Guilt Free Chocolate Ice Cream

I love chocolate, just as much as the next gal . . . ( if not a little more). But sometimes I feel guilty if I indulge myself a little too much. However, I've recently discovered a fantastic and not-so-guilty recipe for  chocolate ice cream!

Now when it comes to ice cream I am usually a vanilla girl, all the way . . . but I stumbled across this recipe when rummaging through my favorite blogger's (The Londoner) old posts. So I knew I'd have to give it a try. And I am so happy I did!

I followed the original recipe's main ingredients, but decided to think outside the box a bit and add some of my favorite treats to this wonderful chocolatey creation.

To make the ice cream you'll need:

-3 bananas

-3 tablespoons of unsweetened cocoa

-1 overflowing spoonful of heavenly hazelnut spread (what most people refer as nutella) 

- a few splashes of skim milk (optional)

Step 1: slice the bananas into little chunks

Step 2: place the sliced bananas in the freezer for 2-3 hours

Step 3: once the little banana bites are frozen place them in a blender or food processor

Step 4: add a few splashes of milk (*only if you're having trouble creating a smooth consistency with the bananas*)

 Step 5: blend / process the bananas until they are smooth and look something like a thick and creamy milkshake

Step 6: add 3 tablespoons of cocoa powder and blend again (at this point you may need to scrape the sides to make sure all the cocoa powder is well incorporated)

Step 7: add that overflowing spoonful of nutella (scrape sides again)

Step 8: pour into a freezer-safe container

The following steps are optional . . . However, you should put your thinking caps on and come up with something deliciously creative to add into your ice cream! I had a handful of left over peanut butter chocolate chip cookie dough from a batch I made, and decided to form small cubes of cookie dough to add into ice cream. 

Step 9: mix in the bits of cookie dough

Step 10: place in freezer for 3-5 hours or overnight

Seeing as how I'm an impatient little chocolate lover I could only manage to wait for 3 hours. At that point the ice cream around the edges were frozen, while the inner area of the container was perfectly thick, with the consistency of soft-serve ice cream (my favorite)!

The final product, to say the least, is delicious!  The chocolatey - banana combination instantly melts in your mouth, and if you're lucky, each spoonful will include a  peanut-buttery explosion of crumbly cookie dough goodness!

So the cookie crumbles were calling my name, whoops!

I hope you enjoy!!

What treats would you add to your chocolate ice cream recipe?!