Banana + PeanutButter + Chocolate “Ice Cream”

**First, I will preface this post by saying I can’t believe no one told me about this stuff sooner. Where has it been all my life!? This is a major post, and I urge you to MAKE THIS. Make it make it make it. Okay, on to my normal ramblings…**

WORLD! I am back! Apologies for my prolonged absence. I wish I had an original excuse as to why I’ve been MIA for the past week (sailing, bungee jumping, on a safari), but the truth is I haven’t gone to the grocery store in over two weeks and I have NOTHING, I repeat NOTHING, edible in my fridge. This, of course, has meant a lot of eating out, no cooking, and therefore no blogging. BOO!

BUT, I’ll be soon forgiven because I am about to change your lives with this post. Meh, okay, that may have been a sliiight exaggeration — this might not change your lives, exactly, but dessert will be forever changed.

Blame it on the past few really, really hot weeks we’ve been having in NYC, but banana ice cream/soft serve has been popping up all over the blogosphere! Everywhere I look, someone else is blogging about their adventures with frozen bananas and the delicious concoctions they come up with. WELL. Not being one to miss out on the party (especially when this party involves DESSERT), I finally gave this a shot a few nights ago and OH MAH GAWD, guys. This stuff is CRAZY GOOD. It’s SO easy to make, and it’s one of those things that when you make, you will be literally blown away at the flavor AND the texture. This is as close to ice cream as you can possibly get.

I’ve already made a few iterations of this, but here is my absolute favorite version so far. Three simple ingredients: frozen bananas, peanut butter, chocolate chips. Whip it together, and what have you got it? (Bippidy, boppidy boo?) Nope – banana ice cream.

What You Need (2 servings)

2 frozen, over ripe bananas, sliced

2 tbsps unsalted, all natural, peanut butter

handful of vegan chocolate chips

food processor

What You Do:

First, I peel the un frozen bananas and slice them up into chunks (probably 6 per banana), then place them in a zip lock bag and freeze them overnight.

There! You’ve successfully completed the hardest part of this recipe. The rest is easy. Place the frozen bananas into the food processor and process away until you have a crumbly consistency. Next, add in the PB and Chocolate Chips and continue to process — you’ll see everything coming together like magic. You’ll know its done when it looks like the picture below.

If you’re in the mood for something more classic, just use bananas. I promise you will be amazed that this stuff ACTUALLY is like ice cream. This is no lie! You can also get creative and add any of the following:

• Oreos
• Graham Crackers
• Nuts: macadamia, almonds, peanuts, hazelnuts
• Strawberries
• Cocoa Powder

The options are limitless. I’ve been making this every other night for the past week…it’s perfect after dinner, especially in my hot, sticky apartment. If I have some leftover (and rarely I do) I put it in tupperware, throw it in the freezer, and eat it the next night.

If you make ONE thing I blog about, please…MAKE IT THIS! Let me know what you think!

Enjoy!

Note: Sometimes, when I make this on a really hot night and my kitchen is exceptionally sweltering (see: most nights), the ice cream is a little too melty post processing — almost frozen yogurt like. If you’re a fan of more “ice cream” like consistency, put it in tupperware, and let it sit in the freezer for an hour to harden up. If you’re okay with it being softer, dig in!