Toffee bananas are basically banana fritters coated in a layer of caramelized sugar. My Mom ate these when she was a kid and taught me how to make them. The textures are out of this world, from the crispy layer of sugar to the soft bananas. Eating this with vanilla ice cream takes it to the next level.
Key steps and ingredients for toffee bananas
Recommended method of melting the sugar
There are two ways to do this. The first is just by melting sugar in a pan over low – medium heat until all the sugar has dissolved. The second method is to add water to the pan which will help speed up the process of melting the sugar. In my video, I melted sugar without water and it took about 20 minutes total. However, I have tried this using the water method and it was much faster and even gave a more light outer coating of sugar.
So for this method, you want to add 1/2 cup of sugar with 1/4 cup of water in a pan over low-medium heat. You don’t want to mix it with a spoon otherwise the sugar may crystalize. You should swirl the pan, in a circular motion to mix instead. The mixture will start to bubble a bit, don’t be alarmed. Once the sugar has reached 300F – 325F then the sugar is ready to be used. If you don’t have a thermometer, you will know once the sugar is a light brown color and bubbling.
Alternative methods to frying
I know a lot of you want healthier recipes which I will get to I promise! If you can find a recipe for air fried or baked banana fritters, that will work perfect as well. The most important part is making sure the bananas are soft inside.
Ice water for toffee bananas
Ice water is a must because this is what allows the sugar to harden. If you have fully coated the bananas properly, the sugar will form a protective layer over it and they won’t get wet.
Toffee Bananas
Ingredients
- 2 large bananas
Batter
- ½ cup AP flour
- ½ tsp baking powder
- 1 tbsp milk
- 1 tsp melted butter
- ½ cup water
Sugar coat
- ½ cup white sugar
- ¼ cup water
Instructions
- Cut your bananas into 2-3 inch pieces or whatever size you desire.
- Begin preheating oil to 350F.
- Mix all batter ingredients together in a bowl.
- Dip bananas into your batter then fry in hot oil until golden brown then set aside (about 5 min).
- Add sugar and water from sugar coating ingredients into a pan over low-medium heat. Make sure not to stir with spoon.
- The mixture will start to bubble and you may swirl your pan to mix if needed. Once the sugar reaches 300F – 320F, drop your bananas into the sugar to coat, then drop directly into ice water. IF you don't have a thermometer, you will know the sugar is ready when it bubbles and turns slightly brown.
- Remove from ice water after 5 seconds and serve with vanilla ice cream!
If you enjoyed this one, check out some more dessert recipes here:
