It could reach 90 degrees tomorrow in Denver and it's still April! When it's that hot, ice cream is on the menu around here!!! Its only going to get warmer, so there will be plenty of cold treat recipes coming your way!!
I have so many ice cream ideas and wasn't sure what to try first! The challenge is that to make it dairy free, the main ingredient is full fat coconut milk. Coconut milk tends to have a coconut taste to it and I want to hide that in most of the flavors. It's a hard thing to do and most of you will still taste a bit of it.
This Dairy Free Cherry Chocolate Chip Ice Cream recipe was VERY well received by my mom's husband...who I would consider an ice cream addict! He said he could easily eat it in place of the real deal. It's not as creamy, but don't you worry, I have plans to make some of the other flavors a bit creamier tasting. Besides, once you add all the goodies, like the chocolate chips, nuts, nut butters or fruit, you have forgotten it's dairy free and realize how good it really is!!
I bought an ice cream maker last year and love it!! I have the Cuisinart ICE-21 that can be used for ice cream, sorbet, and frozen yogurt. It's so easy and quick to use! It can be found online or at Bed, Bath and Beyond for a very reasonable price, plus you can use a 20% off coupon on it! It's worth it! I used it for this recipe but I think you can just freeze this in a bowl and have a similar experience!
Recipe: Dairy Free Cherry Chocolate Chip Ice Cream
Ingredients
- 1 can full fat coconut milk
- 1/3 cup unsweetened vanilla coconut or almond milk from carton
- 10 oz bag frozen cherries
- 1/4 cup honey
- 1/4 tsp vanilla beans
- 1 tbsp vanilla extract
- 1 cup dark chocolate chips or broken chocolate bar pieces or Enjoy Life Dairy Free Chips for complete dairy free option
InstructionsNotes:
- Combine all of the ingredients except chocolate in a Vitamix or high powered blender
- Blend until completely smooth
- Transfer mixture to ice cream maker and follow the machines instructions. If you don't have an ice cream maker, pour into an airtight container
- Add in the chocolate pieces when there's about 5 minutes left in the process or stir into mixture before freezing if you do not have an ice cream maker
Ice cream will be like soft serve from the ice cream maker. If you want it harder, place in the freezer until desired consistency is reached. Store in an airtight container and let it sit out for about 15 minutes before serving.
