A couple of years ago, my sister in law Monica shared a quick and easy dessert idea with me. She sliced up a couple of bananas, sprinkled them with a little brown sugar and cinnamon and popped them under the broiler for just a minute so the sugar caramelized and turned into a syrup-ish kinda thing. While it’s still hot, you dump it over a bowl of vanilla ice cream and it’s the most yummy thing ever. I made it recently and when I got to the bottom of the bowl I had some melted vanilla ice cream that was all combined with the cinnamon-brown sugar goodness and some remnants of mushed caramelized banana. The flavors were so heavenly, and it was at that moment I knew I needed to turn it into an ice cream flavor of its own.
My experiment didn’t disappoint. I slow roasted bananas in brown sugar and cinnamon and then mixed it in a super easy {no cook!} base. The banana flavor is mild, but it’s the perfect amount of sweetness and the brown sugar and cinnamon round out the flavor palate. I know a lot of people have issues with cooked bananas- and if you’re one of those people, don’t fret. I puree the caramelized bananas into the ice cream, so all you get is the amazing flavor and extra creaminess!
Caramelized Banana Ice Cream
print recipe text only
4 ripe bananas, sliced into 1/2-1″ segments
1/4 C brown sugar
1 t cinnamon
1 T real butter, melted
2 C heavy cream
1 C whole milk (vit D milk)
1/2 C white sugar
1/4 t salt
2 t vanilla
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Line a 9 x 13″ baking dish with foil and place bananas in it. Sprinkle brown sugar, cinnamon, and melted butter over bananas and toss well with hands. Spread bananas out in a single layer.
Bake bananas (in your 400 degree preheated oven) for 15 minutes. Stir, and bake for 15 more. Remove from oven and cool on counter top. By this point you will have a scrumptious, thick syrup in there too.
While bananas are cooking combine cream, whole milk, white sugar, salt, and vanilla. Whisk until sugar is dissolved. Set in fridge to chill.
When bananas are completely cooled, puree them in a food processor* until completely smooth. Using a whisk, stir them into the milk mixture until combined. Chill entire mixture.
Churn in an ice cream maker and transfer to an air tight container in the freezer to set up. Makes 1 1/2 quarts.
*If you don’t have a food processor, you can use your blender. If you choose to do so, leave the whole milk out of the original milk mixture and use the milk to puree with the bananas. Don’t put the cream mixture in the blender after, make sure to whisk them both together by hand.
Note: The roasted bananas in this recipe make the ice cream incredibly soft and smooth, but it may be softer than usual when coming straight out of your ice cream maker so it’s important to let the ice cream set in the freezer for a few hours before eating.
After I took the picture above, I started to wonder what I could add to it. Nuts? Coconut? Cookies? My husband told me not to mess with a good thing and I’m glad I took his advice. (Although one thing still on my list is to make it into ice cream sandwiches with these cookies) It’s perfect just the way it is. But I could think of just one thing that would make it irrisistable.
Wait for it…
Ya, that’s what I’m talking about.
Get the recipe for Kate’s buttermilk caramel syrup here.
And then go make yourself a bowl of this:
The only other thing that can make home made ice cream any better than it already is are homemade waffle cones. I make mini ones and they’re perfect for my mini monkeys.
Questions & Reviews
by the way, I just ordered the Cusinart Ice Cream Maker you had blogged about…I can't wait until it comes!
by the way, I just ordered the Cusinart Ice Cream Maker you had blogged about…I can't wait until it comes!
I just found you blog a few weeks ago and have tried about 7 of your recipes and love, love, love them!! YOU guys are AMAZING!
And YES I would be interested in learning to make homemade waffle cones, yummy!
I just found you blog a few weeks ago and have tried about 7 of your recipes and love, love, love them!! YOU guys are AMAZING!
And YES I would be interested in learning to make homemade waffle cones, yummy!
what kind of question is "would you be interested in making homemade waffle cones?"??!!! I may never leave the house all summer with a recipe for waffle cones!! can't wait!
