Sweet Saturday - Psychedelicious Dark Chocolate Almond Butter Nicecream

I'm well aware that the past several recipes I've shared have been desserts. What can I say? My dream job in high school was to be a baker (and I've worked at a couple bakeries), so making sweet things is a habit I have yet to break. At least these desserts are healthy-ish, right?!

This recipe comes from the Kona Avocado Festival I went to a few weekends ago. Loko Wraps, a local restaurant here in West Hawai'i, brought an avo-mazing chocolate açaí bowl AND the super rad dude working there shared the recipe! So now, I'm sharing it with you, because it's seriously so. Freaking. GOOD. I added that funky swirl of almond buttery goodness because I'm obsessed with almond butter and also like to make things extra decadent.

The OG avo-sundae 😍

I've heard a lot about how the thought of avocado in something sweet and chocolatey is a turn-off. But when you think of how mild avocado is, when it's blended and masked with deep, dark, decadent chocolate, it really just turns into a creamy fat element just like heavy cream, minus the digestive system-destroying after effects of all of that lactose that comes with it. So, if you're lactose intolerant, I call that a win.

It all starts with some avocado and bananas. With avocado season seemingly in full swing on the Big Island, and banana trees firing off sweet yellow nuggets like there's no tomorrow, this ice cream recipe was the perfect opportunity for me to use up the abundance of free avos and bananas I've been blessed with by my hanai family and the school garden. With a couple of add-ins that just so happen to be staples in my pantry, and this recipe comes together within minutes - no heating or churning needed.

What you'll need:

Psychedelicious* Dark Chocolate Almond Butter Nicecream

1 ripe avocados, frozen
2 ripe bananas, frozen
1 cup (8 oz) coconut milk
1/4 cup dark, unsweetened cocoa powder
Cacao nibs
1/4 cup Almond or peanut butter for swirlin'

*No actual psychedelics used in recipe. That nutty swirl, tho 👌🏽

Since I don't own a food processor, I used a blender to make this. To make things easier, I mashed and froze my avocados inside of sandwich baggies, then cut the frozen squares into cubes to make for easier blending. I also cut the bananas into 1"-thick slices. If you're using a food processor, you can probably get away with just throwing everything in frozen and whole.

         

Add the avocado, bananas, coconut milk, and cocoa powder to the blender and, well, blend it. With my blender, I needed to mix everything up with a spoon in between pulses so that everything would get evenly blended and there would be no random avocado chunks floating around. It should have a very thick consistency, like buttercream frosting or cream cheese.

Scrape the mixture into a 9"x9" dish and place in the freezer, covered, until frozen, about an hour or so. You could also enjoy it straight out of the food processor like soft serve, but I think scooping it is more fun. 

If you want extras mixed in, drop a few tablespoons of nut butter on top of the nice cream and swirl it in with a knife. I also tossed some cacao nibs in and on top for a little extra crunch. I'm also pretty sure that there might have been some açaí juice in the original recipe, but honestly, I zoned out into a chocolate-induced trance whe homeboy was telling me because the ice cream was that good. 

Nevertheless, it was still delicious even with the absence of açaí as I made it today! 

Turn this into a sundae by topping with granola, nuts, coconut, berries, and whatever else your heart desires.

Just remember, this is still a dessert so watch your portions! This recipe (which is a half batch) makes 8 -1/2 cup servings! 

And I promise to share some more savory recipes soon. I've got some exciting plans upcoming for the blog as far as content goes, so stay tuned!