Choco-Coconut Ice Cream (Vegan, GF)

I can't cook. Correction: I won't cook. Most recipes test my patience. The chopping, dicing, sauteing, roasting - it's not my cup of tea. Since I live alone during the week, it's easy to skirt around meal-making responsibilities. I keep my dinners healthy but quick: salads, tacos, omelets, organic frozen meals, sandwiches, or (when I'm feeling ambitious) homemade pizza. Using pre-made dough, of course.

There is one exception to my general recipe aversion... Since I bought my first ice cream maker last fall, I've been whipping up a variety of interesting frozen concoctions. For the first time in my life, I'm loving the challenge of involved, multi-step recipes. Having to cook the ice cream base and chill it overnight(!) before churning anything? Not a problem. I've got endless patience when it comes to ice cream making. What's behind this drastic surge of confidence in the kitchen? I'm not entirely sure, but it may have to do with how excited I get just thinking about a recipe's final result. A good bowl of ice cream is worth some legwork.

This week, I invited my good friend Anna over for dinner. You better believe that dessert was planned before the dinner was. Since my mom recently developed a lactose intolerance, I've had my eye out for lactose-free ice cream. After reading a recipe using coconut milk in the latest O Magazine, I decided to give coconut milk ice cream a shot.

Like I often do, I modified the original recipe a bit. The result was what I call "Choco-Coconut Ice Cream" - a rich chocolaty, coconutty ice cream with vegan chocolate chips mixed in. I was happy with the fruits of my labor - and so was Anna!

Choco-Coconut Ice Cream (Vegan)
{Adapted from recipe in O, the Oprah Magazine}

Ingredients

• 1 (13.5oz) can coconut milk
• 1 (13.5oz) can light coconut milk
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup cocoa powder
• 1/4 cup corn syrup
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1/4 cup vegan chocolate chips (optional)

Directions

• Combine all ingredients (besides the optional chocolate chips) in a blender (or, if you're blessed with adult kitchen tools, a large food processor). Blend until smooth.
• Pour mixture into a container and cover. Refrigerate mixture until chilled through (minimum 1 hour, maximum overnight).
• Freeze mixture in your ice cream maker, per the manufacturer's directions. For Cuisnart folks like me, this means 1) turn on your machine, 2) slowly pour mixture in, and 3) leave the thing be for 15 minutes or so. The consistency should be like gelato or softserve - firm but not icy.
• (Optional) Pull out ice cream mixer attachment, add chocolate chips, and gently fold chips into ice cream using a wooden or plastic spoon or spatula.
• Serve immediately (if you're cool with soft ice cream) or transfer to airtight container (i.e. Tupperware) and freeze until firm, about 3 hours.

ENJOY!