I love your site, I check it a couple times a week and cook from it often! Love the ice cream recipes and would love to learn how to make waffle cones! Keep up the great work!
waffle cone recipe? yes please.
this looks delicious ….
Mmmmm…homemade waffle cones. Somehow it seems possible to do if only we have Our Best Bites to show us how real people can do it. 🙂
Do you think I could do a short cut and just blend the banana bake mixture in with store-bought vanilla ice cream, refreeze and serve?
first of all, Yes. A million times, yes to a waffle cone tutorial!!
secondly, that icecream looks SO tasty, I'm afraid I will have to go buy some bananas this very minute!
I make something so similar but I call mine a roasted banana ice cream. It of course is a recipe but very close. I do however sub some of the cream & milk for buttermilk. If offsets some of the richness of the bananas. I have also added dulce de leche. I'm definitely giving your recipe a try along with Kate's sauce! Thanks for sharing & PLEASE, can I have a waffle cone tutorial! Pretty please!?
Happy Friday!
~ingrid
oh yes, waffle cones are the best and to make them myself i'm sure they would be even better! love love love your blog, it makes me feel like a gourmet cook but you make everything so simple and easy to create.
thanks for all your posts!
Oh man, all these ice cream and sorbet recipes…. I am seriously wanting an ice cream maker now! I had never really thought that it was a much-needed appliance, but I am having second thoughts. That ice cream, especially with the syrup, looks AMAZING! Yum!
Thanks spelling Nazi, er, I mean Carly 😉 I don't know how you noticed that when it was in giant, bold letters, haha. Not the best time to mis-spell a word!
Oh and just because I'm a crazy spelling person you spelled "ivaway" without the E. Giveaway. I'm sure you just missed it on accident.
I know I know, no need to thank me.
It seems as if everyone is posting sorbets and ice cream these days. Sounds like it's time for me to get an ice cream maker! This sounds delicious. But I must say I'm even more excited about the waffle cone tutorial!! I don't think I can wait another day for that one!!! Ever consider a weekend post????
I want to know how to make waffle cones…thanks for another yummy recipe!
Oh danggit, now I want ice cream for breakfast! This looks heavenly! And I would love a waffle cone tutorial.
Well I was wrong about the bread part but totally guess banana. Where are my bonus points? 🙂
Looks deeeeelish!
that looks so delicious! i would love a waffle cone tutorial… please please please!!!
Oh my. That looks like heaven! If you look at my blog today, you will see a picture of what I would be doing to that bowl of ice cream with flourish…
And yes, a waffle cone tutorial sounds amazing!
Please, please, please tell me how to make waffle cones!
Can't wait to try this one! I recently got the ice cream maker attachment for my kitchen aid and seem to be making ice cream all the time. I can't wait to try this one out!
Can't wait to see the waffle cone tutorial, sounds fun!
That looks DELICIOUS. And I would LOVE a tutorial on homemade waffle cones!
[I seriously LOVE your website. I have now got my mom and my sister hooked on it, too. About 75% of the meals all three of us are making this week have come from your site! Keep up the GREAT work! ]
That would be called a Bananas Foster wich originated in New Orleans, Louisiana. I had never heard of it until I moved to the East Coast. It's very sweet, but very good!
Love your blog!!!
wow! I will definitely be giving this a try especially since we have an ice cream maker…and YES! Please do a tutorial for homemade waffle cones! My kids would be so thankful!
I'd LOVE a tut on how to make a waffle cone!! please and thank you
You're killing me over here!!! Don't you know I'm trying to fit into my dresses for the BlogHer parties??? Now all I can think about is ice cream.
I need to know how to make waffle cones!
And I'm excited to try this ice cream, and happy that you puree the banana 🙂
If it has fruit in it, it's healthy, right?
What temperature do you bake the bananas at? Did I just miss it?
And yes please to the waffle cone tutorial!
Please, please, please give us a waffle cone tutorial! Now if only I had an ice cream maker… sticking to the gallon tubs for now.
PS – I absolutely love your blog and link to it often from mine! It is one thing to create new and yummy recipes but it is another to make it look so good!
Thanks for all the great recipes!