With summer in full swing, a cool treat is always appreciated. We explored venturing beyond our traditional ice cream recipes, and pulled in a few nutritious ingredients to make this rich, chocolatey cacao, almond milk, and banana ice cream.

Cacao, Raw Almond Milk, and Banana Ice Cream Recipe 

This recipe produces an “ice cream” with an incredibly rich, dark chocolate flavor imparted by the cacao powder, and has a creamy mouthfeel from the homemade almond milk. (You could use store bought almond milk, but the flavor and texture will be a little different.)

Any sweetener of choice can be used in this recipe, but we found that honey and agave nectar both pair well with the rich tasting cacao.

This ice cream was made using a blender and frozen bananas, which is great if you want to get this dessert on the table quickly. If you have an ice cream maker you could first blend all ingredients at room temperature, then  transfer to an ice cream maker to freeze.

Ingredients:

• 2 heaping Tbsp Cacao Powder
• 2 Tbsp Raw Honey or Agave Nectar (or stevia for the sugar sensitive)
• 1/3 cup cold Homemade Almond Milk using raw almonds (see our recipe here)
• 2 large frozen bananas (break in 1-inch pieces before freezing)

Tools:

• Blender
• Measuring spoons
• Big spoon or spatula to pull ice cream from blender (Pictured is HIC’s French Beechwood Spoon)
• Dishes for ice cream (Pictured are Mrs. Anderson’s Baking Silicone Muffin Cups)

Place almond milk, cacao powder, and honey or agave in blender and pulse to start mixing slowly. Turning on high power without slowly mixing the cacao powder into the liquid first can cause it to shoot upwards in a cloud of cocoa dust. After almond milk, cacao powder, and honey are mixed gently, increase speed for a few seconds and mix well. Add frozen banana pieces, and pulse to get them moving. Then blend on high until the banana chunks smooth out and an ice cream consistency results. Serve at once, and sprinkle with additional cacao powder if desired. The deep chocolate taste is downright decadent.

*Hot weather tip: If you’re in an especially warm climate, or warm kitchen, ice cream can start to melt quickly after served. Try pouring into chilled ice cream cups (store them in the freezer) to help keep ice cream from melting quickly.

We appreciate our readers, and are interested in hearing more about your culinary adventures. Drop us a line and share what you’re experiencing! We’d love to hear your thoughts, anytime the mood strikes you. 

Contributed by Nicole Herman, of HIC.