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Wednesday, June 26, 2013

Banana Coconut Ice Cream (made with coconut milk)


You were always told to never trust a book by its cover. Well, you also shouldn't always judge a blog post by its title. Yes, this ice cream is made with coconut milk, but it is also made with cream. So, if you were looking for a non-dairy alternative, this isn't the recipe for you. BUT, if you are looking for a totally yummy ice cream recipe made with less dairy than usual, then you are at the right place. I made this ice cream the other day with coconut milk because I didn't have enough cream to make ice cream the old-fashioned way. I also didn't have any whole milk, but I did have one can of coconut milk in the cupboard. I have been seeing coconut milk ice cream recipes all over lately, so I improvised and was totally happy with the results!

The ice cream turned out amazingly delicious. It is the perfect amount of creaminess and it's a tasty tropical treat that is just perfect for hot and humid days like today. As an added bonus, it's super easy to make, as long as you have an automatic ice cream maker. And if you don't have one, you should buy one. Seriously.

Recipe for Banana Coconut Ice Cream 


INGREDIENTS:
1 13.5 ounce can of coconut milk
5 ounces of heavy cream
5 ounces of 2% milk
1/2 cup of granulated sugar
1 vanilla bean
3/4 tsp. of high quality vanilla extract
1 ripe small banana, mashed
3 Tbsp. of sweetened shredded flaked coconut

DIRECTIONS:
Put the coconut milk, cream, milk, and sugar into a large bowl. Use an electric hand mixer set on medium low speed to mix ingredients together until well incorporated. Split the vanilla bean lengthwise and scrape out the inside, and add the vanilla beans to the bowl. Discard of the vanilla bean. Add in the vanilla extract and mashed banana, then mix together with a whisk or with the electric hand mixer until all the banana is incorporated and the mixture is smooth.  Cover the bowl and put it into the fridge for about an hour.

Pour the batter into the bowl of an automatic ice cream maker and make according to manufacturer directions. Add the shredded coconut into the ice cream maker bowl while it is running, about 5 minutes before it is finished. Put ice cream in an airtight container, put in the freezer, and eat after it has set for about 30 minutes. YUM!

Top ice cream with extra coconut and some pretty sugar sprinkles, if desired.