Our take on this camping cult-favourite dessert idea results in an outrageously delicious gourmet treat that pleases all ages. It’s so easy to make using just bananas, chocolate & tea, providing a healthier dessert option that is also dairy & gluten-free.

You can’t beat roasted bananas with a hint of smokiness from a campfire (or your backyard barbeque), combined with melted chocolate using our Tea Master’s brilliant no-bake recipe for TEA INFUSED CHOCOLATE). Yum, yum, yum!

Perfect for camping trips & backyard hangouts, these are also a great fall & winter time treat. They cook so quickly (in about 8–10 minutes) that it’s worth firing up your barbeque to make a batch when it’s chilly out & enjoying indoors in front of a fire or on a cosy night at home.

The teas on this list pair beautifully with the creamy, grilled taste of bananas. If you love the smoky aspect, take it up a notch by infusing the chocolate with our pine-smoked LAPSANG SOUCHONG tea. Or, go in a more decadent dessert-like direction with fruity or aromatic teas. Spicy teas are an excellent match for the bananas & chocolate as well. 

Healthy Tip Accompanying this food item with the same tea used in the recipe (hot, iced, or as a tea latte) can enhance the enjoyment of all the flavours, as it adds a layer of complimentary flavour, which amplifies & brightens the taste of all the ingredients. Tea is also a delicious, low-calorie, healthy alternative to alcohol or sugary drinks. 

As well, when you’re eating carbs or sweets, it can also be a great idea to reach for teas that help counteract these effects. 

Mulberry tea has been used in Asian traditional medicine for hundreds of years as a way to support blood sugar balance & assist weight management. Studies are starting to support these ideas, & are finding that the mulberry can help block carbohydrate absorption.

Detox tea may be an even better choice when having rich or higher-fat foods, as well as carbs & sweets, as the herbs in it were traditionally consumed to counteract all three of these.

Accompanying treats or rich foods with a cup of Detox or Mulberry tea, or having these teas half an hour or an hour after eating, may be a healthier & smarter way to indulge. 

Recent studies show that a HOT BATH can have similar benefits as exercise! Effortlessly burn calories, stimulate the metabolism, manage blood sugar & more. Click HERE to discover how to optimize your bath & learn about the surprising benefits of a bath. 

We love seeing what you're making! ⁠Share & tag your Silk Road recipes with the hashtag #SilkRoadCommuniTEA - you’ll find us on FACEBOOK, INSTAGRAM, TWITTER & PINTEREST.

Get inspired with more tips, techniques & recipes - watch & learn directly from Tea Master Daniela Cubelic in this captivating VIDEO SERIES.

Learn how to make chai tea soup, tea hot chocolates, mulled cider teas, tea infused oatmeal, ice cream tea floats, tea lemonades, iced teas & more. You’ll also discover fascinating facts & info about the health benefits of tea, tea history & secrets for tea brewing.

FAVE TEAS FOR BANANA BOATS WITH TEA-INFUSED CHOCOLATES

Fruity teas such as MANGO SHADE, PEACH PARADISE, SOUR CHERRY & WILDBERRY WAVE

Aromatic teas such as JASMINE OASIS, VANILLA PLANTATION, LONDON FOG, IMPERIAL EARL GREY & pine-smoked LAPSANG SOUCHONG

Spicy teas such as HERBAL CHAI, SILK ROAD CHAI & EXPRESS CHAI

 

BANANA BOATS WITH TEA-INFUSED CHOCOLATE

dairy-free, gluten-free & vegan

makes 1 banana boat

INGREDIENTS
2 tablespoons of TEA-INFUSED CHOCOLATE (see recipe below or see our blog post for more details)
1 banana in the peel
optional: your choice of other fillings (see below for ideas)

aluminum foil for wrapping

DIRECTIONS

1. Keep the banana in the peel, as it is going to cook inside of its peel. Cut the banana open lengthwise, along the inner curve. Do not cut through the peel on the opposite side, just cut through the flesh of the banana.

2.Gently pull open the sides of the banana & stuff the centre with TEA-INFUSED CHOCOLATE (& other fillings if desired).

3. Wrap banana tightly in foil & place on a campfire or grill. Try to keep the inside curve facing upwards, so that the fillings don’t leak out. Cook until fillings are melted, which should take about 10 minutes depending on the heat of your fire/grill.

4. Carefully remove banana from heat using tongs. Allow to cool slightly & then carefully pull open the foil. Be careful—the inside will be very hot! Eat with a spoon while still warm.

OPTIONAL FILLING & TOPPING IDEAS

Try vegan marshmallows, peanut or nut butter, dried coconut, cooked pumpkin (best with spicy or chai-infused chocolate), sliced fresh fruit or fruit marinated in TEA-INFUSED SPIRITS (use the same tea to infuse your chocolate & your spirit!)

You can also add toppings after cooking the banana boat. We love adding a sprinkle of MATCHA ICING SUGAR or a handful of MATCHA ALMONDS.

Try different combinations of tea infused chocolates with various toppings & fillings to explore & discover new favourites.

 

TEA-INFUSED CHOCOLATES

makes ½ cup

INGREDIENTS

1 tbsp Silk Road LOOSE TEA (placed into a tea filter bag) or 2 SILK ROAD TEABAGS*

½ cup chocolate tablets, chocolate chips or a chocolate bar.
If using a chocolate bar, break it into bite-sized pieces. The smaller the chocolate pieces, the more surface area is exposed to tea, which results in an even better tasting finished product. Smaller chocolate pieces will melt more easily into the banana as it grills, as well.

airtight container (this is a great way to re-use your leftover Silk Road tea tins!)

DIRECTIONS

1. Place the teabag in the bottom of an airtight container. If using loose tea, place tea into a filter bag first, before placing it into the airtight container

2. Place chocolate over top of the tea, & put the lid on the container

YOU’RE DONE!! All you need to do next is place the airtight container into a cupboard where it avoids exposure to heat or sunlight. Leave it there for about a week for the flavours to infuse.

Don’t have a week to spare in order to make this?  Double the amount of tea or teabags that you are using, but keep the amount of chocolate the same, & it will reduce the time it takes for the flavours to be released. You can still get great tasting tea-infused chocolates in 1-2 days, if you increase the proportion of tea.

After the tea has finished being infused into the chocolate, you can remove the tea & still enjoy the leftover tea for brewing. In fact, it tastes very delicious when served paired with the tea-infused chocolate!

TIPS

• Always select a tea with a strong aroma – for instance, trying to infuse the aroma of a plain BLACK TEA, or a plain GREEN TEA into chocolate doesn’t work very well, because it doesn’t have a lot of flavour or scent to release. Teas that don’t release a lot of flavour until they are brewed don’t make good teas for infusing into the flavour of the chocolate. Teas or herbs with strong, enjoyable aromas work best.
• Don’t refrigerate the tea/chocolate while it is infusing—too cool an environment will inhibit flavour release. Avoid storing the tea/chocolate near excess heat too (don’t keep it near a stove) as heat can make the chocolate melt or change colour.
• Once the chocolate has been infused, continue to store it in an airtight container to prevent flavour loss. As long as you continue to store it in an airtight container, it will maintain the tea’s flavour for several months. Over time, the tea’s flavour will lessen. In that case, you can refresh it by repeating the procedure of adding tea to the airtight container. It will usually take less time to infuse the second time, as some of the tea’s flavour will still remain.
• Snack on these chocolates anytime, or serve them as dessert. Create an easy tea & chocolate pairing for dessert by taking creating several different types of Tea-Infused chocolates, & then serving them with small amounts of the tea they were made from. It’s absolutely divine!