On Sunday, I wasn’t in the mood for a regular breakfast. Lurking in the back of my mind was a recipe I saw on the Witty in the City blog – baked bacon-wrapped banana. Banana, potassium, right? Oh, and bacon. Well, we had some bacon we needed to use up before it got too old so that was my excuse.
On a whim, I sprinkled half the bacon slices with cayenne pepper. I liked the smoky, sweet and spicy results. The warm baked bananas reminded me of the plantains you get in Latin American restaurants as a side dish.
I don’t go out of my way to eat bacon for all the obvious health reasons but I don’t abstain either. Everything in moderation. Except when I make this. If you’re going to cook bacon for breakfast, why not redeem it just slightly by wrapping it around banana.
Bacon Banana Bites | Grabbing the Gusto
Bacon Banana Bites
You’ll need two baking sheets, toothpicks, parchment paper, paper towels and a plate.
- 10 slices of bacon – could be more or less depending on the size of your bananas, it took about 2/3’s of a slice of bacon to wrap around a piece of banana
- Cayenne powder, to taste
- 2 bananas, peeled and cut into 1” pieces, or the same width as the bacon
Preheat the oven to 400. Lay bacon on a baking sheet, sprinkle a few pieces with cayenne pepper (or all of them if you’re a spicy bunch). Bake until the bacon renders a lot of its fat but is still pliable, about 12 minutes, although your time may vary depending on the thickness of your bacon. Don’t let it get too crispy or too cool once it’s out of the oven, or it will break when you try to wrap it around the bananas.
Wrap each piece of cooked bacon around a piece of banana. Allow the bacon to overlap a little bit, and then cut off the excess – kitchen scissors work best. Stick a toothpick through the overlapped bacon, banana and bacon on the other side to hold it all together. Transfer the bacon-wrapped banana to a baking sheet lined with parchment paper (not foil – bananas will stick to foil according to Witty in the City). Repeat with the remaining bacon and banana pieces. Use leftover bacon scraps for another dish. Or snack on them.
Bake the bacon-wrapped bananas until the bacon renders the rest of its fat, browns, and begins to crisp, about 6 to 10 minutes, depending on bacon thickness and how crisp you got it originally. Transfer the bacon-wrapped bananas onto a paper towel-lined plate to drain, cool and set. Remove the toothpicks from the bacon-wrapped bananas. Enjoy.
Original inspiration: Bacon-Wrapped Banana Bombs, Witty in the City
Bacon Banana Bites fresh from the oven | Grabbing the Gusto
Grabbing the Gusto 