Recipe: Banana Pockets of Love
We admit, we've been slinging the term 'Banana Pockets of Love' around pretty loosely, and even threw in a #bananapocketsoflove on an Instagram last week. It's high time we get down to brass tacks and make sure everyone out there knows how to create the magic of a Banana Pocket of Love on their own - it's too good not to share.
Step 1: Start a fire, then wait a couple hours. Why wait? You want to nestle your Banana Pocket in your fire's glowing embers to cook.
This young fire will be perfect for Banana Pockets of Love in t-minus two hours.
Step 2: Grab a banana, and peel back one strip on the concave side.
Step 3: Use a knife to create a top-to-bottom slit in your banana, being careful not to cut all the way through, and use your finger (or another clean, handy implement) to poke apart the two sides.
Step 4 (The Fun Step): Fill your banana canyon with all the goodness you can dream of. For me, banana pockets of love are like s'mores that have been majorly upgraded, so I stick with mini marshmallows and chocolate chips, but throw in some Trader Joe's Fleur de Sel Caramel Sauce because I'm classy like that.
Go wild. The more you can fill your slot with, the better. Yes, we realize how that sounds, but we're sticking to it.
Step 5: Wrap the whole messy shebang in tin foil, and then nestle it into your fire's embers. Pro tip: if you're rushed or aren't someplace you can build a campfire, a charcoal grill will do. Once your coals are lit, no need to cover them with the grate. You'll place your BPoL directly on top of the coals for maximum heat/caramelization.
Step 6 (The Hard Step): Wait five minutes (longer if your embers/coals aren't very hot).
Step 7 (The Best Step): Excitedly use tongs or a stick to retrieve your BPoL from the embers. Carefully unwrap it, then use a spoon to scoop out the soft, sweet chocolatey bananamallow. Inevitably burn your tongue, but keep eating anyway because it tastes so darn good.
All pictures taken at the last Trail Mavens happy hour in Dolores Park. If this looks like fun to you, mark your calendars for the next one on Thursday, September 18. More details coming soon!