With just a few days left of summer, I decided to look over my summer bucket list and check my progress. I managed to do a lot over the summer, despite being very busy with getting accustomed to American life (or at least, trying my best to!), getting a new job, and working on getting our first house (more on that soon!). Some of the uncompleted items will be moving onto my Fall Bucket List (more soon on that, too!), but there are a few I think I might be able to scratch off before it’s officially fall–one of which is making Banana Splits!

I decided to make a mini version of the treat as a full-blown one just seems like too much. It got me to wondering if the name “banana split” came from the need to split the dish, but it seems it’s only from splitting the banana in two. I learned after reading an article on banana splits that cutting the banana in half crosswise rather than lengthwise actually changes the name from a Banana Split to a Banana Royale.

To make my “Banana Royale,” I used a little less than half of a banana, a scoop of Eddy’s No-Sugar Added Vanilla Ice Cream, some whipped cream, a little chocolate syrup, and a cherry on top. I ate it outside in the sunshine, and felt like a little kid again. I didn’t have Banana Splits all that often growing up, but something about the combination of flavors just transported me back to being a little girl, kicking my feet back and forth in the sunshine without a care in the world.

What are your favorite Banana Split concoctions?