Banana Date Ice Cream Bites:
This banana date ice cream bites recipe is from my friend Megan Kelly. She has an incredible site Renewing All Things – Biblically Based Health, Nutrition and Lifestyle specializing in neurobiology, healing, and mental health.
If you enjoy recipes like this, you may be interested in my advanced nutrition and recipe book the Keto Metabolic Breakthrough.
Banana Date Ice Cream Bites
Prep
Inactive
Total
Yield 12 Ice Cream Bites
Ingredients:
Crust:
- ¾ cups of walnuts or cashews
- ¾ cups of shredded coconut
- 7 soft dates soaked in water for 10 mins
- 1 tsp of vanilla extract
Ice Cream:
- 2 frozen bananas
- 1 tsp of vanilla extract
- 1 tbsp. of raw cacao powder
Optional Ingredients:
Instructions:
Step #1: Combine the walnuts, salt, dates, coconut, and vanilla extract, and process again until a uniform, sticky dough is formed. You may need to stop and scrape down the sides to help with even processing.
Step #2: Transfer the cookie dough to a pan lined with parchment paper, and use your hands to shape the dough into a rectangle shape, about ¼-inch thick. You can wet your hands to spread more easily.
Step #3: Place the dough in the freezer to set for 15-20 minutes
Step #4: To make the ice cream, blend the frozen bananas and combine them with the vanilla extract. Blend until completely smooth and creamy, like ice cream. Optional, add 1 tablespoon cacao powder for chocolate ice cream!
Step #5: Take out dough and use a knife to cut the dough into rectangular shapes.
Step #6: Place a large spoonful of ice cream on half of the sandwich sides and press the cookies together to create an ice cream sandwich!
Step #7: Place in the freezer for about 20-30 minutes, then enjoy! Store the sandwiches in a sealed container in the freezer.
Notes
***The nutrition info for this recipe is based on the linked ingredients above**
Courses Dessert or Snack
Nutrition Facts
Serving Size 1 ice cream bite
Amount Per Serving | ||
|---|---|---|
Calories 130 | ||
% Daily Value | ||
Total Fat 9 g | 14% | |
Total Carbohydrates 12 g | 4% | |
Dietary Fiber 4 g | 16% | |
Sugars 2 g | ||
Protein 2 g | 4% | |
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.
Megan’s Comments:
Ice cream sandwiches! Enough said. Except, a healthy version to fuel your beautiful body! These babies are raw, gluten free, dairy free, and only sweetened by fruit. They are full of protein, healthy fat, and antioxidant rich fruit to completely satisfy!
Notes:
- The crust for these can be used for tons of other recipes! The crust alone can also be made into granola bars or balls, or even raw brownies if you add a little cacao powder. Use whatever nuts you have on hand!
- I added cacao to the banana ice cream, but you can just add vanilla to change the flavor up.
- Peel bananas and chop into pieces, freeze overnight, and blend to make the best consistency ice cream!
Dr Jockers Comments:
I grew up eating ice cream sandwiches whenever possible. My mother would never allow them in our house but if I was ever offered a dessert choice at a friend’s house or if I had a few dollars and I was at a grocery store, I would get a box. This recipe allows me to enjoy this treat in a healthier manner!
This recipe is certainly much higher in fructose than I typically recommend. Be sure to do some air squats or burst training before consuming these to reduce the inflammatory load this will place on your body. You can also drink some lemon water before consuming these and that will reduce the blood sugar response. Finally, put some cinnamon on this and that will improve blood sugar and insulin sensitivity.
Bananas are definitely an inferior fruit and although many claim they are a great source of potassium they really aren’t. The best benefit of bananas happens to be the prebiotic fibers that help to feed the microflora and improve stool frequency and composition.
This recipe does have a lot of good fats with the shredded coconut, you could also add in more coconut oil for a thicker crust. Raw cacao is loaded with flavonoid polyphenols such as epicatechin which have powerful antioxidant effects. The less processed the cacao is the more bioavailable the flavonoids are. Cooking and processing destroy the valuable antioxidants in the chocolate. That is another reason to LOVE this raw recipe! Enjoy!
