Bananas for Popsicles

I tried making a batch of "iced tea" popsicles last week and they did not turn out well. No amount of lemon and honey could save their watery sadness. I had such high hopes too.

After an appropriate mourning period I tried something completely different. Because my previously water based popsicles had treated me so poorly I was excited to try a different base that I had not previously employed (although is by no means an unusual choice). Banana! Popsicles come in many forms, but I think one of the easiest and most rewarding are those that employ the banana. The familiarity of making a smoothie-like concoction and then simply taking the extra step to freeze it makes this type of popsicle a little less recipe, and a little more intuitive.

For my version, I pulled out all the stops in an attempt to achieve a rich, creamy, chocolate-y but not overwhelmingly unhealthy recipe. I saw a post on apartment therapy about banana-Nutella ice cream, and since my boyfriend is going through a very serious Nutella phase (and I am a long time fan of bananas with Nutella), I thought I couldn't go wrong with the combination for popsicles. From there I added some cocoa powder to punch up the chocolate, and a splash of milk to help with liquification. A pinch of salt and we were in business.

These are indeed creamy, banana-y, chocolate-y, and both indulgent and not (in the best way possible).

Bananutella Chocsicles

Makes 6 1/4 cup capacity popsicles

2 ripe bananas, peeled and sliced

1/2 cup milk

pinch salt

2 Tablespoons Nutella

4 teaspoons cocoa powder

Blend all of the ingredients together, pour into popsicle molds and wait until completely frozen.

Meanwhile lick the Nutella off of the measuring spoons. Waste not want not, right?