Banana-Split Donut Bites Are Better Than Ice Cream

Banana Split Donut bites
Cole Saladino/Thrillist
Cole Saladino/Thrillist

Banana splits are the quintessential American treat -- that messy boat of ice cream, bananas, chocolate, sprinkles, and whipped cream with the cherry on top just screams glorious, glorious self-indulgence. But who has the time/stamina/lack of self-respect to tackle one of those cartoonishly large desserts anymore? Enter banana-split donut bites -- they're everything you want without the excess. 

Banana Split Bombs -- Thrillist Recipes
Cole Saladino/Thrillist

Banana-Split Bombs Recipe

Total Time: 45 minutes
Yield: 24

INGREDIENTS:
For the glaze:
  • 2 ½ cups powdered sugar
  • ½ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
  • ½ cup whole milk
  • 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
  • Rainbow sprinkles

For the filling:
  • ¼ cup strawberry jelly
  • ¼ cup pineapple jelly
  • ¼ cup banana cream pudding
 
For the donuts:
  • 1 quart vegetable oil, for frying
  • 1 cup milk
  • 1 large egg
  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 2 tablespoons sugar
  • 4 ½ teaspoons baking powder
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • ½ stick unsalted butter, melted
 
For topping:
  • Whipped cream
  • Maraschino cherries
  • Chopped nuts
 
Special equipment:
  • Small round pastry-piping tip
DIRECTIONS:
  • In a medium bowl, whisk together powdered sugar and cocoa powder. Slowly stir in milk and vanilla until the mixture is smooth. Cover the glaze with plastic wrap; set aside.
  • Put strawberry jelly in one Ziploc bag, pineapple jelly in another, and banana cream in another; set aside.
    Heat oil to 350ºF in a deep fryer or heavy-bottomed pot attached with an oil thermometer.
  • In a small bowl, whisk together the milk and the egg. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Stir the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients, then stir in the melted butter, mixing until combined.
  • Drop 1-tablespoon scoops of dough into the hot oil, without overcrowding. Fry, flipping occasionally, until golden brown, about 2 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer dough to a wire rack on a baking sheet to drain and cool. Tip: dunk the tablespoon quickly in the hot oil before scooping the dough and it’ll slide right out.
  • Snip a tiny corner off the strawberry jelly bag and fit it with a small round pastry tip. Pipe jelly into 8 dough balls. Remove tip, rinse it off, and do the same with the pineapple jelly. Repeat with the banana cream.
  • Dip the dough balls, one at a time, into the chocolate glaze and put back on the wire rack. Top with rainbow sprinkles.
    Serve immediately, topped with whipped cream, nuts, and cherries.
Banana Split Bombs -- Thrillist Recipes
Cole Saladino/Thrillist

Sign up here for our daily Thrillist email, and get your fix of the best in food/drink/fun.

Perry Santanachote is Thrillist's former Recipes editor. Follow her @perrysant.