Frozen Banana Pops
July 18th, 2007
I have written about trying to come up with sugar-free ice cream alternatives here and here. It’s been a challenge to which I return from time to time. A few days ago in our Killarney shop, I met a family with an 8 year old girl, Shona, who was recently diagnosed with diabetes. It has given me another push.
The difficulty in making a sugar-free ice cream naturally (and I won’t do it any other way) is that diabetics need low-fat as well as sugar-free (at least according to all the medical advice I have received). That makes it very, very hard, at least in my experience, to make a commercial product both tasty and viable.
We haven’t given up on it, but in the mean time, I though I’d pass on a few sugar-free frozen desserts that are easy to make at home, extremely yummy, and free of, or very low in, refined sugar (sucrose). Not all might be appropriate for every diet - I know that bananas are quite high in fructose, but that’s where I’ll start. I will also pass on an ice cream recipe or two in the coming days.
Frozen Banana Pops
My mother often kept frozen bananas in the freezer for us when we were small, and we loved them! It’s a great treat that won’t have a little one bouncing off the walls from a sugar high.
Making frozen banana pops is simple:
1. Peel a ripe banana.
2. Cut it in half.
3. Push a plastic spoon or lolly stick into one end.
4. Put it/them in a freezer-safe dish and stick it in the freezer for a few hours.
That’s it! You can serve them straight from the freezer, and they will disappear quickly.
If you want to take it a step further, melt some bittersweet (70%+) chocolate (generally quite low in sugar if the quality is high) or good quality dark diabetic chocolate, pour it on a shallow plate and roll the frozen pops in it (see top picture). Do the rolling quickly as the chocolate will harden on immediately! Now you really have a special treat…
Technorati tags: diabetes, diabetic, sugar free, diet, frozen, dessert
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July 18th, 2007 at 8:04 pm
i love these! a good way to use up ripening bananas, and vegan too. will try the chocolate addition next time.
July 18th, 2007 at 10:33 pm
I’ll give this idea a try with my little one, but her heart will always belong to your chocolate ice-cream.
July 22nd, 2007 at 9:15 pm
THIS is a terrific idea!
Especially with the chocolate on top..
Thanks
August 2nd, 2007 at 8:19 pm
They look great!
December 30th, 2007 at 11:06 am
For a summer ‘ice cream’ treat I sometimes throw some frozen banana chunks into a food mixer with fresh raspberries, strawberries, etc. In the winter I reverse the process - frozen soft fruits with fresh banana.
It’s not ice cream as we know and love it, but it’s a lot nicer than any commercial ‘diet ice cream’ on the market.
I also keep a small bunch of white seedless grapes in the freezer for a refreshing nibble on hot days.