Tween had cake for breakfast. To be fair, it was packaged and presented as a “muffin,” but I say we should call a chocolate-chocolate chip “muffin” with cream cheese filling by its true name: cake.
Whatever. He’s 12 and it’s a holiday.
Full disclosure, I had ice cream for breakfast.
Actually, I had coffee before my morning run, and couldn’t make my usual post-run green smoothie because my blender was full of ice cream base. I’d hoped to complete the ice cream making process last night, but got a late start and the ice cream maker hadn’t fully frozen. So I stuck the blender of base + the prepared swirl in the fridge overnight.
Which meant I had to get things going post-run, and so of course I had to dip a spoon. The recipe suggests the churning time will be 45 minutes, but mine went much faster, less than 25 minutes. So there was more spooning and stirring and churning to get the swirl mixed in. And then there was the transferring of ice cream to container, and it didn’t all fit, so…
Enough excuses already. It was delicious!
I used Minimalist Baker’s recipe for Raspberry Ripple Coconut Ice Cream and couldn’t be happier. Although I’d call it Coconut-Berry Ice Cream. It reminds me of one of my childhood happy food traditions, frozen yogurt for lunch after Sunday church. If it was available, I always got coconut, and then swirled it up side-by-side with either a fruit or chocolate flavor–YUM!
Some thoughts on the recipe: I used a can of Trader Joe’s coconut cream which I chilled in the fridge prior to opening. I also used less than 1/4 c natural sugar and less than 1/4 c maple syrup for sweeteners–I figured the fruit would add its own sweetness so I didn’t want to overdo it. And I used the coconut oil since I’m all about the coconut.
The base is delicious on its own and I think you could vary your swirls to include chocolate, chocolate-mint, nuts, you name it. I used just under a cup of mixed berries, frozen and defrosted, + topped off the 1c mark with unsweetened coconut flakes. Some people like their ice cream smooth, but I like mine with chunks (same goes for nut butters).
When Guy and I were first married, we’d make ice cream for each warm warm weather holiday. Eventually our ice cream maker broke and we fell out of the habit. The more I’ve leaned into a plant-based lifestyle, the less I have wanted ice cream (tastes change, and these days I find myself more inclined to a savory snack); and when I have wanted it, it has been less available. Thankfully, ice cream manufacturers are catching on that there is, in fact, a market for vegan ice cream, and yet it’s expensive. One more great thing about this recipe is that I already had all the ingredients on hand.
I’m thrilled to have an easy-to-make warm weather holiday treat as we celebrate the gift of living in the land of the free and the home of the brave. Happy 4th of July!
