Healthy Peanut Butter, Banana & Chocolate Popsicles
This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Kraft Peanut Butter. All opinions are 100% mine.Did you read the title of this post? Did you let that first word sink in real good? Ok. Good. Because it's true - these popsicles are healthy and also incredibly delicious, but the delicious part was a given with all the words that followed "healthy," right? And please note, I am well aware this has sugar and fat in it, but this is a gazillion times better for you than store bought stuff and has basically no refined sugar in it! It's also packed with protein and potassium and other really good stuff for you, so I classify this recipe healthy! Well, then, let's get to it!
I used the recipe from Beaming Baker, and simply cut it in half because I only had 4 large popsicle moulds on hand - this recipe would be enough for 6 regular popsicle moulds, so that's the serving size I've included for you below. I'll be running to the store later on to grab some more moulds because I want my freezer stocked with these all Summer long!Here are the ingredients I used (recipe reduced):
- 2 frozen bananas
- 1/2 cup unsweetened almond milk
- 3/8 cup of Kraft 100% All Natural Peanut Butter
- 2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder (ok so this is more than half, but I wanted them super chocolatey)
- 1 1/2 tablespoons pure maple syrup
- 1 1/2 tablespoons melted coconut oil
First, I added the bananas and almond milk to the blender and blended until smooth. I did not have cut bananas in the freezer, but I've found that if you run a frozen banana under warm water for a few seconds, you can start to peel it, and it's a bit of a slimy mess, but totally worth it! You do also need a pretty strong blender for this in order to not end up with chunks of banana (though chunks might not be a bad thing?).Another tip: I keep my peanut butter in the fridge. Because it's all natural, the oil sometimes separates, so when I first get it home, I mix it all up then put it in the fridge. Perfect peanut butter goodness every time!
Once you have a smooth consistency, add in everything else. This is not what the original recipe said, this is just what I did. It meant that I had to scrape the sides of my blender a bit to get all of the cocoa powder in the mix, but it was way easier than pre-mixing everything separately.
Now, I simply pour the mix into my moulds, and we're ready for the hard part - waiting for these bad boys to freeze!
They should sit in the freezer for at least a few hours (like 4?), but depending on how large your mould is they may need more or less. I held off and didn't eat one until the next day, and it was perfect!
You guys...I cannot tell you enough how delicious these are. Like just go make them RIGHT NOW! Seriously! I gave a tiny bit to the kids as a treat after dinner, and they, of course, loved it. I don't think I'll be bothering with sugary store-bought popsicles as long as my freezer is stocked with these.In case you'd like to see the nutritional info, here it is!
Oh, and yes, these moulds have a hole in the middle, which just makes me want to fill them up with peanut butter! Is that the most brilliant idea, or what?Have you ever tried making your own popsicles? Do you think that if you could blend some up in less than 10 minutes you might? Because I think you should!
Check out http://www.kraftcanada.com/brands/kraft-peanut-butter/kraft-all-natural-peanut-butter for different peanut butter flavours you can add to your healthy snacks this Summer, and definitely let me know if you try this one!