Paleo Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream

Many of you may know that I got the best Christmas gift a girl could ever ask for... A Cuisinart ice cream maker! I have wanted one for quite some time and was so happy to finally have it.

My son's favorite treat is ice cream and having a dairy allergy it isn't easy to always find dairy-free ice cream. When you do it is typically outrageously expensive and usually still loaded with sugars and other ingredients that aren't healthy.  I was thrilled, even in the middle of winter, to be able to finally make healthy ice cream for us all. I had recently won an entire cookbook full of dairy-free ice cream and it was crazy all of the delicious looking flavors!  I will be posting MANY ice cream recipes in the upcoming months since we have now made several from the cookbook. My father has teased me about how much ice cream we are eating during the winter months.  Oh well, no shame here!  I will start with my all time favorite, mint chocolate chip.  This recipe was every bit as good as what I ate growing up but without the dairy and sugars.  I couldn't believe how tasty it was and pretty simple to make.  My son loves it but prefers just the mint ice cream without the chocolate chips.  It is possible to make without an ice cream maker but takes much more time with freezing it and stirring it every 30 minutes or so until it reaches the desired consistency.


Ingredients:

• 1 13.5 oz can coconut milk
• 1/2 cup fresh mint leaves, roughly chopped
• 1/2 cup honey
• 2 cups almond milk
• 3/4 tsp peppermint extract
• 1/3 cup diced avocado
• 1 Tbs melted coconut oil
• 10 drops liquid chlorophyll for coloring (optional)
• 1/2 cup dark chocolate, chopped

Directions:

1. Place the coconut milk and mint leaves in a saucepan over medium-high heat for 10 minutes.
2. Place the warm coconut milk, mint, and honey in a bowl and mix until the honey has dissolved.  Stir in the almond milk and peppermint extract.  Cover and place in the fridge for 4 hours.
3. Pour the mixture into a blender and add the avocado, coconut oil and coloring if desired.  Blend until smooth.
4. Place in an ice cream maker and process for 20-25 minutes or until it has a soft serve consistency.  
5. Stir in the chocolate by hand. Spoon into an airtight container and press press plastic wrap directly on top to prevent freezer burn.  Place the lid on top and freeze until firm, about 2 hours.
6. Serve immediately.

I got this recipe from Danielle Walkers first cookbook, Against All Grain.