserts.
Janet says
This looks so good and so easy! Other ideas for a filling? The ones mentioned by others here all sound good. Some of my favorite ideas: Nutella, lemon or orange cream, cake (regular/pound cake/cheesecake, etc), peanut butter and jelly, trail mix (dried fruit and nuts/seeds), mint, ice cream (any and all flavors), fresh fruits, …the list keeps going. Really, anything that tastes good with chocolate is fair game.
bob says
Any kind of citrus cream sounds good to me, but you’ve still got me thinking about a cheesecake one…an hour later! I do miss cheesecake.
Deanna says
I’ll jump on the peanut butter cookie dough bandwagon, but I think it would be an awesome twist if you made it a cinnamon raisin peanut butter cookie dough filling. Yum. I LOVE cinnamon 🙂
Natalyn Rodriguez says
I always LOVE your posts. They are always so creative and funny. 🙂
To this day, I still can’t find a raw or vegan version of white chocolate. I think it would be AMAZING if there was a raw/vegan version (or maybe just vegan) of white chocolate peanut butter cups!
What would be even tastier is a white chocolate sunflower seed butter cup! Oh, ideas are swirling through my head right now!!
(P.S. pick my idea! Pretty please? It’s definitely a fun challenge for you to try!)
Nicole @ Healthy Way to Cook says
These look AMAZING! And they’re pretty healthy too! Thanks so much for posting. I’ll have to try this out!
Vanessa says
Coconut filling!
Or almond paste,
Or pecan and caramel!
I can’t choose just one!
carolyn says
COOKIE DOUGH PB CUPS WOULD MAKE MY LIFE.
Leah Newmark says
OH GREAT IDEA
kim@hungryhealthygirl says
No better flavor combo than banana, chocolate and PB!! A pretzel PB cup would be pretty delicious too!
Alanna says
Omg, YES on the PB pretzel idea!!
Erica says
It’s really exciting to make your own chocolate. I’ve made those pretend reese’s eggs numerous times since easter…they are just so delicious!
I’m a peanut butter purist I think, because peanut butter in chocolate it enough for me!
Monique @ Ambitious Kitchen says
YUM!
Erica says
PB&J cups!! Or white chocolate/macadamia/coconut.
Samantha D. says
Coconut butter or your version of Nutella..or cheesecake…or oreo..or PRETZEL..or a cake bite..or something minty…the possibilities are endless..
Kate says
just finished up my take on a “mocha” monkey bite…”icecream” made from frozen banana, instant coffee crystals and cocoa powder. Inside the chocolate. Best thing I’ve had in a long while…trying to ignore the remainder of the batch in the freezer…Thanks, Katie!!!!
jenica says
Those photos are gorgeous. I expected these to be filled with coconut though! I bet a peanut butter coconut cup would be an amazing duo.
Camille says
lol at chunks of monkey…
as for a peanut butter cup flavor…i think a good filling would be Peanut Butter & Co.’s White Chocolate Wonderful
Anna Banana says
I think I want to make these with raspberry filling. That would be pretty intense.
You should make gingerbread peanut butter cups! Or any flavor, really. I’m pretty convinced everything you make is magic.
bob says
Ooh, gingerbread peanut butter sounds good!
Kristen @ notsodomesticated says
I like the Nutella, cookie dough, and caramel ideas that other people suggested! 🙂
Gail Elise says
This seems like the kind of recipe that I would make and no one would no about it because I would eat them all. Probably a bad idea =/
Ruth-Wenche Gransjoen says
I make something similar for Christmas with rice pufs, maybe not the healthiest, but virgin coconut oil and raw chocolat is, now I will try your banana and nut cups Thank you.
Laura M says
How about a smores pb cup?
Or one with almond butter and cherry?
Michaela says
so not into bananas 🙁
I would love to see a raspberry-cream version! maybe with cashews and frozen raspberries??
Kate Murphy says
Carob powder works great too! Yum!!
