Source: Courtesy of A. Haas
I originally saw the idea for this healthy dessert on The Today Show. I'll admit, I was skeptical that blended frozen bananas could taste anything like ice cream, but believe it or not - they do! Once blended, they take on the consistency of soft serve ice cream. For a firmer ice cream feel, just pop the blended bananas in the freezer for 15 more minutes.
My favorite way to serve this tasty treat is with a touch of agave nectar (or honey) and peanut butter blended in and with chocolate syrup on top. But the sky's the limit - add in chocolate chips, toasted nuts, butterscotch chips, you name it, and enjoy!
Ingredients
4 ripe bananas
2 tsp agave syrup or honey (optional)
2 tbsp peanut butter (optional)
chocolate syrup or caramel (optional)
Preparation
Cut the ripe bananas into 1-2" pieces and freeze for at least 1 hour.
Place the frozen bananas in the bowl of a food processor, along with any optional ingredients you choose to use (agave nectar/honey, peanut butter, chocolate chips, etc). Pulse until the bananas start to break apart, then switch on and blend for 2-3 minutes, scraping down the bowl, if necessary. The bananas will first break down into a sandy texture, before taking on the consistency of soft serve ice cream.
Top with any desired toppings, such as chocolate syrup or caramel. Enjoy!
Amanda Haas is a cookbook author and founder of the website One Family One Meal, which provides free recipes, menu plans, and shopping lists to parents who want to cook healthy meals their entire family will love. Her recipes and kitchen wisdom are currently also being showcased by Pottery Barn Kids. Cooking in Everyday English, her latest cookbook writing project, will be released in October of 2011 (pre-order at Amazon).
