Peanut butter.

As a flavor – I love it.  Paired with chocolate – it’s the best.  Add banana – it’s even better.

Swirl it in ice cream – I’m in loveeee.

If you’ve been following me for a bit, you know I grew up in central Pennsylvania.  Home to Middlesworth potato chips, Tastykake, Hershey chocolate, and Turkey Hill – producers of some of my favorite ice cream.  Especially their chocolate peanut butter cup flavor – a milk chocolate base with a roasted peanut butter swirl.  It’s truly heaven.

However, if you were to ask my dad, he would cringe and say there’s too much peanut butter.

As if that could be a thing.

I absolutely love when I scoop out some of that delectable frozen treat and get a huge icy chunk of peanut butter.

There’s no better feeling.

However, I’m finding it difficult to locate and consume large quantities of my favorite Turkey Hill flavor down here in eastern North Carolina, so I thought maybe I should make my own.  This has been quite the summer of ice cream after all.  What with our strawberry, s’mores, and fluffernutter varieties.  And our frequent stops to the local dairy queen.

But then I got to thinking – maybe we’ve been consuming too much ice cream?  Is there a way I could enjoy my favorite chocolatey treat without all that excess sugar?

Sure enough!  I could make nice cream!

A creamy base made of frozen bananas, peanut butter and cocoa powder, swirled with additional dollops of peanut butter.

And while it could never truly replace [one of] my Turkey Hill favorite[s], it’s decadent enough to have you believing you just consumed more than three ingredients mixed together.  It satisfies my Turkey Hill craving and any other sweet tooth that may be present.  And it’s toddler approved.

Nailed it.

---

Chunky Monkey Nice Cream

serves 4-6

• 5 overly ripened bananas, peeled and sliced into 1 inch thick discs, and frozen overnight on a parchment paper lined baking sheet.
• 3/4 c. peanut butter (I like Richard’s because it’s 100% peanuts)
• 1/4 c. cocoa powder

Place the frozen bananas into a food processor and process until smooth, which can take about five minutes, scraping the sides as needed.

Add 1/2 c. of peanut butter and cocoa powder to the bananas, and process until combined.

In an ice cream container (or any air-tight container you’re using to store your frozen treat), spread 1/2 of the mixture. Dollop 2 tablespoons of the remaining peanut butter over the nice cream.  Spread the remaining nice cream on top and top with the last two tablespoons of peanut butter.

Place in the freezer for about two hours, or until your nice cream is scoopable.