Erin says
Made these today! How would you suggest making a version with just a PB filling without the banana?
cck says
Omit the banana and just fill with plain old peanut butter.
Or you could use the filling for my Reeses eggs recipe :).
Gail Elise says
My dream cup would definitely be filled with cookie dough!!
Samantha Twigg says
There used to be a candy bar called Cherry Ripe. It was from Australia. Maybe they still have them? Anyway,it was my favorite as a younger version of me! It was chopped up red cherries and coconut mixed together covered in rich dark chocolate! So, my vote would be something like that!
bob says
Yep, Australia still has Cherry Ripes! Not so fond of them myself though…
Lisa @ The Raw Serenity says
This looks amazing! I want to mix the banana and the PB together inside.
Thanks for sharing Katie 🙂
Alicia says
I love anything with frozen bananas. I can imagine these being a perfect snack to beat the summer heat!
Kristia says
YUM!! looks delicious!! Will have to try soon!!
Adrienne says
Trader Joes Cookie Butter! Omg it’s KILLER!!!
Christi says
i’m gonna have to go with nutella as well, but also..
some type of combination of white chocolate and either coconut or caramel
Spencer says
Another great recipe! You’ve got skills girl! I would so love to try some of those peanut butter bites.
Kathleen @ KatsHealthCorner says
Oh my dear. Those look AMAZING! I am totally in a chocolate mood! 😉
Tanya @ Playful and hungry says
I’d definitelly do an almond butter cup!
Rachel says
A caramel cup would be awesome! But is there such a thing as vegan caramel?
Also, I’m curious Katie, if you have ever tried making a non dairy milk chocolate? I love the dark chocolate recipe, but sometimes I find myself wanting something lighter. 🙂
cck says
There definitely IS vegan caramel 🙂
You can just sub Earth Balance for the butter in recipes… I’ve also seen recipes that use canned coconut milk for the heavy cream.
I’ve not tried to make a milk chocolate bar… yet.
Aly says
Strawberry Banana PB cup!!!!
Abigail says
Do you have a banana cream pie recipe? That would be awesome!
cck says
I don’t… I think I need one!
Anonymous says
Here’s a FABULOUS cream pie. It’s a strawberry cream pie, but I’ve made it banana, mango, mixed fruit. I make some changes but this is an awesome basic cream pie recipe. I prefer a simple date and almond crust, but again, awesome base for your tweaks 🙂
And it’s RAW!!! 🙂
http://www.rawmazing.com/raw-strawberry-cream-pie/
Mike says
I think I’d just leave out the banana completely. Why ruin a good thing. Chocolate + Peanut Butter is all you need. Just ask Reeces. 😉
Maybe something infused with liquor though. That could be good.
Meghan says
Could you possibly make one of those print options so we can print recipes right from your site without having to copy and paste them? It would be a huge help!! 🙂
cck says
I can’t at the moment, because of a corrupt plugin on my site. Trust me, I am working on it :-?.
Katie @ Oh Shine On says
I have the most perfect baking molds for these babies — stars, to be exact. Little star banana chocolate bites. Noms are on!
Jacque Foster says
After tasting your PB&J shake I’d have to go with that theme for the new PB cubs…perhaps a giant dried cherry inside? And peanuts gross me out (highest bacteria of any nut) so I vote for any other kind of nut butter.
THANKS for the banana choc dessert…it’s one of my faves from Trader Joes but they put liquor in theirs so they’re off limits for the kiddos. Now I can share! (Not that I ever wanted to…) 🙂
Landree says
These look awesome!!!! If we DID use chocolate chips instead of the coconut oil would we just then use a 1/4 cup of chocolate chips?
Thank you! I love your website!
cck says
I haven’t tried it, so I don’t have specific proportions. I just know that melted chocolate works as a substitution for the coconut-oil chocolate. 🙂
Jennifer @ Peanut Butter and Peppers says
I am making these!!! No if ands or butts!!!!!!!!!!!!
