Coconuts

Another (vegan) coconut ice cream recipe.  Because coconut is amazing-- and it contains plenty of healthy fats so needs no dairy to become creamy.

Plus, it is both healthier and easier than making dairy ice cream with eggs and cream.

This one has undertones of tropical fruit.  It freezes well.  This recipe is a keeper, but does require a really high quality blender-- if you don't have that, soak the cashews in some coconut milk overnight or for at least a few hours and replace the dates with another sweetener, and this should still work fine.


Coconut Ice Cream With a Hint of Tropical Fruit

1 can of full fat coconut milk
About 1/2 can worth of unsweetened vanilla almond milk
About 1/2 can worth of unsweetened plain boxed coconut milk
2 kiwis, peeled
A few chunks of frozen pineapple
1 tablespoon cornstarch
Small handful of raw cashews
2-4 tablespoons maple syrup
1-3 tablespoons of sugar
2 dates, pitted and chopped a bit
Large handful unsweetened coconut flakes

Put everything but the flaked coconut in the blender (start with the lower amounts of syrup and sugar).  Blend thoroughly.  Taste for sweetness level and add additional sugar or syrup.  It should be slightly sweeter than you want it in the end.  Once you blend in any additional sweetener, put the flakes in and quickly blend on low speed to incorporate and chop up just a bit.

Now use the Jeni's home trick to quickly cool your mixture (Jeni's ice cream, that is, get the cookbook it's amazing):  Pour the mixture into a gallon zip lock bag and close it.  Then fill a large bowl with ice and cold water, and plunge the bag into the ice bath.  Leave it in the bath for 15 or more minutes, until the contents of the bag feels as cold as the ice water.  Then pour into your ice cream maker by clipping off a corner of the bottom of the bag. Follow your ice cream maker instructions (my Kitchen Aid takes 10 minutes of churning and voila!, c'est ca).