When I was a little girl, my grandparents had a peach tree in their yard. Every summer we all awaited the arrival of homemade peach ice cream. Peaches would be skinned and sliced. Ice and rock salt would be gathered and everyone, manwomanandchild, would get their arms ready to turn the crank as long as they could on the old fashioned ice cream machine.
Some things are just better when they are homemade. In fact, I’m not sure what is better when store bought or eaten at a restaurant. Between the higher quality of homemade ice cream and my nostalgia over the summers of my youth, I had to put “Make homemade ice cream” on my Summer Fun List.
What I didn’t account for in the excitement of making my list was that I didn’t own or have access to an ice cream machine. I suppose I could have bought one. If I did, it probably would have been this one by Cuisinart.
Unfortunately, I do not have the room in my kitchen for one more small appliance.
Imagine my excitement, when a recipe from Two Peas and Their Pod popped up in my Google reader. Two Ingredient Banana and Peanut Butter Ice Cream. Two ingredients. Two things that we have in our house nearly all the time. Two flavors that pair well. And NO ice cream machine.
Although I was super excited about making ice cream from this recipe, I was a bit skeptical. The recipe doesn’t call for things typically found in ice cream. No cream, milk, or dairy of any kind. No vanilla. No sugar. Just peanut butter and bananas. Could that combination really taste like ice cream? I pondered that question from the perspective of sweetness and texture. How could it possibly be creamy enough?
In spite of my reservations, when I found myself with a few spotted bananas on my shelf, I decided to give it a whirl. Aside from peanut butter and bananas, you will need some method of pureeing the bananas. Either a powerful blender or food processor will work. The Two Peas crew used a Blendtec blender. I used my Cuisinart food processor.
First, peel and slice your bananas.
Next, place them on a baking sheet in one layer. I used a Silpat to line the sheet because I wasn’t sure if they would stick. I’m not sure how necessary that is, but I hate trying to pry food from a baking sheet. It’s just annoying. Place the sheet in the freezer for a couple hours.
Then, process the bananas in the kitchen appliance of your choosing until they reach a smooth creamy consistency. This will take a bit of time. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as necessary.
After the first scrape, my nanas resembled Dippin’ Dots ice cream. That’s not my favorite, so I wasn’t excited.
As I continued to puree the bananas they started to come together and the blade spun freely under the fruit and wouldn’t really continue to blend them. At this point the bananas were getting a bit creamier, but still weren’t the consistency of ice cream. So I did something that has saved my butt in the kitchen more times than I can count.
I walked away.
Olivia needed my attention for about five minutes and that was just enough time for the fuit to soften up a bit and reach that creamy texture.
It was time to add the peanut butter. I added a couple spoonfuls to 3 bananas. You could add this to taste depending on the level of pb flavor you desire.
When I took off the lid to scrape down the bowl one last time, it looked like this.
Wheeeeeeee! Ice cream!
I transferred it into a bowl and put it in the freezer to harden for dessert.
Here’s the awesome thing about this: it is sugar free, dairy free, and vegan. And, I promise you, it totally, totally, tastes like ice cream. I can’t wait to make this for my mama, who is lactose intolerant and misses ice cream like nothing else.
Thanks, Maria and Josh, for helping me cross one more thing off of my Summer Fun List!
Two Ingredient Banana and Peanut Butter Ice Cream.
3 ripe bananas
2-3 spoonfuls of creamy peanut butter
1-2 tablespoons of milk (if necessary, to help your bananas get creamy)
Peel and slice your bananas. Lay them on a baking sheet and place in the freezer for two hours.
After they have chilled, place the bananas in your blender or food processor and process until creamy and smooth. Scrape the sides of the bowl as necessary. Add the peanut butter and blend until combined. Serve immediately for soft ice cream or freeze for a few hours for a firmer consistency.
Now, what am I going to top my ice cream with?? Nutella? Honey? Graham cracker crumbs?
