Very healthy plant-based no churn chocolate ice cream made with bananas. It can be served as a pudding or scooped into cones. Can't eat bananas? I have alternatives in the recipe! This recipe fills an 8-inch by 4-inch loaf pan
4tablespoonalmond butter(I use WholeFoods 356 brand, or use another nut butter)
1cupmilk(use almond or hemp or coconut (canned,full fat) for super creamy texture)
Optional Banana-replacement
3cupscoconut cream (solid portion from chilled cans of coconut milk)(Leave OFF the banana and also add TWO more dates)
Fudge Sauce for Ripple
cupChocolate chips, melted
Instructions
Prep
Cut 6 (6-inch) small bananas or 4 (9-inch) large bananas into 36 (2-inch banana chunks). Freeze not touching in the freezer until solid - preferably overnight.Submerge dates in clean water; refrigerate overnight. The next day, rinse and pit them.
Line an 8-inch by 4-inch loaf pan with parchment paper.
Make Ice Cream
Remove the 36 (2-inch) banana chunks from the freezer, spread out on a cookie sheet or parchment and allow them to thaw for 20 minutes so as to not break your blender. I would also use a high-speed blender only such as Blendtec or Vitamix.
Blend up thawed bananas, dates, cacao powder, milk, and almond butter until creamy. The texture will be that of pourable cake batter.
Taste test and add a touch of maple syrup if you think it needs more sweetness - the sweetness will depend on how ripe/sweet your bananas were.
Pour into the 8-inch by 4-inch loaf pan and freeze for at least 2 hours before scooping into bowls. Freeze longer to make is solid enough for ice cream cones.
Add Fudge Ripple
Melt the chips in a Pyrex glass measuring cup in the microwave for 1 minute. Stir until all chips are melted.
Drizzle the chocolate sauce on top of the semi-frozen ice cream in swirls and with a small spatula cut it into the ice cream, pushing deep and into swirls without actually mixing it in.
Then return loaf pan to the freezer for another 2 hours
Variations & Banana-Replacement
Add add-ins such as chocolate chips, nuts after about 30-min to 1 hour freezing time. Fold in with a spatula, or sprinkle on top.
Replace bananas with full fat coconut milk, however you might find a bit of a coconut flavor is added. Also you may have to "no-churn" by freezing the ice cream for one hour, chopping, blending, and refreezing to achieve a creamy texture.