Coconut Vanilla Ice Cream

I am excited to introduce you to my friend Andrea from Loubies and Lulu ! She is a fitness, fashion and healthy lifestyle blogger and always challenges me to come up with the fun, healthy and paleo alternatives to desserts!
Ice cream is an all around favorite of so many people and everyone should be able to enjoy a scoop of this frozen treat. When Andrea and I were talking about her favorite desserts for summer she expressed how much she loved ice cream but would love an alternative to all the dairy and sugar that is in a traditional recipe. As I was developing this recipe for Loubies and Lulu , my goal was to keep it classic and a great base for a variety of flavors.
The beauty of Coconut Vanilla Ice Cream is the rich custard flavor and the endless toppings that can be added to make your favorite ice cream sundae. Strawberries, raspberries, pecan, almonds, dairy free chocolate chips and toasted coconut are just a few of my favorite topping to add as well as a rich dairy free chocolate sauce.
Instructions
Prepare ice cream maker and freeze bowl for 24 hours before using
Slice the vanilla bean length wise and scrape out the seeds
In a medium saucepan, heat coconut milk and vanilla bean seeds until simmering
Whisk egg yolks and honey in a medium bowl
Once coconut milk is heated, slowly add the milk to the egg yolks while continuously whisking
Pour the mixture back into the saucepan and heat until custard starts to thicken and coats the back of a wood spoon
Strain the custard into a bowl and press plastic wrap to the top to avoid a crust from forming
Once the custard has reached room temperature, refrigerate until chilled ( at least two hours)
(the coconut milk might separate slightly while cooling, just whisk until smooth and comes back together)
Pour the chilled custard into the frozen bowl attachment for ice cream maker
Use ice cream maker according to manufacturer instructions
Remove the ice cream from the bowl and place in an air tight container and freeze until firm, approx. 2 hours
Serve coconut ice cream with dairy free chocolate sauce and toppings of your choice!
Notes
There are several varieties of coconut milk, but the one that I have found to be the best tasting, most versatile and best for Ice Cream is Native Forest Unsweetened Classic Coconut Milk
Dairy Free Chocolate Sauce
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Ingredients
1 Cup Dairy Free Chocolate Chips (I used Enjoy Life Semi Sweet Mini Chips)
1 Cup Coconut Milk
Instructions
Heat coconut milk in a small saucepan until it comes to a simmer
Slowly whisk coconut milk into a bowl with chocolate chips
Whisk slowly until chocolate is fully melted and milk is combined
Allow the sauce to slightly cool before using (reheat if sauce is made in advance and needs to be warmed)