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Frozen Chocolate Peanut Butter Banana Bark

Frozen Chocolate Peanut Butter Banana Bark
Prep Time
10 min

I once had the opportunity to try some chocolate hummus at a trade show for natural foods. It was so popular that the staff at the booth didn’t have time to thaw it properly before handing it out to customers, and my sample was still frozen. It was so delicious this way that I thought they should have been marketing it as ice cream, and I was inspired to create this frozen chocolate bark. Beans may seem weird in a sweet recipe, but you don’t taste the mild flavor of these navy beans, and their extra-soft texture works perfectly here. Plus, along with the peanut butter, they pump up the protein of this yummy super-powered frozen treat.

Yields 1 8 x 8-inch pan of bark.

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ingredients

¾
cup canned navy beans, rinsed and drained (sodium-free and from a BPA-free can)
cup maple syrup
¼
cup raw cacao (Dutch-processed cocoa is fine to substitute but won’t have as many health benefits as raw cacao)
¼
cup natural unsalted smooth peanut butter
¼
cup almond milk
2
Tbsp virgin coconut oil, melted
Pinch of sea salt
1
small ripe banana
1
Tbsp semi-sweet chocolate chips (dairy-free)
1
tsp almond milk
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directions

Notes

If serving in larger bark-like pieces, wrap the bottom of each piece in parchment or wax paper so that it is easier to hold and doesn’t melt all over warm little hands.

Step 1

Line an 8- × 8-inch baking pan with parchment paper, letting the paper hang over the sides a little.

Step 2

In a food processor fitted with the steel blade, puree the beans, maple syrup, cacao, peanut butter, almond milk, coconut oil, and salt until very smooth.

Step 3

Pour it into the prepared pan. Smooth out the top of the bark as best you can.

Step 4

Slice the banana into thin rounds, then cut each round into quarters. Place them all over the top of the bark.

Step 5

Gently melt the chocolate chips with the almond milk and stir together until well combined.

Step 6

Drizzle the chocolate over the bark.

Step 7

Freeze, uncovered, for at least 3 hours. Cover it if you’re planning to leave it in the freezer for longer.

Step 8

To serve, take the bark out of the freezer and set the pan on the counter for 10 minutes or so to soften slightly. Use a knife to break it into large chunks or cut it into bite-size pieces. Store the cut-up bark in the freezer in an airtight container or freezer bag for up to 1 month—any longer and it tends to get freezer-burned.

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