Recipe – Frozen Banana Dessert - from – SCRAPLYN
This idea has been floating around the internet for some time in various forms. It’s been labeled as “banana ice cream” but that gets it off to a bad start because it’s not ice cream. It’s just a creamy frozen dessert that you can make at home and know exactly what’s in it and how much. You can prepare it with any flavorings you like, and it’s a great way to use up bananas you have that might be getting a bit too ripe to eat on their own. All you really need is a blender and some bananas to whip up a fun dessert that won’t fail and is much better for you than raiding that carton of Rocky Road ice cream in the middle of the night.
What you need:
4 bananas FROZEN
1 cup plain greek yogurt
1 tablespoon chunky peanut butter
1.5 tablespoons cocoa powder
Blender
The thing that makes this work is the bananas must be FROZEN. So to prepare to make this, peel and slice your bananas then place them in the freezer until they are firm.
Once you have frozen bananas, put them in your blender along with the other ingredients. Blend until all the items are incorporated and the bananas are pureed.
You may have to stop the blender and stir the contents a few times.
The dessert will be the consistency of soft serve right out of the blender (see the photo in the “Get Started” tab) and will melt quickly. For later use, divide among 2-4 individual serving dishes and freeze.
Makes about 2 cups
Variations:
This can be made with nothing but bananas for a creamy banana treat.
Substitute the plain greek yogurt with a flavored greek yogurt like strawberry. You could also use regular yogurt but it will be sweeter.
Add some other frozen fruit in the mix to add to the flavor. The bananas are what makes it “creamy” though, so don’t overpower them with too many extras.
For a decadent treat add in crushed cookies or candies while blending.
Add some milk and make it a milkshake or a smoothie.
NThe bananas MUST be frozen for this to work out. Make sure you peel and slice your bananas before freezing–it’s nearly impossible to get the peel off if you freeze them whole.
I used chunky peanut butter and the peanuts didn’t get chopped up. So if you’re serving to guests it might be good to mention they might run into peanut chunks!
This takes a little effort to blend up. My blender is an old Krups model and I found using the ice crusher speed worked best. Stop the blender often and push the bananas down. It may seem at first like it’s never going to work but it will eventually come together. Adding a couple tablespoons of cold water will also help loosen it if it’s being stubborn.
Anytime you have bananas that are too ripe for eating out of hand, peel and chop them and toss them in the freezer in a freezer bag or container. You can use frozen bananas in a variety of ways, from tossing them into your hot oatmeal to blending them up for desserts and drinks. Mash ripe bananas and freeze them in half cup servings to use to make banana bread or in cookies.
Greek yogurt is a bit more tangy and firm than “regular” yogurt. Adding the yogurt makes the treat more filling and a smaller serving more satisfying.
If you don’t have a dishwasher safe blender, an easy way to clean it is to fill it about 1/4 full with water, add some soap and then blend it! Rinse and blend again. Easy.
Nutrition Figures PER CUP for the recipe as presented (without alterations): 334 calories, 4g fat, 77mg sodium, 67g carbs, 12g protein, 5mg cholesterol. 11%fat, 80% carbs, 14% protein.