Chunky Elvis Ice Cream, an easy homemade ice cream recipe with bananas, honey, peanut butter, and bacon! Fun summer dessert!
Chunky Elvis Ice Cream recipe – homemade ice cream with peanut butter, bananas, honey, and bacon! Although everyone seems to be talking about fall right now, I’m holding on to summer just a little longer! Technically, we have another month of summer left so to celebrate I made homemade ice cream! Ok, that’s not exactly true, but do you really need a reason for homemade ice cream? And do you really need a reason for Chunky Elvis Ice Cream?
I felt a little bad that I didn’t have more detailed recipes for my Ice Cream Pie Extravaganza earlier this summer. So to make it up to everyone I have a few recipes for homemade ice cream coming up. If you don’t have an ice cream maker, I’ll give you some tips on how to turn store-bought ice cream into these flavors or make the ice cream without a maker.
I’ve had a lot of friends ask me if they need an ice cream maker to make homemade ice cream. The answer is kind of yes and no. Yes, there are lots of recipes out there for ice cream that does not require an actual “maker”. Technically you could take this recipe and any other and stick the liquid ice cream base directly in the freezer and it will freeze and probably taste good (how could it not with cream, sugar, and all the add-ins???).
HOWEVER, an ice cream maker will whip air into the mixture and gives it a different texture. If you don’t have an ice cream maker, I have also heard you can put the liquid ice cream base into the freezer and stir it every 10-20 minutes to help with the texture. But if you a little room and a little money to spend I would definitely recommend an ice cream maker. I
love my Cusinart ice cream maker! There are lots of small and cheap models out there right now. You can also use an ice cream maker to make frozen drinks, sorbets, frozen yogurt, etc. You can also buy vanilla ice cream at the grocery store and mix in all the add-ins to make your own semi-homemade ice cream in any flavor you want. Shhhhh…no one will ever know!
So about my Chunky Elvis ice cream…I was recently thinking about my trip to Atlanta (see my Atlanta write-up) this spring where I had an Elvis burger. Not sure I’ll do the Elvis burger thing again, but I think I would make this Elvis inspired ice cream again! Gosh, I miss Atlanta! I’m sure you’re all familiar with the Elvis sandwich which contained peanut butter, bananas, fried bacon, and sometimes honey.
This ice cream contains a roasted honey banana flavored ice cream with chunks of peanut butter candy coated bacon! Sounds crazy I know, but it was actually really good! If you’re a little nervous about the bacon, it doesn’t have a HUGE bacon flavor. It’s more of a subtle saltiness. If you WANT more of a bacon flavor, you may want to add more bacon. This is not for the faint of heart, but definitely a show stopper if you’re looking for something fun and kind of whimsical!
Start with some medium to large ripe bananas, and cut them into thick slices.
Place the bananas in a greased baking dish with some chunks of butter and honey drizzled on top. Bake at 400 degrees until they are brown and soft.
While the bananas are in the oven, place the bacon slices in a single layer on baking sheets and cook alongside the bananas in the oven. You can cook the bacon in the microwave or in a pan but I figured I already had the oven on so might as well do it all at once.
When the bacon is cooked, drain on paper towels then chop. Try to leave some of the bacon for the ice cream. :)
Cool the cooked bananas completely. To speed this process up you can refrigerate them for awhile.
Place the bananas, milk/cream, sugar, and vanilla in a blender and process until smooth. You may have to do this in batches if your blender is not very big. If your bananas were completely cooled and your milk/cream was cold you should be able to put the liquid base right into your ice cream maker. However, if the mixture is not very cold, refrigerate for at least a few hours or overnight for better results.
While your ice cream is in the ice cream maker. Melt the peanut butter chips in the microwave and mix in the bacon pieces. Spread on wax paper and refrigerate until hard. Coarsely chop and try not to eat too much of it. I’ve heard it’s addictive. :)
When the ice cream is done mix in the peanut butter bacon pieces. I stirred in about half and kept the rest to sprinkle on top of the ice cream when serving but you can mix it all in if you want.
