Pie turns popsicle with these Banoffee Ice Cream Pops featuring banana ice cream and homemade healthy “toffee” in a fun summer snack-on-a-stick form!
Annnnnnnd welcome to National Popsicle Week!
Okay fine, it’s not actually National Popsicle Week. However it is FOF Popsicle Week!
But according to this calendar it seems there is no official popsicle week. Or day even. A few flavor specific ones, but no general day to celebrate all flavors of ice cream on a stick. So no reason why it can’t be this week.
I think probably there is just a tiny committee sitting in a cave somewhere coming up with these holidays and springing them on us to see how many people will jump to join in with the yummy synchronicity on Instagram. I for one don’t question the validity. It could suddenly be #InternationalChocolateCoveredArtichokeDay and I’d happily join in and post my best…wait.
So maybe it’s not officially popsicle anything. But it is officially June later this week. And it is officially hot here. And I was able to officially find my popsicle mold in it’s laundry room closet hibernation spot. So popsicle week.
What is Popsicle Week? Since I know that is the burning question on everyone’s mind right now, lemme explain…
This week on the blog I will be posting three brand new popsicle recipes for your on-a-stick-snacking enjoyment! And on the days in between we will all eat popsicles for every meal and snack all day long. Just kidding. Unless you are up for that?
And Popsicle Week this week means my last week looked something like…
3 new popsicle flavors. 29 popsicle sticks. 14 frozen bananas. 357 frantic runs from the freezer to the camera and back. 85 degrees in my house, which makes popsicle photography quite the challenge. 8 melted messes. 5 ice cream drips on the floor. 1 picky puppy who refused to help me clean up. And 2 freezer burnt popsicles still chilling in the back of my freezer.
Ice cream pops. When I say popsicle I mean ice cream pop. Which may sound like a subtle difference, but to me the cream part if very important. Because unless it comes in a clear tube that cuts the side of your mouth in the shade neon blue, I don’t want anything to do with icy-not-creamy frozen novelties.
All of this week’s recipes use frozen bananas as the base to keep things CREAMY but fruity too.
Banoffee. This first recipe takes the banana base concept and runs with it all the way to pie-inspired pop heaven. Banoffee pie usually involves a cookie crumb crust, a toffee layer, sliced bananas, and whipped cream.
So with some artistic interpretation these pops are made up of…
Banana ice cream with slices of bananas mixed in. A dash of cinnamon wouldn’t be a bad idea here either, although not banoffee traditional.
Date caramel layer. Which I should’ve made bigger because frozen date caramel = yum. I just used my basic date paste recipe which you can find -> here
Homemade granola “crust”. I used my favorite crunchy oil-free granola with pecans and coconuts as mix-ins because that’s what I had on hand. Any granola will work–homemade or store-bought (I personally love this stuff). Or even crumbled cookies or graham crackers.
Caramel sauce drizzle before eating. It’s optional. You can use this date-based vegan caramel sauce recipe. Or if you want a caramel sauce that will harden on the outside, I used this one. Like magic shell but not chocolate. You could swap this for coconut whipped cream to stay true to banoffee pie, but whipped cream on a popsicle felt a little weird to me.
Tip! If you don’t have a popsicle mold, you can use small paper cups instead. Just freeze the pops for 30-60 minutes and then insert the sticks so they will stand up straight. Or they are under $20 on Amazon, this is the one I have.
And that’s how you make a perfect portable banoffee ice cream party! Quite easy and somehow way more fun than just piling all these ingredients in a bowl. If you ask me, they are 100% breakfast appropriate (see, there’s granola). But dessert or snack time works too.
And while these flavors may all sound like they would be marvelous with chocolate drizzled on top, save that for the next popsicle…
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Pie turns popsicle with these Banoffee Ice Cream Pops featuring banana ice cream and homemade healthy “toffee” in a fun summer snack-on-a-stick form!
Ingredients
- 4–5 frozen bananas
- 1 ripe banana, sliced
- 1/2 cup date paste
- 1/2 cup granola ((*see notes for recommendations))
- Optional for topping: caramel sauce ((**see notes for recipe recommendations))
Instructions
- Blend the frozen bananas in a high speed blender until smooth and creamy. Add a little bit of non-dairy milk only if necessary to blend.
- Fill your popsicle mold with 1-2 spoonfuls of the banana ice cream. Add a few slices of banana. Continue filling with banana ice cream until the popsicle is 3/4 full. Top with date paste and a sprinkling of granola.
- Repeat with the remaining popsicles.
- Insert the popsicle sticks and freeze overnight.
- Remove from the freezer for 5 minutes or so and then gently wiggle your pops out of the molds.
- Drizzle with optional caramel sauce and enjoy! Keep in the freezer. They are best eaten in the first 1-2 days and will get icier with time.
