With a banana base, plenty of spice, and lots of cookie chunks this Gingerbread Nice Cream is a creamy, healthy holiday treat–no ice cream maker required!
I’m not sure any of us are really prepared for how gingerbread-y it’s about to get around here. I mean are we really even ready to use ‘gingerbread’ as an adjective like that? I know I’m not, but yet I just did. And in the same fashion, gingerbread takeover–it’s happening.
Gingerbread is my favorite holiday flavor. Well actually it’s one of my favorite flavors year round, but since it only feels appropriate to post about for a couple of months out of the year that means it’s time to squeeze in as many gingerbread things as possible!
If you break it down, the flavor of gingerbread is pretty much just the best of the warm fall/winter spices plus molasses. Nutmeg, cloves, allspice–they’re great as supporting spices. But honestly I probably couldn’t tell them apart in a sniff test even if I tried, and which one to use when is kind of a blur for me. (Confession: Sometimes when a recipe calls for a bunch of those spices I just chuck in a half teaspoon of pumpkin pie spice and call it close enough!)
But ginger and cinnamon, those are the key players. Those are the spices that you cannot leave out without noticing. Those are the spices that when I see a recipe call for one teaspoon I always make it one heaping tsp. And when it comes to gingerbread they are absolutely essential. Also when it comes to gingerbread, I think vanilla and lemon are always good additions.
Usually I am an advocate of using fresh ginger in anything gingerbread related, but nice cream is a different story. Because you know sometimes when you are blending up nice cream and it looks perfectly smooth and creamy from the top, flowing through the blades like a banana river, but then you start eating from the blender serving it and you find a massive chunk of frozen banana still hiding in there? I didn’t want that same sort of chunk-slipping-by situation happening with a piece of ginger–too risky! So for this recipe I used only ground ginger.
Any chunks in that bowl should be of cookie and cookie only! It’s not called GingerBREAD Nice Cream for nothing. And by bread I mean cookie. Do you ever think about how weird it is that they are called gingerbread cookies? Like is it bread or is it cookie–pick one!! And I suppose I just took that weirdness a step further by making ice cream named after a cookie named after a bread. But there are lots of cookie chunks in this ice cream so that makes up for it, yes!?
Any gingerbread cookie will do as long as it can crumble. I used my favorite gingerbread cut-out cookie recipe, but pressed and baked them into circles instead of rolling. It’s still a bit early for actual gingerbread men to be showing up. Crumble those cookies and add some to the blender, some on top before you freeze it, and some more on top after scooping. When in doubt, add more cookie!
One thing that makes this nice cream extra cool compared to most nice creams is that it can actually last in the freezer for a couple of days without turning into the dreaded banana ice brick. Molasses by itself does not freeze solid at freezer temp, so that keeps the nice cream from freezing solid too. It is still best the first day (like almost everything) but even the next day it is still creamy and scoopable. That’s why I made this recipe larger than my other nice cream recipes, so you can get at least a few big bowls out of one batch.
Prep Time:
Yield:
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PinIngredients
- 8–10 frozen bananas
- 1/4 cup molasses
- 1 tsp ground ginger
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 tsp lemon juice
- 1/2 a batch of Gingerbread Cookies, (crumbled)
Instructions
- Blend everything except the cookies in a high speed blender or food processor until creamy and smooth.
- Add 1/3 of the cookie crumbles. Blend briefly to combine.
- Speed into a shallow pan or dish. Sprinkle more cookie crumbles on top.
- Freeze for at least 2 hours.
- Scoop into bowls, top with more cookie crumbles, enjoy!
- Keep in the freezer for up to 2-3 days.
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OK this is officially my favourite recipe of yours. YUMMMMMMMMMMM!
Might be my fave too 🙂
Oh my goodness, if I could just dive head first into this ice cream… well it would be messy. And tasty. And AWESOME. I’ve totally been craving/thinking up some gingerbread recipes, so naturally I’ve been craving them something fierce! This amazing, perfectly gingerbread-y colored nice cream is just EVERYTHING. Could I have a scoop or two in my stocking? Wait a minute, that’s not a good idea is it? 😉 YES, on the bread being a cookie business. But I don’t make the rules… I just eat them. Or something. Either way, I’d love to relieve you of this entire batch of ginger-cookie-bread-cookie-bread-dang-it nice cream, as well as a double batch of gingerbread cookie crumbles, but duh, it’s amazing! Come on over with your goodies, I’ll get the cones ready! 🙂
I’m having a hard time thinking up any recipes that aren’t gingerbread flavored right about now! I swear molasses and those spices just keep sneaking their way into every idea I have…not that I’m mad about it though. Haha ice cream in a stocking–that would be the ultimate melty mess? Let’s stick to cones, kay? Brb, gotta go rename this one to “ginger-cookie-bread-cookie-bread-dang-it nice cream” ? SEO gold right there! On my way…<3
Perhaps your best recipe ever?! I think yes. I love how simple it is!! And I am totally obsessed with ANYTHING gingerbread.
