Peanut Butter Bacon Doggie Ice Cream
July 31, 2018 by Nicole Collins
It's my baby boy's birthday!!!
Today, my little Charlie hits double digits. I can't believe my baby is 10 years old!
Charlie has only been a part of my family for half of his little life, but it certainly feels like we've been together forever. He is just the sweetest boy in the whole wide world. And, he's a total mama's boy. His sister adores him too, though she'd never admit it to him.
When I first brought Charlie home, he was so timid. He didn't have the best start in this world; but thankfully, his trauma was nothing a little love couldn't fix.
If you're a pet parent, you know you don't just have animals...you have 4 legged children. You learn their habits and personalities just like you would with kids. And if you have more than one pet, you have to make sure everyone gets what the other one has so they don't ban against you. Again...just like with kids.
My boy loves to eat ice. He goes crazy for it! One of our first nights together, I dropped some ice on the floor. That's how I found out how much this guy loves to enjoy some ice. He plays with it. He runs off to “bury it” in the floor. Then, he finally will crunch, crunch, crunch away on it until it's gone.
We had a birthday party for Charlie this past weekend. (Yes, I throw birthday parties for my doggies, AND I make them wear party hats that they hate.) So, when I was planning Charlie's special 10th birthday treat, I knew I had to make him something frozen. I know my boy, and I knew he'd love it.
BUT...even though it's Charlie's birthday, his birthday treat has to work for little Bella too. Because, I can't give to one without giving to the other. Not only do I not have the heart to do it, but Bella would make absolute sure she's never left out.
She's the Alpha of the house.
It's funny because when I give the pups any treat, first of all, I feel like I need a “go go gadget” arm to drop the treat so I don't lose a limb. For such sweet, tiny, little dogs, their mouths are huge when there's a snack involved. So, I hand each a treat, and then they each run off to their separate corners to enjoy. It's the funniest thing.
Doggie ice cream was the perfect idea for a treat for Charlie, but not so much for Bella. Dairy makes my baby girl sick, so I had to think of another way to have a frozen treat for one without getting the other sick. And, I was able to make the perfect treat that works for them both!
So today, we're making Peanut Butter Bacon Doggie Ice Cream!
This doggie ice cream only has 4 ingredients, and it was a HUGE hit with the pups! The secret to a creamy, dairy free base is frozen bananas and coconut milk. We mimic the idea of a human “nicecream” by using really ripe bananas that have been frozen at their sweetest state. The coconut milk helps to thin out the pup cream a bit, and give it a nice scoopable texture.
My doggies are just like their mama, and they love peanut butter almost as much as I do. So, I knew I needed to add some peanut butter to their ice cream mix. The peanut butter runs through a food processor with the bananas and the coconut milk, and that's about all there is to it. Then, as an extra special mix in, I stirred some crispy crumbled bacon in at the end, just for good measure. It is birthday ice cream, after all!
The great news about this doggie ice cream is that it uses everyday ingredients that you probably already have at home, AND the ingredients are all on the “approved” list for doggies. But the real bonus for me, is that both of my babies can enjoy ice cream together while still feeling good and healthy after.
And, since this really isn't that weird of a combo of ingredients, it's totally dog mom and dog dad friendly too! I had to taste test it for them, after all. You know...to make sure I was giving them the best quality doggie iceream.
Yeah, that's it.
This recipe makes 4 servings, and it can be made ahead or have leftovers stored in the freezer. But, it's going to get VERY firm after it's been in the freezer for a couple of hours. To loosen it back up, just run your sealed ice cream container under hot water for about 10-15 seconds, and run your scoop under hot water. That will make it nice and easy to scoop out for your babies. If you're going to serve it all right away, it only needs about 30 mins in the freezer before you serve it.
But, if your doggies are anything like mine, their bowl of ice cream will be gone before you've even finished scooping it out for them. Just like any other treat, they each grabbed a mouthful of ice cream, ran off to their respective corners, and dropped what they'd hoarded in their mouths on the ground to eat at their own pace.
And that's EXACTLY why we had Charlie's birthday party outside. Mama knows best...
Alright guys, that's a wrap for today. Your doggies (and you...let's be honest) are going to love this frozen treat today. So, go and whip them up a batch right now. It's too easy.
To my little boy...Happy Birthday my little handsome man! Get ready for lots of extra snuggles today!
Enjoy, and let's party!
Peanut Butter Bacon Doggie Ice Cream
Serves: 4 Print
Ingredients:
2 very ripe bananas, quartered and frozen
½ cup coconut milk
¼ cup peanut butter
2-3 strips bacon, cooked crispy and crumbled
Directions:
Place frozen banana chunks, coconut milk, and peanut butter in a food processor. Process until smooth and creamy. Stir in crumbled bacon. Transfer to a freezer safe container. Freeze for 30 mins-1 hour before serving.
Recipe notes:
*I keep a bag of frozen bananas in my freezer at all times for smoothies, and now for doggie ice cream! When the bananas are very ripe (more black on the skin than yellow), peel and chop them in to quarters. Space them out individually on a plate or or tray, and place them in the freezer. After a few hours when they're completely frozen, transfer them to a freezer bag until ready to use.
*If you have leftovers or you're not serving this immediately, the doggie ice cream will get hard in the freezer. Run the closed container on ice cream under hot water for 10-15 seconds, and run your ice cream scoop or spoon under hot water for a few seconds. This will help the doggie ice cream to loosen up a bit and be scooped out easily.
*These ingredients are totally dog friendly and good for your pups, but keep in mind moderation is still key.
*This isn't a bad snack for the humans, either!
