{Chunky Monkey} Banana Ice Cream

Fri, Jul 18, 2014

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It's ice cream month, and soon to be National Ice Cream Day, so I'm pulling ice cream out of the archives. Last year leading up to my son's Hand, Hand, Fingers, Thumb Birthday Party, {a children's book with monkeys as a central character} I was brainstorming all things having to do with monkeys. Banana-flavored foods turned up frequently on my list. Having recently been introduced to Ben & Jerry's Chunky Monkey ice cream, I decided to try my hand at the creamy concoction fit for my little monkeys. With my French Vanilla Ice Cream as a base, this creamy banana custard ice cream studded with chocolate and walnut chunks is incredibly satisfying and sweet. The banana ice cream is delicious on its own so if you prefer smooth ice cream you can definitely leave out the chocolate and walnut chunks. Or, you can mix and match other additions like shredded coconut, peanut butter chips and other sweets of your choice.

{Chunky Monkey} Banana Ice Cream

Author: Itsy Bitsy Foodies

Recipe type: Ice Cream

Prep time: 3 hours

Cook time: 10 mins

Total time: 3 hours 10 mins

Serves: 6-8

This creamy banana custard ice cream studded with chocolate and walnut chunks is incredibly satisfying and sweet, fit for all of the little monkeys in your life.

Ingredients

3 eggs
2 cups milk (or half and half)
1 cup sugar
2 cups heavy cream
2 tsp vanilla extract
4-6 bananas, blended or mashed
Squirt of lemon juice, optional
¼ cup chocolate chips or bar, chopped
¼ cup chopped walnuts, optional
¼ cup shredded coconut, optional

Instructions

In a large saucepan, beat the eggs, milk and sugar until well blended.
Cook the egg mixture over low heat for roughly 10 minutes, stirring constantly, until thickened. It should smoothly coat the back of a wooden spoon.
Let the mixture cool.
Add the heavy cream, mashed banana and the vanilla.
If desired, add a squirt of lemon juice to help keep the bananas from discoloring.
Stir until blended and refrigerate the mixture until it is completely chilled, for several hours or up to overnight.
Following the instructions of your ice cream maker, pour the chilled mixture into your machine and stir it until the ice cream forms. It will typically be more like soft-serve when you first make it. If you want firmer ice cream, transfer it to a sealed container once it reaches the soft-serve consistency and let it freeze for several hours until it hardens.
Toward the end of churning the ice cream, stir in the walnut and chocolate chunks.
Recipe makes 1 quart of ice cream.