Most people love shopping for sales on clothes, shoes, furniture, etc. Me? I’m always on the hunt for cheap, ripe bananas. Some grocery stores- not all, but some- put their bananas on sale once they start to get spotty. I’m talking 20 cents per pound for organic + fair trade bananas that are usually 80 cents or more per pound. I mean, they’re practically giving away perfectly ripe bananas.
To me, fully yellow and spotty bananas are at their best/most useful, so it feels a little bit like I won a prize. You mean I can pay less for the bananas that are ripe and delicious than for the hard green ones that will take a week to ripen? Is this a trick? Am I on a hidden camera T.V. show? 
My perfect banana for eating would be fully yellow with tiny brown specks all over. Not the big brown spots- those are a good sign that you’re ready for banana bread- but just the tiniest little speckles of brown. But when I’m using bananas in a recipe, I want them to be extra sweet. And in banana terms, extra sweet means covered in medium-sized brown spots. I don’t want them black and mushy- those ones are destined for banana bread or the compost bin- but anything before that point I can work with. Clearly, I’ve spent too much time around bananas.
I stake out the grocery stores like a madwoman, stopping at three or four to peek in at their clearance section, hoping to see a wall of ripe bananas waiting to become smoothies, banana bread, cake, and ice cream.
One time I came home with 40 bananas, which I was pretty proud of. Did I mention I have a chest freezer?; I wouldn’t have room in my regular freezer for this banana obsession.
Last week I found a surplus of ripe bananas and knew they’d be destined for banana ice cream. Yes, I’m talking about the internet-famous, 1-ingredient, frozen banana-turned fluffy, luscious soft serve version of banana ice cream. The stuff that’s made in your food processor and tastes like sweet creamy heaven, despite being made from, you guessed it, just bananas.
My usual go-to banana ice cream just has a pinch of salt and a drizzle of vanilla extract; nothing fancy. I’ll top it with a drizzle of peanut butter, maybe some melted chocolate, and that’s it.
But, people, there’s a whole world of banana ice cream flavors out there, and I think we need to start exploring them. Starting with Mocha Chip. 
To make this frozen banana-based ice cream, you’re going to start with…frozen bananas. I’m so helpful, I know. But! My grandmother wants me to make sure you know that you should peel the bananas before you freeze them (she’s been freezing overripe bananas for banana bread since forever, but leaves the skin on. Maybe you do to?). Anyway, peel your ripe bananas, freeze them, and then pull out 3 to make this ice cream anytime the craving strikes.
In addition to the frozen bananas, you’re going to need:
cocoa powder,
instant coffee powder (or cold brew, if you have some lying around),
almond butter,
vanilla extract,
and some finely chopped dark chocolate.
That’s it! Six ingredients and one minute later, you’re got thick, creamy, ultra smooth and fluffy ice cream. 
Trust me, you’re going to want to start stocking up on ripe bananas, just so you always have them in the freezer to turn into ice cream! Or, you know, just come to my house and grab a bag of them out of my chest freezer. I have so many that I probably won’t even notice them missing.
Mocha Chip Banana Ice Cream
Ingredients
- 3 frozen bananas broken or chopped into 4-6 pieces each
- 1 teaspoon instant coffee powder + 2 Tablespoons cold water or sub 2T very strong cold coffee
- 1 Tablespoon cocoa powder
- 1 Tablespoon almond butter
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- tiny pinch of salt
- 1/4 cup finely chopped dark chocolate
Instructions
- 1. Put all ingredients, except chopped chocolate, into the bowl of a food processor or high-powered blender. Blend for 1-2 minutes, scraping down once or twice if needed. Add in chocolate, pulse once more, and serve!
- 2. Banana ice cream is best if eaten immediately, and should be the consistency of soft serve ice cream. If you'd prefer it to be a bit more firm, you can freeze it for 30-90 minutes before eating. Any longer than that and it will freeze solid.
If you need me, I’ll be sitting out on my back step eating banana ice cream for the next three months. Expect more flavors soon!