Chris says
I am in “twisted” mode today so my request is for pineapple and-or mango with coconut and banana in WHITE CHOCOLATE, please!!!!! Of course, if you HAVE to stay with chocolate, make it dark with cherries, coconut, and almond butter!
Leah says
I think the guide was pulling your leg. “Chunky Monkey” would just be in katakana (Japanese syllabary generally used for foreign words) because we don’t “translate” most flavor names or loan words literally. It’s just チャンキーモンキー (chankii monkii): http://mognavi.jp/food/31796
cck says
Hmmm… that’s weird. But it is true that they changed it: I googled it and found this: http://articles.nydailynews.com/2001-05-30/entertainment/18180658_1_ice-cream-ben-jerry-cherry-garcia/2
Leah says
Would that article line up with your tour date? Maybe the guide had read it!
As a translator, if I were trying to translate the flavor name it literally, that’d be awful–you want to convey the sense there are chunks of things that are related to a monkey, but there’s a double reading of “fat monkey.” In that sense, they’re right that it doesn’t translate. You don’t want to call your ice cream “fat monkey.”
Now I’m just spinning my linguistic wheels, but imagine that corporate asked the translator how to say “chunky,” the translator responded that it’s literally either “fat/big” (太い、大きい), “having thick parts” (分厚い), or “having clumps” (塊の入っている), which, in this case, would turn out like Monkey’s Clumps or Clumpy Monkey because of the way the adjective-noun modification works. Fun fact: Adjectives in English are often nouns and verbs in Japanese.
Conclusion: Perhaps the “Chunks of Monkey” never made it past the initial marketing stage and the translator kept her/his job but had to explain why it’d go with chankii monkii. If it’s like the Baskin Robbins flavors, they usually have a loan-word name and then an explanation. Incidentally, this is way the banana-nut ice cream at one of the places in Kanazawa is also called.
Fun fact 2: This is also the reason Katamari Damacy is not translated into English. It’s a visual pun (塊魂) that means “Clump Soul.” Also a bad name for ice cream.
Fun fact 3: There is a seasonal BR flavor (or was in 2005) called “Baseball Nuts”(behsubohru nattsu) that was vanilla with raspberry ribbons and a variety of nuts. It was available in July – August because of the national high school tournament. That one will never make it to the US….
Thanks for citing the source and sorry for writing a book here!
Lauren @ Oatmeal after Spinning says
You really can’t go wrong with the chocolate/pb/banana combo… with a little sea salt sprinkled on top of course! I’d love to make some sort of “healthy” strawberry or cherry filled chocolate cups… hmm…
Caro says
Definitely need to try these out! Peanut butter cups are one of my most favourite things ever! Throw some banana in there, I am totally sold!
Judy says
ok my 2cents is to add kahlua to the pb banana and chocolate for a flavor extravaganza.
Robin says
Oh my God. My roommate in college was Japanese, and she definitely called that flavor “Monkey Chunk”. It all makes sense now.
Allison says
Wow, just made these and I have to say…AMAZING!! Love to follow your healthy and tasty dessert blog, keep those great recipes coming please!
Sherri Gambill says
Love the look of these chocolate monkey peanut butter bites! I would love to see peanut butter raspberry bites-gluten free, please?
Jenny D says
Why are these so good? I guess this is one of those things you just don’t question. These will forever be in my freezer. I used Hersheys dark unsweetened and sweetened slightly with coconut nectar. I tried PB& banana and just PB. Can’t wait to buy almonds to make almond butter and try that next! I have already started my own list of different fillings to try…….
Angela says
peanut butter with rice cripies (kind like a crunch bar but with peanut butter and then coated in dark chocolate) or maybe peanut butter and strawberry/cherry jam covered in the delicious chocolatey coating…? Just throwing out some ideas.
Ashley @ Wishes and Dishes says
These look so addicting!!!
