Dairy Free Coconut Ice Cream

As one of my favourite things to eat is icecream, and I love anything coconut, I've decided that my first recipe will be Vegan/Dairy Free Coconut Icecream! Let me tell you, it's delicious.

For this recipe, I make my own coconut milk. 

Don't stress, it's really simple & can be used as your every day milk.
It's a far better alternative to cow’s milk, rice, soy or other processed milks. 
Unfortunately, the store bought versions of coconut milk are lined with BPA and many have added sweeteners & preservatives. Plus, home made tastes so much better!

Coconut Milk...

Ingredients

• 4 cups of water
• 1.5-2 cups of unsweetened shredded coconut (can use packaged or fresh)

Method

• Heat water, but don’t boil. 
• Place both coconut and water in a food processor or blender. 
• Blend on high for a few minutes until thick and creamy.
• Pour through a sieve to remove any larger pieces of coconut.
• Drink immediately or store in the fridge. Should be used in 3-4 days after making for best flavour and texture. Since there are no preservatives or fillers, the “cream” of the coconut milk may separate on the top if stored in the fridge. Just shake or stir before using.

Coconut Ice cream...

Ingredients

• 4 cups home made coconut milk (recipe above)
• 1/2 cup Raw Caster Sugar
• 1/4  Teaspoon coconut oil flavouring (I love Dram Lorann which you can buy from most cake decorating suppliers - if you cannot find flavouring oil, just use regular extract or flavouring)
• 1 1/2 Cups unsweetened coconut flakes

Method

• Combine the coconut milk and sugar in a bowl & whisk until sugar has dissolved
• Mix in coconut oil and flakes, mix well
• Place in freezer for around 3 hours, stirring occasionally
• Top with toasted coconut chips, or flakes (optional)
• Serve & enjoy! 

Tips

• If you are clean eating, or even just trying to reduce your calorie intake, you can replace the sugar with 1/3 to 1/2 cup of honey. Opt for a mild organic version if possible
• If you are not lactose intolerant/vegan, you can also add about 1/2 a cup of thickened cream. This helps to give a smoother, creamier texture as home made icecream has the tendency to go a little icy sometimes!
• If you cannot find any coconut flavouring/oil/extract, just use vanilla! It will give the icecream an almost 'marshmallowy' flavour. 
• If you don't like coconut flavour, this recipe is so simple to edit! You could replace the coconut flakes for cocoa/cacao powder, mashed banana, Strawberry milk flavouring, powdered coffee etc. There are plenty of different options!