Chocolate Cookie Dough Popsicles

• Medjool dates - Dates help the cookie dough stick together. I choose Medjool dates because they're softer and sweeter than other varieties and work the best in this recipe. If you use different dates, you will probably have to use more of them to get the same consistency or you could also add more nut butter to help everything stick together better.
• Cacao powder - You can use either cacao or cocoa powder in this recipe. I prefer cacao which is the unroasted raw version. I find it has a deeper chocolatey flavor and generally has more nutrients. Use whichever one you like and prefer.
• Almond flour - This is what makes the cookie dough have the proper texture without adding any actual flour. If you can't eat nuts, you can also use regular flour or gluten-free flour but make sure to roast it before adding it make it safe to eat. Check out Shugary Sweet's post on How to Heat Treat Flour.
• Almond butter - Nut butter is what helps the cookie dough to stick together along with the dates. You can use any nut or seed butter you like.
• Cinnamon and vanilla extract - These two are optional but add a ton of flavor. The cinnamon adds flavor and helps your body to absorb sugar more slowly. Vanilla rounds the flavors and just adds that little something. You can use any form of vanilla - extract, paste, or vanilla bean all work great.
• Bananas - Bananas add sweetness and creaminess. The sugar content of bananas helps the ice cream stay softer instead of being rock solid after freezing. Use ripe bananas but they don't have to be as ripe as the ones you'd use for banana bread.
• Coconut milk - I use regular full-fat coconut milk from a can. You can also use boxed coconut milk if necessary but canned coconut milk is preferred. It makes the ice cream extra creamy and decadent which is perfect with the fudgy cookie dough.
• Maple syrup - A little bit of maple syrup is added to sweeten the ice cream. You can omit this and add more coconut milk or water instead to keep your popsicles lower in sugar. The mixture might seem sweet enough without it but everything tastes less sweet after freezing so I add a little bit of maple syrup to make up for that. I promise it doesn't make it too sweet and you'll be glad you added some!

Cookie Dough

1. Add the almond flour, cacao powder, and sea salt to a food processor. I prefer using a food processor over a blender for this because it's wider and the cookie dough is easier to take out and the food processor is easier to clean.
2. Pulse the dry ingredients together to mix. Add the dates and almond butter. Process until cookie dough forms. It should only take a few minutes but that depends on the strength of your food processor. You might have to stop and scrape down the sides once or twice.
3. The cookie dough is ready when you can easily form a ball out of it. If it's too dry, add a Medjool date or a teaspoon of almond butter. If it's too wet, add a tablespoon of almond flour.
4. Set it aside while you make the banana ice cream.

Banana Ice Cream

1. Add bananas, coconut milk, maple syrup, vanilla extract, and ground cinnamon to a high-speed blender.
2. Blend on high until smooth.

1. Pour the banana ice cream mixture into your popsicle molds about ½ to ¾ way up.
2. Start crumbling the cookie dough into each popsicle and use the back of a spoon or a popsicle stick to push it to the bottom and move the pieces around in the ice cream. You will either have leftover ice cream or leftover cookie dough. I usually add all the cookie dough the recipe yields to make the popsicles extra fudgy but the ratio is up to you. Reserve about ¼ cup of the cookie dough for the end.
3. Add a little more of the ice cream mixture to each mold and stick a popsicle stick in each popsicle. The mixture is very thin but the cookie dough should help the sticks easily stay upright. Crumble the leftover cookie dough around each popsicle stick.
4. Transfer the molds carefully into the freezer and freeze for at least 8-12 hours.
5. To get the popsicles out, run the molds under hot water for a few seconds and the popsicles should be easy to pull out. If they're not, run them under hot water again briefly.
6. Place them on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and flash freeze to make sure they're properly frozen before storing so they don't stick together.
7. Transfer to a freezer-safe container or a bag and store in the freezer for up to 2-4 months.

More Popsicles

If you're craving even more popsicles and want to have a variety to choose from in your freezer (yes please!), try the two below! To see all the latest dessert recipes, head to the Desserts category.

• Mango Popsicles
• Orange Strawberry Sunrise Popsicles