Hard Core Soft Serve

A couple of weeks ago, I discovered banana soft serve. My life is changing. I'd position this confection a little closer sherbet than soft serve, but who cares what's like; it deserves its own dessert category. Freezey flavor bombs? Raw fruit cream? Whatever you call it, it's so easy to make, so pretty-good for you, and so swear-inducingly tasty! Here are a few variations I’ve come up with since I stumbled across Gena Hamshaw (of choosingraw.com blastasticalness)’s Raw Blueberry Ginger Ice Cream recipe over the 4th of July.

Apple Pie Banana soft serve (raw, vegan)
Makes 3-4 servings

2 frozen bananas

2 small red delicious apples, chopped and frozen (I’d have prefered something closer to Fuji, but this is what I had on hand)

1 Tablespoon lemon juice

3 Tablespoons almond milk

1/4 teaspoon cloves

1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1/4 teaspoon allspice

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon vanilla

2 oz crushed pecans

2 Tablespoons ground flax seeds

Blend everything together until texture is creamy, top with nuts or whatever you'd like, and devour. 

This one could have used some sort of crust, but I still enjoyed it mightily. Also, it didn’t do quite as well as a leftover as the Blueberry Ginger. Might just have to eat the whole thing next time.

Next up: I friggin love bananas. Their flavor, their nutritional content, how you can do next to anything with them... but my fella just can't abide this wonderfruit (also on that list: Elton John, Disney movies, and “The Final Countdown.” Somehow we're still together). I wanted to bring the magic of raw soft serve to him, though, so I put our differences aside and made the following variation, using mango instead of banana as a base.

Tropical Soft Serve Night (raw, vegan) (recommended listening)
Makes 3-4 servings

2 Cups (10 oz) frozen mango, chopped

1/2 Cup frozen pineapple, chopped

1/2 Cup frozen peaches, chopped

3-4 Tablespoons full-fat coconut milk

1/4 cup crushed macadamia nuts (I soaked them for about 30 minutes first)

1/2 Tablespoon lime juice

Blend to perfection for a flavor explosion. 

One thing to consider: this variation is super sweet. This wasn't a deal-breaker for me, but next time, I'll try subbing peaches for some or all of the pineapple to take the sugar factor down a notch. The texture for this one was on point, especially when covered with crushed macadamias. 

You'll just have to use your
imagination on this one.

Food52.com (via Hamshaw, of course!) has a ton of other variations to try, and here are some more ideas that have been floating around in my head with summer fruits in full swing:

Chocolate Cherry, with frozen cherries and cacao nibs

Melon, with cantaloupe, honeydew, and maybe some cucumber

Lemon Strawberry