Chocolate Coconut Milk Ice Cream - Dairy & Egg Free

I mentioned that I have been experimenting with making homemade ice-cream.  (My good friend has been letting me borrow hers for several weeks and I am finally going to purchase my own.  I just returned it tonight, so I will be motivated to purchase it soon in order to continue enjoying these delicious treats!)  I also mentioned that I put my husband on an anti-inflammatory detox diet.  One of the things he must avoid is dairy, so he can no longer enjoy my delicious ice-cream treats when on his detox.  Major bummer!  So I decided to try my hand at a coconut milk based ice-cream.  He requested chocolate, and the results were, and I quote:

"Meg, this is amazing!  Better than anything you've bought at the store!"

Boy, do I love it when my husband sings my praises!  I hope your husbands will sing praises to you, too, when you give this recipe a try!

Now in all fairness to put credit where credit is due, I used this recipe from Emma of The Kitchn as inspiration and tweaked it to make it chocolate flavored.  Here's exactly what I did::

Chocolate Coconut Milk Ice-Cream

• 2 cans full fat coconut milk (I just bought this brand this brand because it has no additives and the can lining is BPA free)
• 1/2 cup sweetener (I used organic cane sugar , but honey, maple syrup, or coconut sugar would be excellent choices as well)*
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon arrowroot flour/starch
• 1/2 tablespoon vanilla extract
• 1/3 cup cacao (or cocoa) powder
• 1/3 cup chocolate chips (I like Enjoy Life  because they're dairy/soy/nut free or SunSpire  because they're fair trade, though Sunspire does contain soy)

*A note on sweeteners: I don't recommend agave nectar as it is really more processed and not really a "raw" product as marketed, and is very high in fructose - more so than high fructose corn syrup.  Please see this article and this article for further information to help you form your own preference of opinion.

Don't forget to freeze your ice-cream maker bowl in advance of preparing this recipe!!!

1.  Pour coconut milk into a saucepan, reserving 1/2 cup for mixing the arrowroot starch into.  The coconut milk often separates, especially if cold, so shake it up for easier pouring.

2.  Add the sweetener and salt into the saucepan with the coconut milk. Warm over medium-low heat until the sweetener (if granular) has dissolved.

3.  Whisk the arrowroot starch into the reserved coconut milk until dissolved, then add to the warmed coconut milk while stirring/whisking gently.

4.  Whisk in the cacao powder until well-blended (ok if mixture appears still somewhat granular from the cacao powder).

5.  Increase the heat to medium.  Stirring occasionally, heat the coconut milk mixture until thickened enough to coat the back of a wooden spoon.  Do not allow the mixture to come to a boil.

6.  Once mixture is close to being thickened, add the chocolate chips and allow them to melt, then stir to incorporate.

7.  Remove saucepan from the heat and add vanilla.

8.  Using an immersion blender (pouring into a regular blender would probably be fine, too), blend the mixture until smooth and creamy.  This step takes care of any of the cacao powder or melted chocolate that didn't quite come together with just stirring/whisking.

9.  Allow the mixture to cool on the counter a bit, then chill in the fridge at least 4 hours and even up to 3 days (I chilled mine overnight).

10.  Churn in your ice-cream maker according to the manufacturers instructions.  (The machine I used  usually takes 20-30 minutes, and this recipe took less than 10 minutes for me, so keep an eye on it!)

11. Scoop into a freezer-safe container (I prefer glass) and freeze until solid, usually a few hours.  A piece of parchment paper against the surface of the ice-cream can help prevent the formation of ice crystals. 

Variations:  Omit the chocolate and cacao powder (maybe increase the vanilla) for a more coconut or vanilla flavored ice-cream.  Add chocolate chips or nuts if you like...be creative!  For a peanut butter ice-cream, my friend Molly at Ditching The Processed likes this recipe.

I found this ice-cream to be a little harder than a dairy ice-cream right out of the freezer, so it may need to sit on the counter a couple of minutes before scooping.  The result was super creamy and perfectly balanced chocolate heavenly deliciousness!  I hope that you enjoy it as much as my husband and I did!