In looking for a non-dairy sweet treat to make in my ice cream maker—which is one of those kitchen appliances that I never knew I always needed—I came across this recipe for Date-Sweetened Coconut Ice Cream. With no added sugar, and flavor that promised to remind me of a Hadley's date shake, I knew I had to give it a go. Plus, I've had a very hit and miss experience with store bought coconut ice cream (does anyone out there have a favorite brand?) and they can be wildly expensive.

I, as I often do, made a few tweaks to the original recipe. First, since I remembered making coconut ice cream last summer with full-fat coconut milk and thinking it was a little too much for me (it was really super creamy and it sort of reminded me of coconut oil—though I could see how some might find it apealing), I went with light coconut milk. I also increased the amount of coconut milk to a can and a half because I wanted a larger batch and it helped to tone down the vanilla flavor a bit. I left the date bits in since I like texture (the original recipe has you strain them twice to make it smoother). I topped it with chocolate sauce, rather than mixing in chocolate chips, since it seemed more appealing that way to me on Sunday. And in retrospect, I totally should have added some shredded coconut at the end since I know I would have loved that texture.

The main thing about making coconut milk-based ice cream, or actually, homemade ice cream in general (at least in my experience), is that it freezes really hard. So you should try to take it out of the freezer for about 15-20 minutes before you want to eat it in order to get the best texture. Not ideal but it's a small price to pay for the homemade stuff!

All in all, the result is absolutely delicious. This is hands down the best dessert that I've had since I've stopped eating dairy right after the new year and I just love that it's not overly sweet, but it's still sweet enough. I plan to turn this into a bona fide sundae the next time I make it and add a sliced banana—yum!

Date-Sweetened Coconut Ice Cream
adapted from recipes.xgfx.org (a very cool vegan, gluten free community driven recipe site)
4 oz pitted dates (about 1 cup)

1/2 cup water

22 oz light coconut milk, cold (1 1/2 14 oz cans)

2 tsp vanilla extract


1. In a small pot or sauce pan, combine the dates and the water and bring to a boil.

2. Remove from heat and let the dates soak, covered, for 15 minutes.

3. Pour the coconut milk into your blender, add the vanilla and the dates along with their water. Blend until smooth.

4. Transfer the blended mixture into a bowl. Refrigerate for an hour or until cold.

5. Once cold, pour the mixture into the bowl of an ice cream maker and freeze/churn according to the manufacturer’s directions.

Eat!

To see the original recipe with options for straining, adding chocolate and/or nuts, click here.

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