Chocolate Cherry Almond Nice Cream Recipe

1First up peel your very ripe bananas and pop them in the freezer. Freezing the bananas whole prevent them from sticking together. The perfect nice cream banana is past the point where you would want to eat it fresh out of the peel. The skin will be soft and covered all over with dark brown or black spots, indicating that the starches have turned to simple sugars, making them naturally very sweet. Once frozen, cut them into chunks. Bananas that are just slightly thawed blend up creamiest so you can microwave them for 30 seconds, or just let them sit on the counter for a short while. You’ll know they are ready to blend when you can make a slight dent in the banana when pressed.

2A high-powered blender is really helpful when making nice cream as it powers through the frozen fruit creating a super creamy consistancy. I use a Vitamix which has a tamper that enables you to push the food down and around the blade. If you have a blender without a tamper, you will just need to stop periodically to scrape the sides of the container.

3Next add your bananas, almond extract and salt to the container. Don’t worry, you won’t taste the salt but it will help marry the flavors together. Blend until the bananas are creamy, white and look like thick frosting. This takes about a minute. The friction of the blades creates heat which will melt your nice cream, so be carefull not to overblend.

4Now we’re ready to add the cherries and cocoa powder. The frozen cherries will incorporate easier into already blended bananas so make sure you blend the bananas first. Blend the berries and cocoa until the whole mixture is smooth and looks like soft serve ice cream.

5Note: You can scoop it into individual bowls or cones, pile it high with your favorite toppings, or put it in the freezer for later. Helpful Tip: If freezing for later, let it thaw until scoopable before serving.