Make Your Own Coconut Milk Ice Cream

For years now, because of family members with food sensitivities, ice cream has not found its way into our freezer. That was, until companies started making rather delicious alternatives to cow's milk ice cream. Our favourite has been this coconut milk ice cream, which I think tastes as good as -- if not better -- than conventional ice cream. But at a whopping eight dollars a pint, we thought: wouldn't it be cheaper to make it ourselves? Wouldn't it be fun?

The great thing about making it yourself is it's easy and only calls for a few ingredients.  Here's a basic recipe:

1 and 1/2 cup (375 ml) coconut milk

1/3 cup (85 ml) raw honey

2 tsp (10 ml) vanilla extract

1 tbsp (15 ml) coconut oil

You can get really creative because of this common base of ingredients. Just check out this pinterest page devoted to the all different varieties you can make. Yesterday I experimented a little and, using the recipe above, made a delicious batch flavoured with mango, cardamom and ginger. I added:

1 chopped mango

a small piece of ginger root

1 tsp of crushed cardamom seeds.

Blend all the ingredients together and transfer to your ice cream maker. Process according to the manufacturer's instructions. (Don't worry if you don't have an ice cream maker. You can still make it without one. Read * note below.)

Eat it straight from the maker if you like your ice cream of soft serve consistency. If eating within the same day as making the ice cream, it will be soft enough to serve straight from the freezer. But after another day of freezing, it becomes quite hard and you will need to sit it on the counter to thaw for about 15 to 30 minutes before serving.

xo

* note: If you don't have an ice cream maker try this method: blend your ingredients, pour the mixture into an airtight container, place it in your freezer for 20 minutes, then take it out and give it a vigorous shake. Repeat this process until it reaches a desired consistency. This method works very well, although it requires you to be on alert so as to not miss each scheduled shaking time.