Honey Sweetened Coconut Ice Cream 

Lactose and egg free ice cream with walnuts, shaved chocolate and sweetened with honey.

I am not sure why I’ve never tried this until now. Maybe it was because I can only handle so much coconut. I cannot stand coconut water and shredded coconut gets stuck in my teeth, much like nuts do. I have had coconut ice cream at thai restaurants in the past, but I believe I didn’t like it because it was more like a sorbet than an ice cream.

 If your body cannot process milk or eggs, what else are you going to do? Eat coconut! Despite  Coconut cream having the same fat content as heavy cream, it is comprised of medium chain fatty acids that actually promote fat burn rather than fat gain. However, be mindful of your portions. I would recommend 1 scoop per serving which equates to 1/3 cup. It is pretty rich, so you might not need much more to satisfy your ice cream cravings.

When buying coconut cream, you are looking for cream, not milk. The name itself suggests it will be thicker. Stay away from lite coconut. The lite variety is more watery and will not whip into a cream. Also look at the label to make sure the brand you choose isn’t full of added ingredients and sugar. You want pure, raw coconut cream. 

Here is what you need:

1 can coconut cream

4-5 tablespoons honey

2 tablespoons chopped walnuts (more if you are a nut lover)

2 tablespoons chocolate chips (more if you are a chocolate lover)

Empty the can of coconut cream into a mixing bowl. Mix on high, beating air into the cream, causing it to fluff, much like whiped cream. Once fluffy, add your honey and nuts. You can also chop or shave chocolate into the cream, but I used my ice cream maker to add my chocolate. I will explain later.

If you don’t have an ice cream maker, spoon your cream into a loaf pan and place in the freezer until firm.

If you have an ice cream maker, pour your cream into the frozen mixing bowl and turn it on. Let it churn for a minute or two. While it’s churning, melt two tablespoons chocolate chips in the microwave or double broiler. With the ice cream still churning, touch the spoon filled with melted chocolate to the inside of the frozen bowl. As the bowl churns, it will shave the chocolate from the walls. I like adding it this way because the chocolate pieces are softer. After you have added your chocolate, don’t let the ice cream churn for too much longer, unless you want chocolate ice cream.

Pour the curned cream into a loaf pan and place in the freezer until firm. 

When you remove the firm cream from the freezer, let it rest on the counter for a few minutes before serving. Doing so too soon will cause it to fall apart rather than be creamy. It should scoop easily from the pan. 

Enjoy!