Okay, so I was really craving something sweet the other day, but also trying to be a bit good, you know? Vegan, not too much fuss. And then I remembered: chocolate banana ice cream. With peanut butter, because why not? It’s a classic combo in my book.
My Go-To Method
First things first, I always try to have some bananas in the freezer. I just peel ’em, break ’em into chunks, and throw ’em in a bag. If you don’t do this ahead of time, well, you’re gonna have to wait, and that’s no fun when the craving hits. So, I grabbed about two, maybe three, of those frozen banana chunks. They were solid as rocks, which is exactly what you want.
Then, I hauled out my trusty old food processor. A blender works too, probably, but mine’s a bit ancient for super thick stuff. I dumped the frozen banana pieces straight in. No mercy.
Next up, the chocolate part. I just grabbed my cocoa powder. Unsweetened, always. I don’t really measure, to be honest. I just spooned in what looked like a couple of good tablespoons. Maybe a bit more. You can always add more, can’t take it out, right?
And then, the star for me: peanut butter. I went for a big dollop. Probably two hefty tablespoons. Creamy kind. I find it blends in better for this sort of thing. You could use crunchy, I guess, if you like bits in your ice cream. Not my thing for this recipe though.
Sometimes, if the bananas are super frozen, it struggles a bit. So I usually have a tiny bit of plant milk on standby – almond, soy, whatever I’ve got. Just a splash, like maybe a tablespoon or two, to help it all get moving. Didn’t need too much this time, thankfully.
The Blending Saga
Then I slapped the lid on and let it rip. It makes a racket, that food processor. First, it’s all chunky and looks like it’s never going to work. You gotta stop it, scrape down the sides with a spatula, then go again. I probably did that two or three times. Patience, that’s the key. Don’t just walk away or you’ll burn out your motor, or just get banana crumbs.
You watch it, and slowly, it starts to change. From chunky bits, it goes to a sort of lumpy paste, and then, like magic, it just turns into this smooth, creamy, soft-serve consistency. That’s when you know you’re there. It should look like real soft-serve ice cream.
The Glorious Result
Once it was all smooth and whippy, I switched it off. Scooped it out straight into a bowl. No waiting around for it to freeze harder, though you totally could if you wanted a firmer scoop. I like it soft.
And there it was. Vegan chocolate banana peanut butter ice cream. Tasted amazing. Rich from the cocoa, sweet from the banana, and that lovely nutty, salty kick from the peanut butter. Seriously, it hits the spot every single time. And it felt kinda healthy-ish, which is always a bonus. Didn’t last long, as you can imagine.
So yeah, that’s how I do it. No real fancy tricks, just good old frozen bananas and a bit of patience with the food processor. Worth it every time.
