Baked Chocolate Peanut Butter Pecan Banana Boats

Warm smashed banana topped with peanut butter, melted chocolate, and chopped pecans in every bite. Delicious, healthy, and easy to make, this dessert will taste so amazing you won’t be able to resist!

Who needs a banana split ice cream sundae when you have this? Mashed banana topped with creamy peanut butter, melted chocolate chips, and chopped pecans, even a pinch of toffee bits. Baked in the oven for about 10 minutes, this dessert is warm, soft, and so delicious, you won’t believe that it’s healthy for you. Each bite is amazing with a mixture of so many flavors and textures.

Banana boats have been around for a long time, but a few weeks ago, I saw this article on Haylie Duff’s recipe for campfire roasted banana boats, and I had to make my own version. Who can resist a healthy dessert? Especially when it doesn’t look healthy at all?

Bananas provide Vitamin C, potassium, and fiber. They help promote heart and kidney health, protect against stomach ulcers, protect eyesight, and even build better bones. Again, better bones mean healthy teeth, which mean I can enjoy my food. =) Peanut butter, as skeptical as I was at first, is actually really healthy for you. It does have fat and some sodium, but it is filled with lots of nutrients. They are a great source of vitamins, protein, fiber, and minerals and aids with heart health and weight loss. Peanut butter keeps you full longer so you’re less likely to crave junk foods. Pecans work the same way as peanut butter since they’re both nuts. So this dessert is good for you.

First, preheat the oven to 350^oF.

With a knife, make two slices about ½ inch apart through the peel along the length of the banana. Remove that section of the banana peel.

Using a spoon or a fork, smash the banana. The banana should be opening up wider as you mash it.

Top the banana with peanut butter, chocolate chips, chopped pecans, and even toffee bits if you like. You can substitute any topping you prefer for this recipe. Really. How can a dessert be amazing if it doesn’t have your favorite ingredients?

Wrap the banana up in foil.

I placed my wrapped banana on a bread pan, but if you prefer, you can place it directly on the rack in the oven. I just didn’t want to risk the peanut butter dripping out of the foil and creating a mess in the oven. I love cooking. I don’t love cleaning up my mess. =)

Bake the banana in the oven at 350^oF for about 8-10 minutes until all the peanut butter and chocolate chips have melted.

Remove the banana from the oven and carefully unwrap the banana from the foil. Since it was in the oven for several minutes, heat will escape so be careful not to burn yourself.

The peanut butter will have melted too as you can see in the photo below. There’s actually less peanut butter than it looks, but it spreads when it melts.

The banana will be warm and soft. The peanut butter and chocolate will be melted and creamy. The chopped pecans will give this dessert the taste of nuts. And if you add toffee bits, you will get the extra crunch. So good. So addictive. I wanted another one right after. =)

Serve warm.

Enjoy!

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