Tuesday, June 10, 2008

Coconut Cream Ice Cream

So I found a recipe for Coconut Ice Cream a few weeks ago and decided to make 1 batch of this ice cream for Matthew's birthday party. Oh my it was heavenly and smooth and if you love coconut you would L-O-V-E this. Seriously, one of the best ice creams I've made so far (right up there with the decadent chocolate ice cream).

My parents got us an Ice Cream maker for Christmas and we haven't eaten much store bought ice cream ever since.

The key to a really smooth ice cream is once you make the base is to freeze it for an hour before you put into the ice cream maker. I don't know why but this helps make the ice cream smoother (my brother taught our whole family this trick). Jordan made a batch without doing this step and it was definitely not as smooth.

This recipe is not low cal, but if you enjoy just a little bit at a time it can go a long way. It's so smooth and creamy and rich you really don't need to eat a lot to feel satisfied.

Coconut Ice Cream:
1 cup milk (I used whole for extra smoothness)
1 (14 oz.) can cream of coconut (not coconut milk)
1 1/2 cups heavy cream
1 1/2 cups sweetened flaked coconut

Combine the milk and cream of coconut in a mixer, and mix thoroughly. Stir in cream and flaked coconut. Freeze 1 hr. Transfer to the ice cream maker and mix thoroughly. Transfer to freezer container and freeze again in freezer.

-Cream of Coconut is not coconut milk. It would be like substituting canned milk for sweetened consensed milk. It's just not the same. I had never used before and finally found at a specialty store in the liquor section for making pina coladas. It kind of looks like shampoo, but yummy!
-I found this set of bowls at Ikea that have been perfect for my Ice Cream. They come in a pack of three and include lids and are perfect for the freezer. They are cheap too!
-My parents bought us this ice cream maker. I love it. It's the perfect size and I can usually make 2 batches of ice cream in 1 day. Once in the morning and then in the evening. The bowl has to be frozen solid before you mix the ice cream so it takes a little bit to refreeze after a batch.

So if you have an ice cream maker and you haven't indulged yourself yet, at least start with a basic recipe and go from there. I have some great vanilla and chocolate recipes and I made a killer Oreo this weekend too. Email me if you need help (flwrgirl@gmail.com). I'd love to get you on the homemade ice cream bandwagon!

Enjoy yummy summer treats!

2 comments:

Em said...

I'm sooo sorry I missed the party! The ballet went longer than expected. Now you might just have to make the coconut ice cream again sometime so I can taste it!

Tiana Johnson said...

Okay, you've inspired me! I'm pulling my ice cream maker out! It sounds divine, and though it's not low calorie, at least homemade ice cream is free of preservatives and has just simple, pure ingredients. Thanks for the tips!!!!