Andrea D says
Hey, Love this one. I’ve boon thinking lately about a desert my mom used to make around the holidays: “7 layer cookies” I LOVE THEM! I was wondering if you had some healthy substiturtion ideas. Here’s the way my mom made it. She just layered the ingredients in the pan in this order then baked at 350 for 25 min.
1 stick butter melted in the bottom of a pan
1 1/2 cups graham crackers
1 can sweetened condensed milk
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 1/2 cups coconut
1 cup chopped walnuts
1 cup butterscotch chips
Any ideas would be helpful.
Thanks so much,
Andrea
Alanna says
I haven’t tried it myself yet, but I keep thinking about adapting this recipe with Katie’s graham crackers and strawberry frosting/mousse:
http://www.thekitchn.com/summer-recipe-nobake-strawberr-117900
Sounds kind of similar, other than the no-bake part… Maybe a starting point?
Chocolate-Covered Katie says
I have one going in the cookbook :).
Maybe I will have to post it here too!
Ginnie says
I’d love to see some kind of raspberry creme or mock caramel. I haven’t had a Snickers bar in years…
Sarah says
I needed the laugh this post just gave me. Chunks of monkey. Made me laugh to tears. The dessert looks yummy by the way.
Staciee-lee says
Yum! What about a white chocolate coated peanut butter cup or cinnamon raisin oatmeal cookie peanut butter cup!!
Anna says
The two Brands PB Crave or I love Peanut Butter Co. may be an optional filling for some of you other Peanut butter aholics. They have flavors like white chocolate with raspberry PB, cookie dough flavored peanut butter, cinnamon raisin, dark chocolate, etc. The best part is both these brands are much healthier than our beloved commercial brands.
Holly - InspirationBeauty says
Wow, now I really wish I liked Peanut Butter. Those flavours sound amazing, but I’m just not a PB fan at all 🙁
Alanna says
Do you like other nut butters? Cashew, almond, and pecan butter all taste much different from peanut butter, so you could always sub one of those!
Tanya @ Playful and hungry says
Katie, do you have metric measures (gram… ) for this recipe too? That would be awesome…
Chocolate-Covered Katie says
cocoa is 5g per tablespoon (so 25 for the recipe). Oil is about 15g per tablespoon, and half a banana… 40ish grams?
Bek @ Crave says
Ohhh these look good and I like the simple ingredient list! Chunky monkey is really good, except I reckon those chocolate pieces get a bit too much quickly- the walnuts and ice cream I could eat forever though!
Sophie says
Perhaps a Cinnamon Roll cup. Would that even be possible? I think a smoothie cup would taste pretty good too.
Also, I made these yesterday and had my first one this morning. They’re really good, especially with super dark chocolate. I love how smooth the chocolate got.
Thanks for the yummy recipe!
Abby says
I think s’mores peanut butter cups would be amazing. Could you figure out how to make them healthy?
PS-Love the chunks of monkey comment. Made me laugh out loud.
Steph says
I loved Mounds candy so I definitely want this with a coconut filling. Yum, yum!
Caralyn @ glutenfreehappytummy says
oh my gosh — INCREDIBLE! i love banana/peanut butter combo — especially with chocolate!! 🙂
Felicia says
I just made chocolate covered frozen bananas today! Yum. Mixed regular bittersweet chocolate with coconut oil, dipped the bananas, and covered in unsweetened coconut flakes.
I love all things coconut, I do think the best combo with chocolate is coconut. Coconut almond joy type filling???? Have you done that already?
I love coconut larabars too. I am getting off topic 🙂
melisa says
Looks very yummy. I was looking through some of your milkshake recipes and i saw one for a cookie dough style and it called for pb cookie dough, is there somewhere you can actually buy instead of making it??
Alanna says
Buy the cookie dough, you mean? If it’s the shake I’m thinking, it’s amazing even without the cookie dough so you can easily omit. You could probably find one of those pre-made refrigerated Pillsbury cookie dough tubes at the store, but obviously that wouldn’t be vegan (if that’s important to you).
