Bonfire Banana Boats

Served up by LANI, the Stewardess with all the world’s recipes.

Prep: 5 min · Cook: 8-10 min · Serves: 4

Why surfers love it: No plates, no pans, no cleanup. Everybody stuffs their own banana, tosses it on the grate, and eats it straight out of the peel with a spoon while the fire burns down.

Ingredients

• 4 ripe bananas, unpeeled
• ½ cup chocolate chips
• ½ cup mini marshmallows
• Optional toppings: shredded coconut, chopped macadamia nuts, crushed graham crackers, peanut butter chips
• Heavy-duty foil
• Spoons

Method

1. Leaving the peel on, cut a slit lengthwise down the inside curve of each banana, through the fruit but not through the bottom peel.
2. Gently pull the slit open to make a pocket.
3. Stuff each banana with chocolate chips and mini marshmallows, plus any extras you like.
4. Wrap each banana snugly in a sheet of heavy-duty foil, seam side up.
5. Set the packets on a grill grate over hot coals, or on a grill at medium heat, for 8-10 minutes, until the chocolate melts and the banana is soft.
6. Lift them off with tongs, let them cool for a couple of minutes, open the foil carefully (the steam is hot) and eat with a spoon.

Tip: Use the coals, not the open flames, for even heat. Always check local rules before building a beach fire, use designated fire rings where required, and fully drown the fire with water before you leave.

Surf-town roots

Banana boats are a classic campfire treat. A bonfire on the sand after the last session of the day is a surf-town tradition from California to the East Coast, and this is the dessert we bring.