I’m very passionate about ice cream.
I love desserts, and cookies, and cakes - but ice cream is where it’s at for me. I worked at an ice cream shop called Scoops for three (four?) years. My sister and I have joked for maybe the last decade or two (perhaps someday we won’t joke about it anymore?) that we want to open up an ice cream shop one day.
The dream faded little when I quit dairy for five years. I had tried so many dairy-free ice creams, and they never live up to the vision I have of the perfect dairy-free ice cream. So I thought my ice cream days were kind of over and I was going to be a popsicle person the rest of my life (which isn’t bad but…).
Well - dear friend, I have made a sacrificial offering at the table of the ice cream gods and concocted an ice cream base that is twice as nice. Not only is it dairy-free. It’s egg-free! And simple. And DECADENT.
Three things to note:
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This recipe is for a base - this is how all great ice cream starts. I should know, I use to mix the flavor of the day. If you have a great base, you don’t need toppings to make it taste great (which is the case with most non-dairy pints you can find in the store).
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Do you want to make this with full-on dairy goodness? Pro tip - just sub in traditional whipping cream + traditional sweetened condensed milk!
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This recipe is accessible by everybody. I own an ice cream machine, and it’s currently collecting dust in my basement. All you need for this recipe is a mixer (hand or stand - you pick), a bowl, another bowl, and some kind of loaf pan. Oh, and a scoop because you’re going to get to doll out those nice beautifully round scoops of amazing dream cream.
INGREDIENTS
1 - 13oz can of coconut cream, chilled
1 - 11oz can of sweetened condensed coconut milk 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
Here I mixed in some homemade strawberry pop-tarts I had made, with some fresh strawberries as well - I call it Strawberry Dream.
METHOD
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Drain away the liquid from the coconut cream.
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Empty the coconut cream into a mixing bowl with a whisk attachment (or use a hand mixer!) and whip the coconut cream until fluffy and smooth.
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Turn the mixer down to the low setting, and drizzle the entire can of condensed milk slowly into the 'whipped' cream. Drizzling slowly down the side of the bowl ensures the cream doesn't deflate but sweetens it to perfection.
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Line a loaf pan with plastic wrap and pour in the mix. Cover with another layer of plastic wrap and pop in the freezer.
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If you are adding mix-ins - do so after allowing the mix to sit in the freezer for at least 30 mins. Remove the ice cream and fold them in to combine. That way, the mix-ins don't sink to the bottom and make for a more joyful scooping experience with bits of goodies in every scoop.
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Recover with the plastic wrap and allow to freeze for 4 more hours.
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Once firm, scoop, and serve. 🌈