Notes
This is the popsicle mold I used here. If you don’t have a popsicle mold, paper cups work too! Just freeze for about 30-60 minutes and then insert the sticks.
*I used my favorite oil-free crunchy granola. You can also use store-bought, I really love this one. Or you could even use rawnola.
**This is my favorite caramel sauce recipe for flavor and ingredients. But if you want a sauce that will harden on the outside like magic shell, this recipe is the one I used.
Update: Check out the rest of the Popsicle Week recipes with Chocolate Almond Sea Salt and Strawberry Tahini. Or watch all 3 in the making HERE
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Seriously though, you’d think with all these super random/sporadic food “holidays,” that popsicles would make the list somewhere during the year! I’m down with making it a whole week, and you’re definitely a champ for taking on 3 different recipes and having to photograph them all during this time of year! Super tricky but I’m definitely thankful 🙂 What a divine flavor to start with!! Totally love the addition of the oat crumble, as a kid I used to love those bars that had the little crunchy stuff (who knows what it even was) around the outside. These look amazing, I can’t wait to see what other incredible flavors you’ve come up with, Natalie!
There’s grape popsicle day and cherry popsicle day but no just plain ol’ popsicle day–what the…? Omg I don’t think I can photograph another popsicle for like 6 months now though. I am all out of creative angle ideas lol. But it was worth it. YES! Creamy things are (almost) always better with a complimentary CRUNCH! And let’s just not ask what it was😜 Thanks girl!
Oh goodness, how did I miss National Popsicle Week?? Lolol. I’ve totally got to get one of those Food Holiday Calendars. Is that a thing? Or is that kind of EVERY. DAY. for us food bloggers? 😉 Aw dang… so there is no National Popsicle Week? How could this be!! 85 degrees: O. M. G. That sucks… no other way to put it. But at least you had tons of yummy formerly-frozen desserts to comfort you afterward? And, I mean, if you need help eating any of these… I could come over. Ahem. 😉 Meanwhile, loving the texture-rich awesomeness of these pops!! I’ll be drooling over these ’til our FoF+BB reunion! At which point these might be made… 🙂 Can’t wait to see the other popsicle recipes!! xoxo
Idk if it’s a think or not, but that would be one SUPER thick calendar since there seems to be some obscure food holiday practically every single day. I think I’ll just keep winging it (and making a few up when convenient too :D) Besides the photoshoot struggles, I don’t mind the heat. I’d certainly take 6 months of summer over snowy winters any day. What a delicious reunion it will be!! xo
Making it into ice cream is such a great idea, I love banoffee pie 🙂
Sooner or later I’m just going to turn everything into ice cream…give me time 😀 Thanks girl!
If there’s a National Tapioca Day (and there is!!) then popsicles should DEFINITELY have their own day, if not a whole week :). I’m pretty sure I’d have no problem eating popsicles all week long, especially if they’re as delicious as these beauties! These sound soooo completely awesome, Natalie!
Tapioca day? Seriously? The logic on these holidays is a little…confusing lol. I think we should just go ahead and give popsicles all of summer to be celebrated (along with regular ice cream too of course!) Thanks Kelsie 🙂
Oh my word, Natalie, these are just beauties!!! Adding the caramel and crunchy granola on top of the smooth banana popsicle is just a dreamy idea! How did you not eat that entire container full of those popsicles in like 5 minutes?! Not only do they look delicious, but they are SO pretty…not something you really think of or expect with a popsicle. I love, love, love the color of that caramel sauce…it is so photographic and pretty. I seriously feel like licking the screen, LOL! On another note, I’m totally cracking up at the comment above about Tapioca Day…hahahaha, seriously, who thinks of these things and why the heck is there not a popsicle day if there is a tapioca day! DUH.I totally cracked up though and believed you in your opening line….you totally had me going and believing it was National Popsicle Week!
I was too busy running from freezer to camera and back again trying to get a decent shot before they looked like puddles to eat them all in 5 minutes…but I did devour the melted aftermath pretty quick 🙂 I adore that caramel sauce recipe, its so easy and yummy! If only I had thought of it lol. But the crunchy granola part is my favorite–like a topping but on the bottom. Hehe I should’ve just claimed it as National Popsicle Week and waited for someone to question me 😀 Thanks Brandi!
Two popsicle recipes in a row! Sign me up, please. Love the flavor of these popsicles, and the date paste and granola really just elevate these over the top!
Thanks Nisha! I am kinda on a popsicle roll 🙂
Hey Natalie!
These popsicles look great! The date caramel sauce is a keeper!
★★★★★
Oh yes, I could drizzle that stuff on just about anything😋 Thanks Makos!
These ice cream pops are just perfect for the hot summer days. Great idea, Natalie!
A cooling off treat that doesn’t even call for a spoon🤗 Thanks for checking them out!