Leah Newmark says
Chocolate, PB, and caramel, maybe with some nut pieces, kinda like a snickers.
Or PB and Strawberry jelly…. BTW u should try and make a faux pop tart with PB and J in it… my dream haha 🙂
I also like the ice cream idea, I will always like ice cream with anything.
Hunter says
Banana’s Foster!!!
Michelle says
I would love caramel I’ve tried Vegan caramel recipes with no luck! !
Katie I went on a Vegan food crawl in LA and the bag of goodies had dark chocolate agave sauce….was so good!!! Maybe ill use that as the sweeter for this….I could drink that stuff lol
Madeline says
Katie! I have been waiting since you posted this for a free day to make them. And OHHHH MY!! No one would ever believe me if i said there was no plain chocolate in them and no sugar!! Fantastic recipe, and so simple too. Love how lovely the banana and peanut butter tastes after freezing. I mean i was eating it out of the bowel before i added it 😛 But after the freezing it seemed even more salty and delicious. I made a second batch with less sweetener for my bitter chocolate loving boyfriend. Thank you!! I want to try adding desiccated coconut to the banana mixture as well or instead of peanut butter.
Violet says
LAVENDER peanut butter cup :))))))) lavender and chocolate is the best combo! and pb makes everything better.
I made these today!! (well, I hardened the chocolate like that and then took a bite of banana with it)… very yummy!!! also, I just made some healthy chocolate “milkshake”/smoothie drink thing and blended the rest of the steamed broccoli left over from my dinner into it… thought you’d appreciate :p
Nathalie Andrews says
I feel like I’m the only person who doesn’t like peanut butter and chocolate together. But almond butter and chocolate, that I understand.
Shannon @ Skinny Sometimes says
I love bananas and chocolate, what a great idea and a great treat!
Madeline says
Katie,
I have made these several times now as they are wonderfully scrumptious! But I’m always having to make double the chocolate mixture to make enough for top and bottom layer. I use mini cup cake pans. Is my conversions right 1/4 coconut oil is about 52g and 1/4 cocoa powder is about 20g. Is this right?
Chocolate-Covered Katie says
1/4c oil is 60g. Yes on the cocoa. Be sure to use only enough on the bottoms to line the bottoms. Save most of the chocolate for the tops ;).
Anonymous says
Ah I see. That works! THANKS!
Malia says
I’m so glad I came across your site, you have so many delicious healthy recipes! I’ve been going on a pinning frenzy!
Moni Meals says
Love this Katie! Hope to make them today!! Will let you know how it goes.
Caroline says
Made these for my non-vegan boyfriend the other day – he loved them!! I also tried making them with a layer of jam over the banana/nut later and that was really good too. Thanks for posting this recipe!
Kara @Nutritious-n-Delicious says
Yum! I’ve been looking for something to do with my bananas and this recipe fits perfect with my paleo diet 🙂 Thanks!
cucicucicoo says
just made these and LOVE them! strangely enough, my two kidlets didn’t like them, but that’s ok… more for me! i love how quick they are, that i can use up small amounts of bananas this way, and how nice they feel on a hot summer day! 😉 lisa
Jess says
what can i use as a substitute for coconut oil?
Jes says
All I can say is this: it was a good decision to make these.
olivia says
these are so good! i love a recipe that i can work with and think of 100 different ways to make them different. i can’t wait to make them again! love, love, love making our own low sugar chocolate. what a great way to get in a dose of coconut oil.
have a mini cupcake pan but not the wrappers so i used those tiny dixie cups, that you use in the bathroom. they fit perfectly inside the mini cupcake pan! just cut and ripped off the cups once everything was frozen.
i’ve read comments on your blog that this is the best blog ever and i just wanted to add…I AGREE! you have filled a much needed spot for those of us who are eating healthy but still need our sweets. i don’t know what i’d do without your recipes.
Chocolate-Covered Katie says
Aw thank you!!
