One Ingredient Ice Cream

Is it just me or are frozen yogurt shops popping up faster than CSI spinoffs? I'm not complaining. For me, frozen yogurt is the ultimate sweet treat, not to mention, a healthy alternative to ice cream. Each of them have so many flavors from classic vanilla to bubble gum with toppings from sprinkles, berries, and candy bar bits to mochi and fruity pebbles. When I'm feeling frozen yogurt, I am that person who has to sample EVERY flavor in the shop before I decide on the one. Then, I lose all self control at the topping bar, where I pile white chocolate chips, semi-sweet chocolate chips, Reese's peanut butter cups, Butterfinger, cheesecake bits, brownie bits, and whatever else catches my eye atop my soft serve swirl. By the time I get to the cash register and the yogurt scale, the toppings outweigh the fro-yo. I have then officially cancelled out any health benefits frozen yogurt offers over ice cream. But do I lament this fact? Never! I enjoy every spoonful.

While the self-serve-charge-by-weight franchises offer frozen yogurt for just cents per ounce, frequenting these shops adds up. Even still, budget and calorie wise, frozen yogurt comes out ahead of ice cream. But what if I told you I know of a cool, sweet treat that is cheaper and healthier than frozen yogurt? What if I told you it's made from one ingredient? Well, I'm telling you. It's BANANAS!

Frozen, overripe bananas take on an ice cream-like consistency when blended in a food processor or blender. Fresh bananas become bitter when frozen, so wait until your fruit is speckled brown for firmer, scooped ice cream consistency, or until they have large brown spots for a more soft-serve texture. Whatever your preference, this treat is inexpensive, quick, healthy, and delicious!

For a large scoop size portion, you need 2 overripe bananas. (I like soft-serve consistency, so I chose super ripe bananas.) Peel them, cut in half, then slice each half into 1 inch pieces. Place those pieces in the freezer until they're, well, frozen:)

After an hour or two, the pieces should be firm, but not rock hard like ice. Little crystals may be present on the flesh of the fruit.
 

Dump the pieces into your blender or food processor and blend until smooth. Scrape down the sides of the bowl, then blend for a few seconds more.

Now from here you can either eat the banana ice cream as is or you can add a tablespoon of nutella or peanut butter, a drizzle of caramel sauce, or a sprinkle of cinnamon sugar. Experiment with your favorite flavors!

  

Unlike my frozen yogurt extravaganzas, I like this treat simple. I top my banana ice cream with whipped cream, caramel sauce, and walnuts. That's how I do a healthy ice cream sundae!

 

One Ingredient Ice Cream

recipe by Sweet & Savory

Ingredients:

2 overripe bananas, frozen and cut into pieces

desired ice cream toppings (nuts, caramel sauce, chocolate sauce, sprinkles, etc.)

Directions:

In a food processor, pulse frozen banana pieces until smooth. Scrape the sides of the food processor and pulse 2-3 times more. 

Scoop into an ice cream bowl and create your ice cream sundae. 

Blueberry Cheesecake Ice Cream

Reflect back to when you were young and got a new toy. Remember the feeling? Well, I have recently relived that childhood phenomena of single-minded obsession with a shiny new toy. Would you like to know the new object of my affection? It's an ice cream maker attachment for my Kitchen Aid mixer! And I'm smitten. It is the Buzz Lightyear of my kitchen, leaving my old Woody the cowboy of an ice cream maker in the dust. So, to break in my new ice cream maker, I combed the internet for a fabulous ice cream recipe and found this one. Cheesecake ice cream with blueberry syrup and graham cracker crust swirls. It sounds complicated, but the steps are simple and the result is sublime. This is honestly the best ice cream I have ever tasted. It is worth the effort! 

When making any kind of ice cream, it's best to make the base the night before you process it as it gives the flavors a chance blend and become stronger. For this recipe, go ahead and make the blueberry and graham cracker swirls the night before as well and chill all three recipe components overnight in the refrigerator. This way, the blueberry and graham swirls will be cold, preventing the cheesecake ice cream from melting during the final swirling process.

 

Start with the graham cracker crust. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. 

In a food processor, process graham cracker crumbs, sugar, and cinnamon until fine crumbs.

With the processor running, pour in the melted butter. The mixture should resemble wet sand.

Spread the graham cracker mixture in an even layer on a Silpat lined baking sheet. Bake for 10-15 minutes until golden brown.

At this point, your house will smell amazing! Allow to cool completely. Crumble into a small bowl and chill overnight.

In a medium mixing bowl, combine all the ingredients for the ice cream base. 

Whisk until smooth, cover, and chill overnight.

In a small saucepan, whisk the sugar, cornstarch, and water until smooth.

Add blueberries and lemon juice and bring to a boil.

Reduce heat and simmer for 30 minutes until reduced. The mixture should be thick and syrupy. Allow to cool, transfer to a small bowl, cover, and chill overnight.

There it is! My new toy:) The next day, process your ice cream base according to the manufacture's directions. 

Now for the fun part. In a bowl, layer 1/4 of the graham cracker crumbs, 1/4 of the cheesecake ice cream, and 1/4 of the blueberry syrup. Swirl. 

Repeat the layering and swirling process three more times. Make sure to work quickly as the ice cream will soften the longer it's at room temperature. As you can see I did not work quickly enough! 

Separate into freezer-safe containers and freeze completely.

Now, scoop up some cold, creamy heaven!

Blueberry Cheesecake Ice Cream

recipe from Allrecipes.com

Ingredients:

Graham Cracker Crust Swirl:

2 1/4 cups graham cracker crumbs

2 Tbsp sugar

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/2 cup salted butter, melted

Cheesecake Ice Cream:

1 1/2 cups sugar

1 package instant cheesecake pudding mix

1 quart heavy cream

2 cups milk

2 tsp vanilla extract 

Blueberry Syrup Swirl:

1/2 cup sugar

1 Tbsp cornstarch

1/2 cup water

1 1/4 frozen blueberries

1 Tbsp lemon juice

   

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. In a food processor, process graham cracker crumbs, sugar, and cinnamon until fine crumbs. With the processor running, pour in the melted butter until the mixture resembles wet sand. Spread in an even layer on a Silpat lined baking sheet and bake for 10-15 minutes until golden brown. Cool completely, crumble, cover, and refrigerate overnight.    

In a medium mixing bowl, whisk the ingredients for the cheesecake ice cream until smooth. Cover and refrigerate overnight.  

In a small saucepan, whisk sugar, cornstarch, and water until smooth. Add blueberries and lemon juice and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 30 minutes until the mixture is thick and syrupy. Allow to cool completely, cover, and refrigerate overnight.  

The next day, process the cheesecake ice cream in your ice cream maker. Working quickly, layer 1/4 of the graham cracker crumbs, 1/4 of the ice cream, and 1/4 of the blueberry syrup in a large bowl. Swirl. Repeat layering and swirling process 3 more times. Transfer the blueberry cheesecake ice cream into freezer-safe containers and freeze completely.