I have been trying to convince Dan that we need an ice cream maker for months. It came up every time I found a great ice cream or frozen yogurt recipe. It came up whenever we thought about having ice cream for dessert but didn’t want to spend the money. It came up when our friends made currant sorbet and wine slushies.
Truth be told, I think Dan was getting a little sick of the “let’s get an ice cream maker!” line.
But the final straw came three weeks ago at Wegman’s. We pushed our cart of onions, garlic, pasta and yogurt down the frozen foods aisle, searching for something to satisfy our ice cream craving. Carton after carton of ice cream was pulled out of the freezer, examined, and returned. Why? Because every single one had corn syrup as one of the first four ingredients.
It didn’t matter whether it was ice cream or frozen yogurt, low-fat or full-fat ice cream. Every single brand and every single flavor had corn syrup as a main ingredient. I refused to buy anything that had such an unnessary, over-processed ingredient, and we left the grocery store without any frozen treats.
As luck would have it, my friend Megan texted me the very next day: “Do you want an ice cream maker?” She had gotten the KitchenAid ice cream attachment, and was looking to get rid of her freestanding Cuisinart machine. I squealed a little, and responded with a “YES. I’ve been trying to convince Dan to get one for months!”
I broke it out and made two types of ice cream this weekend: peanut butter chocolate chip and coconut chai (surprise, surprise). The peanut butter batch ended up somewhat grainy and needs some tweaking. But the chai? Perfection.
Coconut Chai Ice Cream
I imagine that this sweetly spiced ice cream would also make a terrific milkshake. If you’d like, you can use light coconut milk to cut out some of the fat, but it will make the texture less creamy and more icy in the end.
Makes 1 quart
Prep Time: 1 hour, 10 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes, depending on your ice cream maker
1 cup water
1 cup granulated sugar
1 14 ounce can coconut milk
2 tablespoons instant chai powder OR 3 tablespoons chai tea, ground to a powder
In a small saucepan over low heat, mix the water and sugar. Heat, stirring constantly, until the sugar is completely dissolved. Remove from the heat.
Mix in the coconut milk and chai. Refrigerate until completely cooled, at least 1 hour.
Pour the coconut milk into your ice cream maker, and process according to the manufacturer’s instruction.
What’s your favorite ice cream flavor?
{ 19 comments… read them below or add one }
http://www.haagen-dazs.com/products/five.aspx
http://www.benjerry.com/flavors/our-flavors/
for the next time you need store-bought ice cream with no corn-syrup
Heather recently posted..Then Kristin Said: Obsessions
Yeah, we couldn’t find the Haagen Daz, unfortunately. And both brands are $$$. Luckily, now I can just make my own
I love all things ice cream, but have yet to try coconut before! I love a good mint chocolate or strawberry though
Lauren @ What Lauren Likes recently posted..Lazy WIAW
That looks yummy! My favorite is to use a basic vanilla recipe, but add fresh strawberries and a few mini chocolate chips at the very end- just to mix it! It taste decadent, but is actually fairly healthy! I wish I had a recipe, but I basically make it up every time!
Mmm. Strawberry + chocolate is always a good idea
Breyer’s is pretty good too. It’s a long-running joke in my family actually! My grandfather was ranting about how food is all full of un-pronouncable things. To prove his point, he ran to the freezer and pulled out Breyer’s ice cream! I think the ingredients are milk, cream, sugar, and vanilla (maybe one more thing, but pretty basic!). Not great for proving his point
Chai ice cream looks great! I’ll save the recipe for if I ever give in to my ice-cream maker desires as well.
Huh, I could have sworn that we looked at Breyer’s French Vanilla and it had corn syrup…maybe it is just the regular vanilla that doesn’t? Or I’m remembering wrong…
I so rarely by ice cream, but I do occasionally get the Haagen Dazs 5 Ingredient, no fake things just real food and so darn good.
Mellissa recently posted..Changing Perspectives
that sounds so delicious! and i’m totally jealous of the ice cream maker
we don’t have one either
I love it – coconut is such a great compliment to chai. And it’s a dairy free recipe for my dairy free friends.
that debate sounds very similar to the one in our house too. I see so many amazing ice cream recipes but don’t have an ice cream maker
Gina @ Running to the Kitchen recently posted..Loco for coco
Ooo, yummy! Not a huge fan of coconut… but I am of ice cream. I’m thinking ice cream would win in this case
Kelley @ Get Between the Bookends recently posted..Sweet Home…Richfield!
I love coconut ice-cream! All the nutty flavours are my favourite
Now I want an ice-cream maker too!
Aine @ Something to Chew Over recently posted..What I Ate Wednesday #3
Oh Gosh Savvy. You hit a weak spot. I am in love.
Kathleen @ Kat’s Health Corner recently posted..Raw Chocolate Chip Cookies!
I get frustrated at the hfcs in ice cream too. I pretty much stick to hagen dasz 5 these days, but its so flipping expensive. also, it doesn’t come in flavors like coconut chai, which just sounds incredible. Good lord… I need some of this right now!
Lauren @ Healthy Delicious recently posted..Pesto Potato Rolls with a Salt Crust
Ugh, now I REALLY want an ice cream maker. Maybe when we get a house and have somewhere to put it. Basically, I get really excited about anything that has coconut as an ingredient.
Emily @ Relishments recently posted..Thoughts on “168 Hours”
I somehow manage to turn my head at the ingredients list when it comes to ice cream.
But your “clean” ice cream sounds delicious. Chai is definitely a flavor I need to explore beyond a latte! Can’t wait to see what else you make with your new kitchen toy.
This is a great and simple recipe! It came out so well – thanks!
Glad you enjoyed!