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Banana split

A decadent dessert with fresh bananas and ice cream

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Difficulty: Easy
Serves 6
Gluten Free
Vegetarian

Preparation

Total time: 15 Mins
Preparation time: 15 Mins

6 bananas
200g dark chocolate
6 scoops of vanilla ice cream
6 scoops of chocolate ice cream
12 tbsp Chantilly or whipped cream
A handful of glacé cherries or chocolate buttons (optional, to garnish)

Slice the six bananas in half and arrange them with two halves per plate.
Chop the dark chocolate into pieces, then heat in a saucepan or a microwave for around two minutes.
Meanwhile, arrange one scoop of vanilla ice cream and one scoop of chocolate ice cream on each banana split.
Once the dark chocolate has melted, pour it into a jug. Then carefully drizzle over each banana split.
Garnish with two tablespoons of whipped or Chantilly cream per plate and top with chocolate buttons or glacé cherries.
Serve immediately.

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Variations

This is the basic recipe for a banana split, but you can let your imagination run riot and add whatever tasty treats you like! Great options for the ultimate banana split include:

- Chopped nuts - any nuts will work, but macadamias and pistachios are particularly tasty. Just bear in mind that kids under five should never have whole nuts or large chunks of nuts, as they can be a choking hazard.

- Fresh fruit - strawberries, blueberries and raspberries all work well, or use whatever you have to hand.

- Sauces - instead of melting chocolate to go on your banana split, you could just use some ready-made chocolate sauce. Or why not mix things up with another sauce, like strawberry coulis or salted caramel?

- Ice cream - you can make a banana split with just chocolate and/or vanilla ice cream if you want. But you can also add your favourite flavours, from strawberry to cookie dough! Or double down on the banana goodness with some banana ice cream .

- Sprinkles - colourful hundreds and thousands make a tempting topping for toddlers, while grated chocolate will give a more sophisticated feel. Check out the baking section of your local supermarket for fun sprinkle ideas.

- Other toppings - why not chop up your favourite chocolate bar and add that into the mix? Or add your kids' favourite sweets, like jelly worms and gummy sweets. Crumble up some honeycomb and sprinkle that on top... The only limit is your imagination!

One fun idea is to put out lots of different toppings in individual bowls. Then slice the bananas in half, and let the kids have a go at creating and decorating their own banana split; a perfect activity for rainy weekends!