Easy four-ingredient banana treats

3rd January 2021 | Eativity editors

The banana is Australia’s favourite fruit – we eat around 5 million of them every day. If you put all of those bananas end to end, they’d stretch all the way from Sydney to Melbourne… although right now they might have a spot of trouble getting over the border. The majority of our bananas are grown in northern Queensland, although you can also find them growing in New South Wales, Western Australia and the Northern Territory. They’re also grown year-round, so you can always enjoy fresh, in-season Aussie bananas, no matter the month.

Bananas are packed with natural carbs for energy, potassium for healthy blood pressure and muscle function, and 15 percent of your daily vitamin B6 intake – which can help to boost your mood and brain health. A good mood food, indeed.

There are plenty of ways to get creative in the kitchen with bananas that don’t involve banana bread. Like these two mighty delicious recipes from Australian Bananas – they’re super easy, and only require a handful of ingredients and minimum prep. They’re both ideal treats for kids, but are also guaranteed to keep grown-ups happy.

Fun fact: bananas originally came from south-east Asia and were much smaller than the fruit we know today, about as long as an adult’s finger. This reputedly led to Arabian traders giving them a name based on the Arabic word for finger: “banan”.

4-ingredient banana doughnuts

4-ingredient banana doughnuts

Makes 48
Prep time 10 minutes
Cooking time 15 minutes

You’ll need:

2 bananas
1½ cups self-raising flour
6 tbsp cinnamon sugar (see tips)
cup sour cream

Method:

1. Roughly mash the bananas with a fork (you need two-thirds of a cup). Combine flour and 2 tablespoons cinnamon sugar in a bowl. Add the banana and sour cream, stir until just combined. The dough should be a little sticky.

2. Using lightly floured hands, roll teaspoonfuls of mixture into small balls and place on a lightly floured tray.

3. Half fill a saucepan with light olive oil or vegetable oil. Heat over medium heat to 160° to 170°C. Cook 12 doughnuts at a time for 3-4 minutes or until golden and puffed. Remove to a tray. Roll in remaining cinnamon sugar immediately.

Tips:

1. To make your own cinnamon sugar, combine 6 tablespoons of white sugar with 2 teaspoons of ground cinnamon.
2. Don’t be tempted to make the doughnuts larger – they won’t cook through to the centre.
3. Doughnuts are best served the day they’re made. If you have leftovers to reheat, warm in 160°C fan-forced oven for 5 minutes and re-roll in a little cinnamon sugar to serve.

4-ingredient banana ice pops

4-ingredient banana ice pops

Makes 16
Prep time 15 minutes + 12 hours freezing

You’ll need:

4 large bananas
1 cup thick vanilla custard
2 cups vanilla ice cream (about 350g)           
A few drops yellow food colouring (optional)
Ice-pop moulds
16 paddle pop sticks

Method:

1. Peel, chop and freeze bananas in a storage container or snap-lock bag for 3-4 hours.

2. Place bananas in a food processor or blender. Process or blend until chopped. Add the custard and ice cream and process until smooth and creamy. Add a few drops yellow food colour, process to combine. Divide mixture evenly among 16 ice-pop moulds (50ml capacity). Insert sticks. Freeze for 8 hours or overnight.

3. Dip the moulds in a bowl of warm water for a couple of seconds to remove the banana pops. Place on a tray lined with baking paper. Freeze for 15 minutes. Serve.