Mini Chocolate Banana Cream Pies

Banana “ice cream” has been a dessert staple for me since I put it between vegan snickerdoodles a couple weeks back. Memorial Day weekend is the unofficial start of frozen treat season, so whenVega sent me some of their maca chocolate to experiment with, I knew I wanted to pair it with banana “ice cream” somehow. The result: vegan frozen mini chocolate banana cream pies.

Each vegan mini chocolate banana cream pie has four layers: a date and walnut crust, banana “ice cream,” dark chocolate and coconut whipped cream (finished off with some more chocolate). They are small and healthy enough to eat without feeling guilty, but nourishing and decadent enough to leave you satisfied.

WHY THEY’RE HEALTHY// Each mini chocolate banana cream pie is low in added sugar, vegan, gluten-free and paleo. The nuts, dates and bananas provide fiber, the coconut whipped cream and nuts provide healthy fats and the banana and dates provide nutrient dense carbohydrate. Bananas are chock full of minerals, particularly the mineral electrolyte potassium. You can read about the health benefits of dark chocolate in our Sweet Potato Brownies post. //

I used Vega maca chocolate for these, but any dark chocolate (70% or above for best health benefits) will work. You can also use our homemade chocolate recipe in lieu of store-bought. These mini chocolate banana cream pies take a bit of forethought (you’ll need to refrigerate the canned coconut milk overnight), but they’re the perfect summer treat.

MINI CHOCOLATE BANANA CREAM PIES

Prep time

30 mins

Total time

30 mins

Frozen chocolate banana cream pie in mini form! Each individual pie is vegan, gluten-free and paleo: the perfect healthy summer treat.

Author: Our Four Forks

Recipe type: Dessert

Serves: 7-8

Ingredients

For the crust:

• ½ cup raw walnuts
• ½ cup dried Medjool dates (or regular dried dates, soaked at least 4 hours)
• pinch of salt

For the banana “ice cream:”

• 3 bananas, cut into coins and fully frozen
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• pinch of salt

For the chocolate:

• 6 oz dark chocolate (I used Vega maca chocolate, but you can also make homemade chocolate)

For the coconut whipped cream:

• 1 can full fat coconut milk, refrigerated overnight
• 2 teaspoons maple syrup (or liquid sweetener of choice, or stevia to taste)

Instructions

For the crust:

1. Add the walnuts and dates to a food processor and process until the mixture begins to stick together. Set aside

For the banana ice cream:

1. Blend the frozen bananas in a food processor until they are the consistency of soft-serve ice cream. You may need to occasionally stop the food processor and use a spatula to scrape down the sides. Be patient: it takes several minutes to get to the right consistency, but you’ll know when you get there. Put in the freezer until after you’ve prepared the chocolate and coconut whipped cream.

For the chocolate:

1. Melt the chocolate in the microwave (being careful not to burn) or in a double boiler (bowl over a pot of boiling water). Set aside and allow to cool a bit.

For the coconut whipped cream:

1. Open your can of refrigerated coconut milk and pour off any liquid, saving just the thick cream. Add the cream to a bowl, add your sweetener and whip using a hand-mixer until light and fluffy.

Assembly:

1. Lightly grease (or line with cupcake liners) a muffin tin. Press about 1 tablespoon of the crust mixture into 7 or 8 muffin cups.
2. Put a heaping tablespoon of banana “ice cream” on top of the crust and spread evenly.
3. Spoon just enough melted (and slightly cooled) chocolate to fully cover the banana ice cream layer. Leave 2 tablespoons in the bowl for garnish.
4. Divide the coconut whipped cream between the mini pies and place the entire muffin tin the freezer.
5. Allow the pies to fully freeze overnight or at least 4 hours.
6. Once frozen, carefully use a knife to pop out the pies from the muffin tin (if you didn’t use cupcake liners). Allow to thaw slightly and enjoy!

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