3 Ingredient Banana Choc Ices
I don’t remember where my family first came across the idea to make banana choc ices. It was probably on an episode of Blue Peter! 3 ingredients and no time at all – sounds like a “here’s one I made earlier” kind of recipe.
It is the simplest “ice cream” to make, takes only 3 ingredients, tastes delicious, and is even better for you than blended banana ice cream as keeping the fruit intact means there is less sugar and more fibre, so it’s win-win! 🙂
I’ve been trying to come up with cold low or no sugar snacks and desserts for the summer that feel like treats in preparation for the holidays, as I know that time off is often when many people struggle without sugar. After many years of associating celebration and relaxation with sugary foods, it’s not too surprising, but I am trying to avoid us giving in too much in these periods by finding alternatives I can whip up quickly and easily (because who wants to put effort into providing snacks and treats when it’s a hundred degrees outside?). Admittedly, we are unlikely to have that problem for long in England!
In my search for these goodies, I was reminded of this pudding my sister and I used to make often on hot days growing up. We rarely ate ice cream (it was usually a treat reserved to a day or two in Italy in the summer), but I have vivid memories of these being our alternative and not feeling like I was missing out at all!
I made these with the kids on a hot day, and my husband and I quickly dug in, too. It felt like a genuine treat, but contains only 1g (1/4 tsp) of free sugars per serving!* Not bad for a summer’s day dessert.
(And of course, the best bit is getting to scrape every last remaining smudge of chocolate off of the plate and into chocolate-stained mouths!)
Little hands can:
- basically do the whole thing!
- chop the bananas in half with a kid knife (with a little help for little ones)
- insert the lolly stick
- roll in the melted chocolate and coconut
- place on a lined tray ready for the freezer
- lick the chocolate plate clean! 😉
*This is if you use 85% dark chocolate, which is what we use almost exclusively.
- 3 ripe bananas (the size of them doesn't really matter here), peeled and chopped in half horizontally
- 1.5 oz (40g) dark chocolate (as dark as you are comfortable with, we always use at least 85%)
- a couple of handfuls of desiccated coconut (you can swap this for finely chopped or ground nuts/seeds or even cocoa powder or coconut flour)
- lolly/popsicle sticks, ideally small ones
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Microwave the chocolate until almost completely melted (or do this over a low heat in a pan), then stir until melted, smooth and shiny. Pour onto a plate or a wide, shallow bowl.
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Pour desiccated coconut onto another plate or wide shallow bowl.
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Place lolly sticks into the cut part of the bananas, then dip in the chocolate and roll in the desiccated coconut, before placing onto a tin-foiled or baking paper lined tray.
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Place tray into the freezer and leave until the chocolate is hardened and the lollies feel cold, ideally at least an hour. Serve straight from the freezer.
Looking for more low sugar snacks? Why not get hold of our FREE guide to making a week’s worth of healthy snacks in 30 mins over here.
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