“I hate the heat. When it gets above 65° F, I get cranky,” says my friend Jessica.
No doubt about it. When summer hits, a big ole’ need to stay cool tops the list of dietary concerns!
Right?
And if you or your kiddos, like Jessica, get cranky in the heat and need to eat cold foods a lot during the summer to keep your cool…
…I have just the thing for you.
This dark chocolate ice cream with bits of crispy nuts, coconut, and chocolate chunks for a crunch!
As written, the recipe is dairy-free, but you can use whole milk or cream if you’d like, too! You’ll love it!
By the way, this dark chocolate ice cream recipe comes from Jessica Espinoza, friend and blogger at Delicious Obsessions.
It’s from her brand-new eBook, The Splendid Scoop, which contains 10 more delicious and easy dairy-free frozen treat recipes — ice creams, floats, popsicles, slushes, pies, and more — plus tips and trick for homemade ice cream perfection.
Jessica gave me special permission to share this recipe from her book! Thank you, Jessica! Enjoy!
Dark Chocolate Crunch Ice Cream {Dairy-Free}
Who can resist the temptation of dark chocolate ice cream and crunchy pecans and walnuts? Not me! What a deliciously wonderful combination.
Ingredients
- 4 cups full fat coconut milk or whole milk or cream
- 2 to 4 tablespoon coconut sugar or organic cane sugar, whiz it up in a food processor to make it extra fine
- 1/8 teaspoon powdered stevia extract optional - add 1-2 extra tbsp. of sugar if you omit this
- 1/3 to 1/2 cup cocoa powder more or less to suit your taste preferences - you can also sub carob powder
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract OR vanilla bean powder
- 1/2 teaspoon almond extract
- 1 to 2 tablespoon rum vodka, etc. OR grass-fed gelatin (optional)
- 3/4 cup pecans *crispy
- 3/4 cup walnuts *crispy
- 1/2 cup unsweetened shredded coconut toasted flakes
- 1/4 cup chocolate chips
Instructions
-
Mix all the ingredients except nuts, toasted coconut, and chocolate chips together with a hand mixer until thoroughly combined.
-
Chill completely, at least 4-6 hours, or overnight.
-
Prepare according to your ice cream maker's instructions.
-
About halfway through the churning time, add the nuts, coconut, and chocolate chunks. That way everything doesn't sink to the bottom.
Recipe Notes
- Click here to learn how to make crispy nuts.
- No ice cream maker? No problem. Refer to the instructions on page 8 of The Splendid Scoop. You'll want to add the nuts, coconut, and chocolate chunks once the mixture starts to solidify. That way everything doesn't sink to the bottom.
About The Book: The Splendid Scoop
The Splendid Scoop and Other Frozen Treats contains 11 delicious and easy dairy-free recipes plus tips and tricks for homemade ice cream perfection… even if you don’t have an ice cream maker!
You will learn:
- Why making your own ice cream and frozen treats at home is better than buying them at the store (even the organic ones!).
- Tips and tricks for homemade ice cream success.
- How to make ice cream without an ice cream maker (it’s easier than you think!).
- Delicious dairy-free recipes the whole family will love (recipes are also gluten and free and can easily be adapted for the autoimmune protocol as well).
- Extensive resource suggestions for real food, wellness, and beyond.
Here are the recipes:
- Creamy Vanilla Ice Cream
- Dark Chocolate Crunch Ice Cream (revealed free! above)
- Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream
- Cherry Vanilla Ice Cream
- Bananas Foster Ice Cream
- Summer Berry “Ice Cream” Pie
- Frozen Hot Chocolate
- Lemon Banana Coconut Shake
- Strawberry Mint Watermelon Slush
- Red Raspberry Limeade
- Refreshing Water Kefir (or Kombucha) Ice Cream Float
If you’re ready to beat the heat with some tasty treats, look no further than The Splendid Scoop!
What frozen treats help you beat the summer heat? Do you like dark chocolate ice cream?
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This sounds wonderful! What is the purpose of the vodka or gelatin? thanks!
Hi Sara,
Jessica details on page 6 of the eBook the purpose of the gelatin and vodka. In a nutshell, both help keep the ice cream a little softer and more scoopable. 🙂
Millie
Traditional Cooking School
Thanks for sharing these fabulous recipes with us, i will try this out for my kids and tell friends about the experience, but i would like to ask that can i add more than 4 cups full-fat coconut milk to my taste??? hope to hear from you soon. Awesome post
Hi Lady A. Janet,
We checked with Jessica on this. Here are her thoughts: “You could definitely double, triple, quadruple, etc. the recipes to suit your own needs! These recipes were developed to be 1 quart of ice cream per batch since that is what works best with my ice cream maker, but there’s no reason they cannot easily be increased into larger batches!”
Millie
Traditional Cooking School
I’m guessing the gelatin would have to be dissolved in some amount of the liquid over heat before adding to the other ingredients?
Hi Moyne! I never dissolve mine. I typically make my ice cream base in hand mixer or blender and that is enough to get it fully incorporated as a dry powder (a blender works best if you have one). You could even use a food processor. Hope you enjoy!
Wow! Thanks!! I will give it a try. I always thought it needed heat to dissolve, so I don’t use it much,