greetings! i’m on an ice cream kick over here! seriously though, i have 2 flavors in the freezer, and one in the ice cream machine as we speak. i have some tweaking to do on one of them before i share it, but last nights was pure gold. if you’re feeling sassy, you could easily top each bowl with pieces of faux bacon, but that kind of weirds me out. this recipe is comprised of a few small, simple steps that really come together to create a big flavor. smooth, banana ice cream gets studded with semi-sweet chocolate chips and generous swirls of crunchy, salted peanut butter ‘caramel’. we ate our little reserve so fast last night that i forgot to take a picture!
Fat Elvis Ice Cream
aka ‘banana chocolate chip with salted peanut butter caramel swirls’
4 small green-ripe bananas- they should be ‘just ripe’ with no brown flecks
2 15 oz cans regular coconut milk, chilled
1 tsp vanilla extract- you could do 1/2 banana 1/2 vanilla for more of a pronounced banana flavor
1/2 tsp xanthan gum
1/2 c + 1/4c agave, divided
3/4 c chocolate chips
1/4c natural peanut butter- chunky preferred
coarse sea salt
fine sea salt
first, we’ll prep and chill all of the ice cream components.
start by slicing the bananas into coins and arranging them in a single layer on a baking tray and pop them into the freezer. next, melt the chocolate chips in a double boiler on the stove top, or in the microwave at 30 second intervals until completely smooth. place a large piece of parchment paper onto another baking sheet. once smooth, pour the chocolate out onto the parchment paper and spread into a thin layer. place the chocolate into the freezer to firm up. finally, mix together 1/4 c each of peanut butter and agave until nice and smooth, and add coarse sea salt to taste. pour the ‘caramel’ into a plastic baggy, and push into one corner.
to assemble. combine the frozen bananas, vanilla, remaining agave, xanthan gum, a pinch of salt, and the coconut milk in a blender and process until smooth. process this mixture in an ice cream maker according to the manufacturer’s instructions. while it’s freezing, remove the chocolate from the freezer, and roll up the parchment to shatter the chocolate inside. you may need to use a dough scraper or metal spatula to break up any large pieces. when the ice cream is about to be finished, add in 1/2 – 3/4 C of the chocolate pieces, depending on your preference.
once everything is combined and the consistency of soft-serve, you are ready to add the peanut butter caramel! i found that the best method was to pipe swirls of peanut butter in between layers of ice cream, rather than adding it into the ice cream machine while running; grab whatever container you plan on freezing your ice cream in and fill it 1/3 of the way with your banana-chip ice cream. now, grab your makeshift pastry bag that you made before and snip off the corner. pipe one big swirl from the center of the ice cream out to the edge and cover with another layer of ice cream. repeat until you’ve filled the container to within an inch of the lid. now, grab a chopstick and drive it through the center of your ice cream, and make a zig-zag motion through to break up large deposits of peanut butter. tap the container on a counter to release any air bubbles, cover, and freeze for 4-6 hours before eating!
Fat Elvis Ice Cream