Rachel says
This probably is my dream PB cup flavor, along with PB itself or coconut.
BUT I also adapted this recipe to make NEOPOLITAN CUPS! Follow instructions as above, except after freezing the base, add a tsp or so of Silk Vanilla Creamer, freeze until firm, then top with a spoonful of Trader Joe’s strawberry coconut milk ice cream, THEN top with remaining chocolate sauce and freeze again till firm.
You could also make BANANA SPLIT CUPS this way by using a little less of the vanilla and strawberry layers and putting the banana on top before the remainder of the chocolate sauce, and sprinkling with chopped peanuts. 🙂
SO YUMMY!
Anonymous says
can you use truvia instead of the stevia drops?
Chocolate-Covered Katie says
Sorry, I haven’t tried.
Sarah says
Made these, they are fantastic! I added some crumbled walnuts to some of them. The picky boyfriend loved them! Can’t wait to try other flavors.
Ruth says
I will fess up right now that I am obsessed with your blog. I want to make everything on here. Your whole blog is an inspiration and has been the source of many wonderful gluten-free and vegan foods for me! (Spaghetti squash as pasta replacement? Brilliant!) Thank you so much, and please keep it up. And thank you for this adorable and delicious monkey treat. I used 1 tablespoon of maple syrup instead of agave. They were very tasty! I keep them in the freezer, and the banana, when frozen, is the best. Mmm! Very fast, easy recipe.
Chocolate-Covered Katie says
My favorite part of blogging is when someone actually makes one of the things I’ve posted. Thank YOU! 🙂
OrGreenic says
These sound amazing; it’s no surprise there were no leftovers. What could be better than Banana Reese’s?
JLD says
I made these (double batch) for my community choir and they were a bit hit. I had 4 people ask me for the recipe and I’ve sent them to your blog. I made them in the mini cupcake pans but I’m actually going to make them even smaller, more bite size, so there will be more of them and for easier mass consumption! haha. Thanks so much. I plan to make a bunch of your other candies too!
updog says
I have a batch of these in the freezer right now. Thank you for this recipe. It was super-easy. I know they are going to taste great because I licked the bowl clean that contained the filling (I used cashew butter with the banana) and the chocolate sauce was awesome, too. Great web site!
Chocoholic says
I do not recommend making these with canola oil as a substitute for the coconut oil.
Becca says
I made them last night using olive oil because I didn’t have coconut oil. The result wasn’t terrrible, and it did harden, but I definitely wouldn’t recommend it. It tasted olivey and very oily. Stick to Katie’s coconut oil, people!
Chocoholic says
I made these with a sweet peanut butter filling for Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups, but I used canola oil. They turned out fine, but more like peanut butter pies cuz they didn’t harden. The chocolate, I mean.
Chocoholic says
I want to make these the traditional way but with icecream and peanuts too, like the comment higher up. Those would be awesome!!
Karmalily says
These are delicious! I just made my first batch, and immediately ate three of them! I have a feeling these are going to be in my freezer constantly for easy sweet tooth fixes. I love how simple they are to make, and that I always have all the ingredients to make them. Thanks for yet another delicious recipe!
Viviana says
What is 1cup plus?..
Nita says
My favorite sandwich bread is sourdough…would you be able to come up with a recipe like you did for the pb bread?
Danielle says
Ok, just made these- half filled with peanut butter and half just plain chocolate with a bit of peppermint extract. Before I added the PB, I “taste-tested” a plain cup- oh my gosh. This makes the most silky, rich, decadent chocolate EVER. And I mean, EVER. Thinking of making some with sea salt and roasted almonds, or a Mayan version with cinnamon and cayenne pepper. Thank you Katie for introducing me to the best chocolate this chocoholic’s ever tasted!!!
Gisi says
I just made them today in the morning to have some healthy sweets at work … and OH MY GOSH they are great… My compliments to you Katie!!!
