Chocolate Almond Ice Cream

Hubby has been trying a no-dairy experiment for about a month and a half to see if it will help some of his chronic health problems. 


The problem? Dairy is in EVERYTHING! We have found it cropping up in hot dog buns, salt and vinegar potato chips (really?!?), granola bars, dough enhancer, rice crispy treats, etc. Food scientists of the world apparently love to throw the stuff into all foods willy-nilly. Probably they have some contract with dairy farmers. Probably it's a government conspiracy. Probably not. 


So we're surviving the no-milk and the no-cheese and no-butter okay, but I and struggling most with no ice cream. No way. 90% of the ice cream consumption in this house is driven by my cravings, and those cravings don't stop because of a no-dairy experiment.


I went to the internet. And came up with this beauty. It's creamy, it's chocolatey, it's amazing. Best of all, it's not made with something weird like tofu-whipping cream. It's made with coconut milk, which already sounds good by itself.

Homemade ice cream is very soft-set at first as it appears in the picture.
If you want it harder, just freeze it before you eat.
If you can wait. We couldn't.

Tips: Be choosy about the kind of coconut milk. Higher fat content means yummier ice cream and often a more intense coconut flavor. Do not use light coconut milk unless you combine it with very-full-fat coconut milk (14 grams of fat per 1/3 cup is about as full-fat as I've seen). Also don't use the coconut milk in cartons found in the refrigerator aisle. They are too watered down (still yummy to drink, though. I've had the samples). Use the canned stuff in the ethnic aisle. 


If desired, you can alter this recipe to make plain chocolate ice cream (just leave out the almonds and extract) or make it into mint chocolate ice cream by adding about 3/4 tsp. peppermint extract. 


Also, if you want to substitute the coconut milk with whipping cream or a combo of whipping cream and half and half, it will still be delicious! It may take a few tries to get the right ratio of milks, though.

Coconut Milk Chocolate Almond Ice Cream
Source: Whole.New.Mom.

4 cups coconut milk (about 2 or 2 1/2 cans)

1/2 - 3/4 cup sweetener*

1/2 - 3/4 cup cocoa powder

1 Tablespoon cornstarch

1 tsp. vanilla

1/4 tsp. almond extract (optional)

1/4 tsp. salt

1/2 cup chopped roasted almonds (if desired)

1/2 cup (or more) chocolate chips**

1. Combine all ingredients except almonds and chocolate chips in a blender until smooth.

2. Pour into ice cream maker cylinder and prepare according to ice cream maker instructions.

3. When ice cream is thick and nearly done, stir in nuts and chocolate chips and continue mixing until done freezing.

4. Eat right away for soft-set ice cream or freeze until hardened. 

*Sweetener can be whatever you want--straight-up white sugar, agave, honey, xylitol, splenda, etc. We used part white sugar and part agave and it was great. Agave helps prevent a grainy texture because it doesn't need to dissolve.

**DO NOT toss regular chocolate chips in from the bag. They become super crunchy and hard in the ice cream. No bueno. Do this instead:

Melt about 1/2 cup chocolate chips with 1/2 tablespoon shortening in a microwave-safe bowl in 20-30 second increments. Stir in between each increment until chocolate is smooth. Pour onto a plate or cookie sheet lined with wax paper or parchment paper until you have a thin, smooth layer. Place in freezer until hardened, about 30 minutes. Invert onto a cutting board and peel off the layer of paper. Chop into chunks of desired size to add to the ice cream when ready. Voila! Perfect chocolate chips for ice cream!