One of my daughters recently (sadly!) discovered that chocolate was triggering migraine headaches. Since melted chocolate chips is a go-to ingredient for one of my favorite quick desserts and I didn’t have any of my coconut-sugar-sweetened peanut butter chips on hand (supermarket brands have cane sugar), I created this recipe as a substitute. Delicious, fast and much less expensive!

Note: Once you start dipping, you’ll want to work as fast as possible to get the fruits back into the refrigerator. At room temperature, the dip is pretty gooey, but it will harden beautifully in the fridge.

I made the batch you see pictured here one morning before work so I could treat my coworkers. Mixing the dip and doing all of the dipping took about 10 minutes, which I did before my shower. Everything was ready to eat by the time I was ready to go. (I carried it in a cooler over ice packs to keep the coating solid.)

Ingredients:

4 Tablespoons (slightly rounded) natural (unsweetened) smooth peanut butter.
1-½ Tablespoons coconut oil

4 teaspoons raw honey

½ teaspoon vanilla extract

2 firm-but-ripe bananas

1 box (1 pound) fresh strawberries

Directions:

  1. Put bananas (still in the peel) for at least 15 minutes prior to dipping, as cold fruit will hold the dip better.
  2. Cover a large baking tray with waxed or parchment paper—you’ll put the dipped fruit on this.
  3. Take the time now to make sure you have room (or make room!) for the tray in the refrigerator when you are done dipping.
  4. Combine peanut butter, coconut oil, honey and vanilla in a microwaveable bowl and microwave on high about 15 seconds.
  5. Mix until completely smooth.
  6. Wash and completely (and gently) dry the strawberries.
  7. Dip strawberries, holding firmly to the greens. Hold a few seconds above the bowl to let the excess dip drip down before placing onto the tray.
  8. Slice banana into inch-wide slices (you want them bite-sized) and put into the dip. Use a fork to flip, then let the excess drip off before placing on the tray.
  9. Once all fruits are dipped, place into the refrigerator for the coating to harden.
  10. Serve cold—the dip will get soft as it comes to room temperature.

Variations:

Chocolate lovers (or if some of the people you are serving are chocolate lovers): Try dusting with a bit of cocoa powder. I put a bit into a tiny strainer and just shake it over.

Frozen banana fans: Cut the bananas in half rather than bites. After dipping, put a skewer up the center (like a lollipop) and freeze to solidify. You could even dip the outside in chopped nuts (or, to be decadent, sprinkles) before freezing. Note: If you only want to dip bananas (and you may once you try these frozen!), this recipe should be enough for six bananas.

Adventurous nut and seed lovers: This recipe would also likely work with other nut or seed butters like sunflower or cashew—they both get pretty solid in the refrigerator. I’m skeptical about using almond butter or tahini (ground sesame seeds) because it stays relatively soft even when refrigerated. But definitely worth trying if you are freezing the bananas!

Strawberry lovers: If you only want strawberries, this recipe should be enough for two pounds. If you only want to dip one box, then half the recipe.

Salty Crunchers: Try dipping pretzels or potato chips (not so healthy, but not the unhealthiest treat either, or even coating popcorn.

If you have leftover dip: I don’t recommend keeping the leftovers, which will be contaminated with strawberry or banana. Instead, use it to the last drip by mixing in some crispy rice or raisins or both—refrigerate in mini muffin cups.