So here you go…Chunky Elvis Ice Cream!
Hope you enjoy! This ice cream would also be great with some homemade peanut butter sauce for ice cream! Delish! You might also like this Bacon & Apples Foster.
Chunky Elvis Ice Cream
Ingredients
- 4 bananas sliced
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter cubed
- 1/4 cup honey
- 1 pound bacon
- 10 ounces peanut butter chips
- 1 cup heavy cream (cold)
- 1 cup whole milk (cold)
- 1/3 cup granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Spray a 13×9-inch baking dish with nonstick cooking spray. Place bananas in baking dish and top with butter cubes and honey. Bake for about 30-45 minutes, stirring every 10-15 minutes, or cook until bananas are brown and soft. Place bananas aside to cool completely.
- Meanwhile, place bacon on baking sheet(s) in single layer and bake at 400 degrees F for about 20-30 minutes or until crispy. Drain on paper towels, finely chop, and cool.
- Place peanut butter chips in large microwave safe bowl. Microwave on high power for 30 second intervals, stirring after each interval, until smooth. Stir in bacon until completely covered. Pour mixture onto a wax paper lined baking sheet (or plate/tray) and place in refrigerator for about 5-10 minutes to harden. When peanut butter is hard, remove from refrigerator and coarsely chop.
- Place cream, milk, sugar, vanilla, and roasted bananas in blender (do in batches if your blender is not that big) and process until smooth. Refrigerate if necessary so that liquid is cold before placing in your ice cream maker. Pour liquid into ice cream maker and make according to manufacturer directions. When done, stir in half (or all if desired) of the peanut butter/bacon pieces then serve immediately or freeze for a harder consistency. Serve with additional peanut butter/bacon pieces if desired.
Notes
Nutrition:
(Nutrition data is provided when available for informational purposes only and calculated using an online nutritional calculator. For the most accurate information please calculate based on specific ingredients and brands you use as well as any changes you made to the recipe. I am not a certified nutritionist or registered dietician and any nutritional information provided should only be used as a general guideline and estimate.)
About Lisa Huff
Lisa Huff is a Cookbook Author, Freelance Recipe Developer, Food Photographer, Blogger/Writer, and award-winning home chef. She loves creating unique recipes from healthy to decadent including cocktails, appetizers, main dishes, dessert recipes and more and has appeared on various shows, publications, and websites.
i made this for a church function. BIG hit with the preacher
Thanks Tim!!
What kind of bananas did you use? Some bananas become sour when cooked or mixed with other ingredients. Were the bananas used riped or not? does it matter?
The bananas should be sweet, ripe, and firm but not overripe or mushy like you would for banana bread.
Loved the bacon and peanut butter!
Love that you roasted bananas for this!
I saw this on a 4th of July roundup and just had to pin it. I hope you’ll share your best post of the week on my Friday Flash Blog Linky Party going on ALL weekend at The Jenny Evolution.
Jennifer
thejennyevolution.com
I thought the bacon and peanut butter part was really good, but the banana ice cream part was not as good as other banana ice cream recipes that I’ve made. Some of those have a lot of eggs and cream and such, which would make the thing pretty crazy in fat and calories. But probably super delicious. Maybe only to be eaten on Elvis’ Birthday and such. :)
I am trying to figure out if I want to try this or not. I really dislike bananas, a lot. But I am a fiend when it comes to bacon or peanut butter, although I have never tried them together. Maybe I will make two batches. One with the bananas and one without.
Jessica
Hi Jessica, If you are unsure about the bananas you could just mix in the peanut butter bacon pieces into vanilla ice cream. It’s not a reallly strong banana flavor and roasting them does give them a slightly different flavor so you may like it. But I like bananas, so I can’t say for sure. :)