This has to be my favourite Ice Cream Sundays recipe so far. Kidding. I’m pretty much obsessed with them all. But can you blame me? I mean, what’s not to love about yummy cold treats in this blazing hot weather we’ve been having recently? Especially when they combine a few of my favourite things like these vegan chunky monkey ice cream bars do.
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Full disclosure: I’m pretty sure I’ve never had chunky monkey ice cream in my life. My family wasn’t a big Ben & Jerry’s fan and by the time I figured out chunky monkey was a thing, I was already dairy free. But chunky monkey ice cream combines three of my favourite things i.e. fudge/brownie pieces, bananas and walnuts. So obviously I had to give it a go myself.
At first, I was just going to make straight up vegan chunky monkey ice cream but already shared a basic vegan ice cream recipe last week. So I decided to jazz things up with week and go with chunky monkey ice cream bars instead. And spoiler alert: They’re so freakin’ good.
Vegan Chunky Monkey Ice Cream Bars
There are main parts involved in making these bars:
The brownie pieces
I used a few of my two-bite flourless brownies because they’re ridiculously easy to make and the recipe doesn’t make a lot so I didn’t have a tonne of leftovers. But you can use whatever brownies you want or leave them out if you prefer.
The banana ice cream
This part is wicked simple since it’s just nice cream. If you didn’t know, nice cream is ‘ice cream’ made by blending up frozen bananas. It doesn’t really set up the way regular ice cream does, so it has more of a soft serve texture and it also has a distinct banana flavour, obvs. But it’s rich, creamy and absolutely perfect in these chunky monkey ice cream bars.
The chocolate shell
There are a few ways to do this part but I decided to be lazy and melt some chocolate chips then dip the blocks of ice cream into it. It’s a delicate process because the banana ice cream starts to thaw pretty easily. But once you move quickly and return the bars to the freezer after dipping you should be fine.
And that’s basically it. I topped mine with walnuts but you can skip that part or do nut butter swirls instead. Either way, these vegan chunky monkey ice cream bars are crunchy on the outside, soft, creamy and melty on the inside and just downright delicious. Plus, they’re ridiculously easy to make and the perfect treat to cool you down on a hot summer day.
If you make these ice cream bars, I’d love to hear what you think. Leave a comment and rate the recipe or take a pic and tag me @ExSloth on Instagram!
- 3 bananas, frozen
- 2-3 tbsp coconut cream (as needed)
- 1-2 tbsp nut butter, plus more for swirling (I used pb but walnut butter would be great)
- 2 tbsp chopped walnuts, plus more for sprinkling
- Optional: ¼ cup brownie pieces (I used 3 of my two bite brownies)
- ¾ cup vegan semi sweet chocolate chips
- 2-3 tbsp coconut oil
- If not done already, start by making and cooling your brownies then chopping into small chunks
- Blend together the frozen bananas, coconut cream and nut butter in a food processor until smooth
- Fold in the walnuts and brownie pieces then spread out into a loaf tin lined with parchment paper
- Freeze until solid, overnight or for at least 4-6 hours
- Once the banana ice cream is frozen, remove from the loaf tin and slice into 5 - 6 blocks then return to the freezer on a parchment paper lined baking tray
- Add ½ cup chocolate chips and all the coconut oil to a small bowl and microwave in 20 second increments until melted, stirring occasionally
- Stir in the remaining ¼ cup chocolate chips until melted and allow the melted chocolate to cool slightly. 3 to 5 minutes
- Add more melted coconut oil if too thick
- Remove the ice cream blocks from the freezer and gently (but quickly) dip into the chocolate sauce. You may need to spoon the chocolate sauce onto the ice cream to cover it completely
- Top with walnuts and/or nut butter and return to the freezer for at least another 30 minutes before devouring
Want more vegan ice cream recipes? Try this one:
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WHAT ABOUT YOU?
- Have you ever had chunky monkey ice cream before?
- What’s your favourite ice cream flavour?
- Ice cream bars, ice cream sandwiches or popsicles?
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These are the best homemade ice cream bars! Wow!
Growing up I LOVED those soft ice cream bars wrapped in paper with the soft chocolate cookie/brownie and vanilla ice cream…the best! Haha!
Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine recently posted…Friday Finisher 6/17/16
Yassss! I’m allllll over these bars!! Everything about them is perfect. Love that it’s nana ice cream too, which obv means it’s acceptable for breakfast right?? 😉
Leah | love me, feed me recently posted…chocolate covered pretzel milkshake (video!) | collab with feasting on fruit
OMG YES! I’m obsessed with the chunky monkey combo and have been using it on everything! These ice cream bars though? DROOLING my heart out!
Yum! Part of my job this summer involves manning in the ice cream truck, but I can’t eat anything I’m selling because of lactose and gluten intolerance. Sigh. These look like a delicious allergy-friendly alternative!
Joyce @ The Hungry Caterpillar recently posted…Going Hungry Episode 5: A Secret I Kept for Years