I also just mixed the filling with the chocolate and put in into a chocolate-bar form and freezed it – to have a whole chocolate bar of this delicious sweets. 😀
Greetz from germany
Barbara (Rawfully Tempting) says
Love it! I love adding cacao paste and cacao butter to dessert..for healthy richness and texture. Pic makes me hungry!
Sara says
Katie i love your ideas, but I’ve got a question. Does the chocolate has to stay in the freezer or can it be outside without melting???
Chocolate-Covered Katie says
Coconut oil melts at room temp, so unless it is very cold where you are, it’s best to keep chilled.
Adriana says
Salty caramel filling surrounded by dark chocolate and little flecks of sea salt on top!
Haley says
Just made them with a banana, strawberry, and pecan filling! Delicious!!!
Theresa Roberts says
I just tried these Chocolate Monkey bars, but a little larger size since I didn’t have mini cup cake pans or candy molds, but I must say I couldn’t stand them with the stevia. I will have to try again with a more natural sweetener. (Like sugar) I can see where they would be good, but just couldn’t get over the artificial sweetener taste. I know stevia is derived from sugar, but it sure doesnt taste like it.
I also made the peanut butter pie with your 30 seond chocolate crust, which I can’t wait to try.
Tilli says
Can you do a recipe for just plain peanut butter cups?
I keep trying to find one and there is just no recipes anywhere!!!!
Or is it because it’s just peanut butter and chocolate….
hmmmm
Thank you for this amazing healthy blog!!!
Emma says
Caramel pb cups!!
Mara C says
This recipe is awesome!!!! I love it because the healthier ingredients you use to the already healthy ingredients makes me feel so good about eating it! For example I used organic coconut oil, organic fair trade cacao powder, organic peanut butter. My favourite part is how it incorporates the very healthy cacao powder kind of like a dark chocolate but it evens out with the banana and peanut butter filling!
Highly recommended! Thanks:)
Kaliah TD says
I just made these this evening and they are AMAZING!! I added peanut butter and a few cranberries and im having serious trouble not consuming the entire tray! Simply genuis Katie, will most definately be making these again tomorrow :3 <3
Kelly says
I was short on maple syrup, so thought I’d cheat and add just a little bit of brown sugar to sweeten the chocolate – big mistake! Lumpy mess…which I redeemed by mixing in the banana and PB, henceforth creating the most scrumptious fudge! I may get around to making these properly sometime, but I reckon my messed-up version is pretty great 🙂
Heather M. says
Any way to use dry sweetener? I have a huge bag of splenda and want to use it.
I cant wait to try these! I love the idea of using protein powder with the banana. I wonder how orange extract would taste. I always loved the orange cream chocolates.
cara says
how about dark chocolate sea salt and lavender
Linda E.H. says
With peanut butter and chocolate I think banana is the perfect combo, but if you’d like another idea then raspberry would be my second choice. It’s like a PBJ sandwich (I always hated grape jelly and did PBJ with raspberry, strawberry or apricot jam.)
Also, not related to PB, do you have a version of these cups with mint instead of PB? I love chocolate and mint together.
Carolyn Wood says
These look like bites with coconut in the middle of…where is it listed…don’t see it.
Or, is that the other stuff mixed together? 🙁
Rachel says
I just made some cashew/peanut butter cups with some homemade salted coconut sugar caramel in the middle. Seriously fabulous AND my kids have each requested their own batches for valentines day!
Sara says
My (almost) 4 year old daughter and myself just made these…. they are in the freezer hardening! Everything tastes great individually, so I can’t imagine what it will be like together as one frozen treat! Thank you for the amazing website… it helps moms with vegan kids out! 🙂 Next up… our second time making the vegan chocolate banana swirl bread. 🙂 🙂
Claire Elizabeth says
These are SO good and SO healthy! As an athlete, I love the convenient source of MCTs from this coconut oil based recipe! So much delicious energy! Another winner recipe! Thanks Katie!! ??
Maja says
Could you please tell me from which ingridients do come from these 5g of protein, when not using peanut butter?