Banana Split Cookies and Everything You Need to Know About Freeze Dried and Dehydrated Bananas

There are two types of bananas that you might store in your food storage.  Dehydrated bananas often called Banana Chips and Freeze Dried Bananas. 

Banana Chips --  are  dehydrated  and  fried  in  coconut  oil.  If you have eaten trail mix you have probably had these. I personally don’t like them, but lots of people do.  

How to use with Dehydrated Banana Chips

Add them to yogurt parfaits

Sandwich a little peanut butter between two banana chips to create tiny banana sliders.

Banana Chip Costs 
based on the Fall 2011 Shelf Reliance Price list
Banana Chips Cost per cup:  $0.82

Banana Chip Cost per serving $0.20

Banana Chip Recipes You Might Enjoy

Peanut Butter and Banana Drops from BHG.com

Freeze Dried Banana  Slices  are  light,  airy, with a clean banana taste.  I always think that bananas have a weird aftertaste these banana slices do not.  There is nothing  added,  no  sugar, no preservatives.  They are great in smoothies, perfect for babies and  baby  food.

	Makes	Amount	Water	Instructions
Freeze Dried Bananas	1 c.	1 c.	1 c.	Add FD bananas to cool water and allow to sit 7-10 minutes until soft.  Drain.

Cost based on the Fall 2011 Shelf Reliance Price list

Freeze Dried Banana Slices cost per cup $2.12

Freeze Dried Banana Slices cost per serving $0.53

My Favorite Freeze Dried Banana Recipe:

Banana Split Cookies

-These cookies are chewy and fruity.

Do NOT over bake!!

 

3 ½ cup THRIVE fudge brownie mix (or 1 boxed complete brownie mix)

1/3 cup vegetable oil

1 tablespoon powdered eggs plus 2 tablespoons water (or 1 egg)

1 tablespoon water

1 cup freeze dried banana slices broken into smaller pieces

½ cup freeze dried strawberries

½ cup freeze dried pineapple broken into small pieces

½ cup chopped maraschino cherries, or dry cherries (optional, but delicious)

1. Preheat oven to 350.  Prepare cookie sheet by lining with parchment paper or spraying with nonstick cooking spray.
2. Combine brownie mix, oil, eggs and water.  Stir to combine.  The dough will be stiff.  Stir in bananas, strawberries, pineapple and cherries.
3.   Drop a heaping tablespoon of dough onto the prepared cookie sheet.  Flatten slightly with your hand. 
4. Bake 12 minutes until just set.  Do not over bake.  Cool slightly on pan and the transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. 

Other Freeze Dried Banana Recipes you might like: 

Most and Chewy Banana Bread from Your Own Home Store

Banana Almond Butterscotch Cookies from Pham Fatale

Freeze Dried vs Dehydrated Bananas

There are several products that Shelf Reliance sells more then one option. I often get questions about how they are different.  One of the things I get asked a lot is bananas. SR sells banana chips (which are dehydrated) and freeze dried sliced bananas.  Here is how they match up. Interested in ordering some? Send me an e-mail at heather@teamshelfreliance.com

Freeze Dried vs. Dehydrated Bananas

	Dehydrated Banana Chips	Freeze Dried Sliced Banana
Ingredients	Bananas, coconut oil, sugar, banana flavoring. *Shelf Reliance Banana chips are fried (as are most all other banana chips) in coconut oil and then dehydrated.	Bananas
Shelf  Life	Sealed Shelf Life 7 years* Opened Shelf Life 1 year* *Shelf life based on optimal storage conditions.	Sealed Shelf Life    25 years* Opened Shelf Life 2 year* *Shelf life based on optimal storage conditions.
Texture	Crunchy, hard	Crunches when you bite it but not hard, dissolves a little as you eat it.
Size	1/8 inch thick	1/4 inch thick
Taste	faintly banana	Sweet banana
Re-hydration	Does not rehydrate	soften in hot water for 1 minuet drain and use as fresh
Use	Trail Mix, Snack, in baking to boast banana flavor,	Muffins, oatmeal, smoothies
My Family's Vote	okay for snacking 2 stars our of 5	“when the world ends I want to be eating this”  "like a banana explosion in my mouth" 5 stars out of 5