Frozen Cottage Cheese Bark Recipe:- The tempting frozen cottage cheese bark features chocolate-y swirls and crunchy peanuts, in addition to creamy peanut butter cottage cheese. The preparation of this high-protein snack takes about five minutes, and it is as close to nirvana as I can get to chocolate peanut butter. In my variation, viral banana bark is combined with viral cottage cheese bark to create a snack that is absolutely wonderful.
Frozen Cottage Cheese Bark Recipe
The viral culinary trends that are trending on social media are something that I tend to view with a healthy amount of skepticism. A mixture of sparkling water and balsamic vinegar? Is there butter in tea? What is that strange pink pickle that is wrapped in candy that you saw on TikTok? I’m sorry, but I’m not interested. However, why is cottage cheese bark frozen? It piques my interest.
I have a MASSIVE craving for sweets, and I enjoy indulging in a treat on a daily basis. I am currently in a phase of my life where I am raising young children, and I find that having a cup of tea and a sweet snack in the afternoon helps me get through the day. And when will I be able to locate anything that can serve as both a great dessert and a snack that is packed in protein? That is a victory. This is a recipe for a nutritious snack that everyone in my family enjoys eating.
A few reasons this recipe works:
- Blending the cottage cheese makes it virtually unidentifiable as cottage cheese- removing the texture aversion that some people experience. (My husband doesn’t like cottage cheese but totally didn’t recognize it when I fed him a piece!)
- Using whole milk cottage cheese makes this an almost decadent treat with a yummy, creamy texture.
- Fun toppings like a chocolate peanut butter swirl, granola and peanuts add texture and flavor.
- The layer of bananas contributes to the frozen creaminess of the bark while providing natural sweetness.
- This cottage cheese bark recipe takes about five minutes to whip up, uses a handful of wholesome ingredients and stores amazingly well in the freezer for whenever you want a chomp of crunchy frozen dessert.
- Each serving boasts 9 grams of protein, 8 grams of heart-healthy fats and 180 calories.
What you’ll need to make cottage cheese bark:
In order to achieve the ideal level of sweetness, choose bananas that are ripe but not overripe.
For a creamier texture, I suggest using full-fat cottage cheese; however, you can also use low-fat cottage cheese or fat-free cottage cheese. Cottage cheese: I recommend using fully fat cottage cheese.
Our base layer is sweetened with honey, which also serves to balance the tanginess that is present in the cottage cheese. In addition to that, you might use agave nectar or maple syrup.
When it comes to peanut butter, I choose the Kirkland Signature organic natural peanut butter that is sold at Costco. I just adore how it has the perfect amount of drizzle. In the event that you are using an emulsified peanut butter such as Jif or Skippy, you should warm it up in the microwave for a few seconds so that you may glaze it over the bark.
The base layer can be flavored with vanilla essence to add a touch of delicious vanilla taste.
Any kind of chocolate, including chocolate chunks or chocolate chips. I used chunks of dark chocolate that were 72%.
As for the toppings, I really enjoy the combination of crushed peanuts, granola (I really like this one! ), and a little bit of flaky sea salt, but this is the point when you can let your imagination go wild and use whatever toppings you really enjoy! (for some suggestions, see the section on variations)
See Also: Healthy Blueberry Crumble Recipe
How to make frozen cottage cheese bark:
Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper or silicone baking mat (wax paper should work too).
Arrange the bananas slices in a rectangle. Two bananas should give you about 35 slices to make a 5×7 banana rectangle.
Cottage cheese, two tablespoons of peanut butter, honey, and vanilla extract should be mixed together in a food processor or blender on a high performance setting. Blend the cottage cheese mixture until it is completely smooth.
A tip on serving: this is pretty hard straight from the freezer. I like to let mine sit at room temperature for 5-10 minutes until it’s softened a bit. It’s still cold, creamy and frozen but more the texture of ice cream versus a hard bark. It is SO good.
Variation ideas:
- Pumpkin cinnamon: blend pumpkin puree, cinnamon and almond butter into the base and top with granola
- Berry cheesecake: blend cottage cheese with frozen mixed berries and top with crushed graham crackers and more berries
- Oreo dark chocolate swirl: add melted chocolate to the base and top with more dark chocolate chips and crushed Oreo pieces
- Peanut butter and jelly: add peanut butter and fruit jam to the base and swirl extra into the top
- Trail mix: top cottage cheese bark with chopped nuts and dried fruits
- Strawberries and cream: add a spoonful of strawberry jam to the base, swirl it into the top and top with chopped fresh strawberries
- Fruit pizza: top with all of your favorite fresh fruits
- Lemon poppyseed: add lemon extract to the base and top with poppy seeds, granola or chopped nuts
- Healthy frozen yogurt bark: replace the cottage cheese with plain Greek yogurt and use the chocolate peanut butter flavor combo of this recipe or any of the above flavor ideas!
INGREDIENTS
- 2 bananas, sliced
- 2 cups cottage cheese
- 2–3 tablespoons honey
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 3 tablespoons peanut butter, divided
- 3 tablespoons chocolate chips, melted
- 2 tablespoons peanuts, chopped
- 3 tablespoons granola
- Flaky sea salt (optional)