Banana Coconut Milk Pops
john barry
Last weekend Emmett and Isla performed in the Spring Performance at their school, Montessori Learning Center of Edison Park. This was by far the highlight of our weekend and we were so proud of how they both fearlessly took the stage, singing and dancing in front of all of the parents and relatives of their classmates. I don't think I will ever be able to wrap my head around how their teachers get them all in and out of costumes and up on stage to perform for us. It's truly amazing.
Other than the french toast and bacon “power breakfast” that I made the day of the show, I barely cooked a thing all weekend. But I did make something. Because I cannot stand to throw food away, I freeze all of our overripe bananas until I figure out what to do with them. They usually end up in muffins, banana bread or pancakes but since it’s finally warm out, this time I decided to try something a little different.
Banana Coconut Milk Pops.
I don’t think I can think of anything easier to make and, BONUS, you can feel good about giving them to your kids. The only ingredients are agave nectar, vanilla extract, bananas and coconut milk (although you could throw some chocolate chips in there if you want). The high fat content of coconut milk makes them more creamy than icy, and most of the sweetness comes straight from those super ripe bananas which you can really taste. Much better than the banana Popsicles of my childhood - as much as I LOVED those! I can probably think of a hundred variations of these that I would like to try. Fruit flavored, chocolate, peanut butter, or and adult version with coffee and Bailey's (wouldn't that be a fun dessert for a summer dinner party?).
Now I'm starting to think that I might get some use out of these silicon ice pop molds I bought last year.
Banana Coconut Milk Pops
makes 6 pops
1 can coconut milk
1 tbs agave nectar
2 tsp vanilla extract
3 super-over-ripe bananas (room temperature)
Place all of the ingredients in a food processor or blender and mix until smooth. OR, place ingredients in a large bowl (preferably with a spout) and blend with an immersion blender until smooth.
Pour mixture into Popsicle molds molds and freeze until solid.
No raw eggs! Lick the bowl!
If you're squeamish about licking the bowl when there are raw eggs involved (I'm not - must be the Japanese in me but I'll eat anything raw), this is your opportunity to get in there. Oh yeah, and it just dawned on me, these are vegan too. So a great treat to have on hand if you're vegan or have vegan guests. Because no one should ever miss out on dessert.
Apparently, you can purchase an "easy-fill stand" separately, but I lo and behold, I found one in my cupboard (a glass).
Done. I felt like I accomplished something and it only took about 2 minutes. The hard part is waiting until they are frozen.