Frozen banana ‘polar bears’ are the cutest summer treat ever

It takes less than five minutes to turn a frozen banana half into an adorable polar bear for this fun summer snack.

Whether you want to make one bear at a time or make a bunch to keep in the freezer, these easy bear snacks are simply adorable.

You just need bananas, white candy melts, mini marshmallows, full-size marshmallows, candy eyes and dark brown M&M’S.

Start by freezing banana halves on ice pop sticks. I like to use a sheet of parchment paper to make sure they don’t stick to anything as they freeze.

Notice the way the ice pop sticks are inserted into the bananas. The bears’ faces will be on the left sides of the bananas in the photo, so I made sure the sticks are facing that way too. It makes it easier to assemble the bears.

Measure out your candy melts. Two cups is enough for six bears, but I still used that much for just two bears because it’s easier to dip the bananas into. You can scrape leftover candy melts into a bag to store in the cupboard for future use.

Melt the candy according to the package instructions. It took me 90 seconds on 50 percent power.

Dip each banana half into the candy melts so they are about half covered.

Use some candy melt to stick a large marshmallow about halfway down the bear’s face. The face is the side that is curving away from you.

Put a little candy melt on the “M” side of an M&M, and stick it to the front top edge of the marshmallow snout.

Use a little candy melt to stick 2 eyes above the large marshmallow.

Now use a little candy melt to stick 2 mini marshmallows onto the head for eyes. Make sure to lay them on their sides.

Fair warning: Toddlers and preschoolers may find a frozen banana to be a great sensory experience for a hot day, so be prepared for mess. Letting my son go shirtless made cleanup a breeze, and I so enjoyed his delighted giggles as he smeared his last couple of bites all over himself.

Frozen banana polar bear pops recipe

These banana bears are as easy to make as they are cute. Just make sure to use firm bananas that are still slightly green around the stem.

Serves 2

Prep time: 2 minutes | Inactive time: 1 hour | Cook time: 2 minutes | Total time: 1 hour 4 minutes

Ingredients and supplies:

• 1 banana
• 2 ice pop sticks
• 2 cups white candy melts
• 2 large marshmallows
• 2 dark brown M&M’S
• 4 candy eyes
• 4 mini marshmallows

Directions:

1. Peel the banana, and break it in half.
2. Poke an ice pop stick about halfway into the wide end of each banana half, then freeze for at least an hour on a parchment-lined plate or baking sheet.
3. Melt the candy melts according to the package instructions (you don’t need all 2 cups, but the amount makes dipping easier).
4. Dip each frozen banana half about halfway into the candy melts.
5. Using dabs of candy melt, apply a large marshmallow for a snout, a brown M&M for the nose, candy eyes and 2 mini marshmallows on their sides for ears.
6. Serve immediately, or return them to the freezer to serve in the next few hours.

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