Pretty much two of my obsessions combined into one, so I can agree with that title haha!! Thanks Kaila <3
YESSS!! Gingerbread is my fave flavour too, and I would have it all the time. But this time of year I think to myself, “is it too early?” But now that you’ve broken the ice, I’ll take that as a no. And now I may just be having gingerbread nice cream for breakfast today. Or lunch. Or both :O
I was thinking that same thing while making this too, but now that I broke the ice(cream) bring on all the gingerbread goodies!!! Can’t wait to see what you make?
Whoa, that reads like a dream and the video brings it to life. Thank you fie sharing such an awesome nice recipe!!!! In my morning oatmeal I’m all about Cinnamon and Ginger. Even when I’m sleepy just smelling the gingerbread air makes me smile, and now i have a way to end my day the same way – a bowl of gingerbread nice cream. ?☺
Thanks for reading and watching Heidi! Mmmm yes, the smell of gingerbread baking is a treat all it’s own 🙂 Gingerbread all day long?
Oh wow lady, the color is just gorgeous, JUST like gingerbread! And you know what, I am just like you, LOVE LOVE gingerbread and ginger anything. I think the warm spice is so incredibly addicting and comforting. I love it in ice cream, too. I make a chocolate gingerbread frozen pie at the holidays and the contrast of spicy ginger with cold is so delicious. I love that you added a good pinch of each spice too. So much wonderful flavor! This is just a fantastic and simple recipe and crumbling up the cookies in it is amazing, that is exactly what I do with my pie! Oh man, now I am craving gingerbread big time!!
I have to say I am not a fan of winter weather, but I am so thrilled that it is finally time to make ginger spiced everything!!! Mmm yes very comfy and festive 🙂 Omg I’ve never combined chocolate and gingerbread–must try. You need to put that pie on your site, it sounds amazing. Mmm I want a big slice of pie with ice cream on top now haha!
All I want for christmas is youuuu (looking at the gingerbread nice cream 😀 hahahaa)
Hahahaha!! I am totally singing along with ya 😀
This is the nice cream of my DREAMS! I applaud you for coming out with a gingerbread recipe this early because people seem to think gingerbread is just for Christmas….WRONG!
Hahaha so very wrong!! Heck I should’ve posted this in July, then we could’ve been eating it all this time 😀
Bahahaha!!!! Confession…I do the same thing ? Pumpkin spice is my go-to! Easy and close enough. Funny you should mention the banana chunk problem. I’ve been slowly getting back into smoothies and smoothie bowls and today I went to take a bite and got a sizable chunk of banana ?? so I can totally understand using powdered ginger! Wow, I’m blown away by this perfect gingerbready color!! Gotta love molasses!! I’m obsessed with gingerbread treats, so I have to try this!!
Oooh more smoothies again, I am excited for you on that one!! Ha I secretly love finding a big banana chunk in my smoothie actually, it’s like mix-in you didn’t even know you mixed in 😀 Although sometimes they can be too large…like half a banana lol. Yes I was so happy with the color on this one! And if I wasn’t filming this I totally would’ve just dumped a whole bunch of pumpkin pie spice in there with a little extra ginger for good measure 🙂
Interesting recipe to eat a good ice cream without too much fat and calories.
I recently stopped smoking and I need eating light to not put on weight.
Bye!!
It could be the perfect snack then! It tastes so similar to soft serve, I usually forget it’s actually made of banana 🙂 Hope you give it a try!
Hi! Looks lovely!!! Do the bananas need to be frozen before you blend everything and put in the freezer?
Yes, definitely use already frozen bananas here, otherwise it will be an icy mess!
Your recipe looks wonderful. What would you substitute for the bananas, my son can not have bananas. This is a question we have had for a while. We appreciate any help you can offer. Thank you.
My best recommendation would be to freeze full fat coconut milk into ice cubes and then blend that instead. Similar to this recipe but without the sunbutter (although you could add some sort of nut/seed butter to make it extra creamy): https://www.feastingonfruit.com/sunbutter-soft-serve-ice-cream/ just with the spices and molasses for that gingerbread flavor. Hope that helps!