Vegan Maple Walnut Popsicles (or Soft Serve Ice Cream!)

These are my favorite popsicles!  Healthy, delicious and taste like my favorite ice cream?  Yes please!

I do feel a little guilty though.  This is, of course, a healthy version of maple walnut ice cream.  These remind me of the flavor and that’s why I named them after it, not because it’s a perfect replica of it.

That being said, these do taste like banana.  But if you like bananas, after a few bites you don’t even taste the banana anymore, just the wonderful maple-y walnut flavor.  Yummy 😀

This is also an amazing ice cream.  Either served immediately(even though it’s a little too soft for my tastes) or put into a container and stuck into the freezer for when you want it.  No ice cream maker, and scoopable straight from the freezer.  I love bananas!  I’m so sorry if you can’t have bananas or just don’t like them.  This one isn’t for you 🙁  I’m working on some delicious non-banana popsicles next!  It would help if we actually got some warm weather.

That’s right, it’s cold and rainy here and I still had to post these – they are that good 😀  I did however do some baking today that I can’t wait to share with you.  I mostly wanted to bake because I wanted to warm up the house without turning the heat on – how sad is that for the end of June?!  I’m hoping to post some savory recipes later this week, but the cookies I made today might need to make an appearance too!  In the meantime – try these popsicles!  Or just try them as ice cream – I’m telling you, they’re so delicious.  It’s still cold in my house but I think I’m going to have one for an afternoon snack 😀

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Vegan Maple Walnut Popsicles

Makes 6 – 1/2 cup popsicles or 6 – 1/2 cup servings of ice cream

• 2 large bananas, peeled, frozen and roughly chopped
• 3/4 C milk(I use almond but any kind of unsweetened milk will work)
• 1-2 tbsp maple syrup
• 3 large soft Medjool dates, pitted and roughly chopped
• 1/2 tsp vanilla
• 1/4 C walnuts

In a blender or food processor blend together the bananas, milk, syrup, vanilla and dates until the bananas are completely blended and smooth(although small pieces of dates may remain).  Add the walnuts and just blend until they are incorporated.  Taste and add more maple syrup as desired.  Pour or spoon the mixture into popsicle moulds, dixie cups or one large container with a lid for freezing or serve immediately.

Notes: This is delicious as is, but very soft.  I like it stored in the freezer so it gets a little harder.  Even fully frozen it’s scoopable.  If it isn’t, just let it sit at room temperature for just a couple minutes.  If using popsicle moulds, be sure to run under hot water to release the popsicles.  The mixture is soft enough that the sticks will pull out if they aren’t run under hot water long enough.

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