Banana Chocolate Chip Ice Cream

Ice Cream! And not just any ice cream... homemade, low fat, banana chocolate chip ice cream! That's right, somehow I've never made ice cream before, but with my new toy, an old fashioned ice cream maker, I decided to dive right in and try my hand at it. I decided to use up the quickly-browning bananas on my counter to make one of my favorite and not-readily-available flavors. I also strove to maintain a creamy texture while severely cutting back on the fat content. It was ambitious, but it worked. The ice cream turned out rich, super banana-y, and delicious.

Unfortunately, we ate it so quickly that I forgot to take a picture... But without using any added colors, it came out a creamy off-white, as have my other flavors since. Most of the bright colors you see in store-bought ice cream are from food coloring rather than naturally occurring.

The chocolate chips are optional, so dive right in and try your hand at this delicious recipe!

Time: 4 hrs (1 hr making and 3 hrs chilling)
Difficulty: medium



Banana Chocolate Chip Ice Cream
Ingredients:
12 oz low-fat (2%) evaporated milk
1/2 c sugar
1 c fat free half and half
1/8 tsp salt
3 egg yolks
2 tbsp light corn syrup
3 very ripe bananas
1/2 c fat free milk
1 tsp vanilla

Combine the evaporated milk, 1/4 c sugar, half and half, corn syrup, and 1/8 tsp salt in a pot. Use a cooking thermometer and carefully heat until 180 degrees. Tiny bubbles should be forming at the edge. Remove the pot from the heat, put the cover on, and let it stand for 10 minutes.

While it's standing combine the remaining 1/4 c sugar and 3 egg yolks in a bowl. Whisk until they are well combined. Then when the evaporated milk mixture is done standing slowly pour it into the yolk mixture, whisking constantly the entire time.

Put the mixture back into the pot and heat over medium heat, stirring constantly, until it reaches 160 degrees.

Place the pot in an ice-filled bowl. You may have to replace the ice as needed. Stir occasionally and let it cool for about 20 minutes. It should be cool by now.

Mash the bananas in a small bowl. Add the 1/2 c fat free milk and stir until combined evenly. Add the mashed banana mixture and the vanilla to the cooled mixture in the pot. Stir well.

Follow the instructions on your ice cream maker to chill the ice cream. When it's been churned but before you put it into the freezer to set, add 1/2 c chocolate chips. Mix them in gently and then follow the directions to freeze the ice cream in the freezer.

Enjoy!

Servings: 8
Serving size: about 1/2 c ice cream
Nutrition: calories 242; carbs 41g; fat 7g; protein 7g; sodium 139mg; iron 2 mg