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Ghost Mandarin Orange Recipe
Ash Tyrrell

Ghost Mandarin Orange Recipe

I started making these banana ghosts and mandarin orange pumpkins the year I got tired of handing my kids nothing but sugar on Halloween. Once I saw how excited they got over fruit shaped like tiny ghosts and pumpkins, I never went back to boring snack trays
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Total Time 10 minutes
Servings: 8
Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients
  

  • 4 ripe bananas — pick ones that are firm but not too green they hold their shape best when cut
  • ½ cup mini chocolate chips — small chips work far better than regular ones for making tiny ghost faces
  • 8 mandarin oranges — go for seedless ones so they're easy for little hands to peel and eat
  • 1 stalk celery — gives the pumpkins their little green stem cucumber works too if you're out of celery
  • ¼ cup plain or vanilla yogurt optional — a small side of banana ghosts yogurt dip adds a creamy contrast for dipping

Method
 

  1. Peel each banana and slice it in half crosswise, so you end up with two shorter pieces that stand upright on their own. Stand each half up on your cutting board with the rounded top facing up, since that rounded end becomes the ghost's head.
  2. Take your mini chocolate chips and gently press two of them into the top of each banana half to form eyes, with the pointed tip facing outward. Add one more chip below the eyes, pointed side pressed in, so the flat side faces out to look like an open mouth.
  3. Peel each mandarin orange completely, removing as much of the white pith as you comfortably can so the fruit looks clean and bright. Set the peeled oranges aside on your cutting board while you prepare the celery.
  4. Slice your celery stalk into four equal pieces, then cut each of those pieces in half lengthwise so you have eight thin strips total. These thin strips become the little pumpkin stems.
  5. Gently press one celery strip into the top center of each peeled mandarin orange, leaving a bit of it poking out like a real pumpkin stem. Repeat with all eight oranges until every one has its own little stem standing up.
  6. Arrange your banana ghosts and mandarin orange pumpkins together on a serving platter, mixing them so the display looks lively and colorful. Serve immediately, since the bananas start to brown once they're cut and exposed to air.

Notes

    • I always slice my bananas right before serving, since they brown quickly once they're cut open.
    • I keep a small bowl of yogurt on the side for dipping, and it turns this from a snack into more of a mini dessert.
    • I use a toothpick to gently push my chocolate chips into place when the banana feels too soft for my fingers.
    • I double the recipe automatically now, since one batch never seems to be enough at a party.
    • I set everything out on a big platter instead of individual plates, since it makes cleanup so much easier.