eggless homemade coconut ice cream...

I'm not going to lie- when I noticed ice cream recipes popping up left and right without the use of eggs, I was a little skeptical. Actually, I was more than skeptical, I was in disbelief that the ice cream 1. would freeze like ice cream freezes and 2. would have that luxurious creamy consistency I just love about homemade.

I tried a few...and they just didn't compare. Some weren't creamy enough. Some melted at the drop of a hat and by the time my husband and I got to our bedroom with bowl in hand we had cremé anglaise instead of ice cream! (Yes. We eat ice cream by the bowl-ful in our bed late at night. So what? Who cares?)

You see, there's definitely a reason good homemade ice cream starts off with that custard-y base made with egg yolks. The French knew what they were talking about. It creates the thickest most divine texture as well as this amazing full bodied cream flavor a good ice cream should have. Yes, it's harder work. Yes there's a chance, if you don't know what you're doing, that you might curdle your eggs ruining the whole thing. BUT WHEN (not "if", "when") you get the hang of it- I promise you will not be unhappy with the result.


So, of course not believing the whole "no egg" recipes out there I created and posted my own recipes using the custard base. Like this one, and this one, and this one. I even had my eggs-only-club version of coconut ice cream.

But those easier ice cream recipes continued on. Week after week I saw more and more eggless recipes popping up and tempting me to try once more.

So I gave in.

I tried and tested and came up with my own coconut ice cream recipe....egg free.

Can you blame me?

Again, I won't lie...it was amazing. It was still creamy. It was still custard-y. It churned and froze just fine. It was still absolutely yummy even though my beloved eggs weren't included. AND...it was definitely...easier. I can almost hear my Le Cordon Bleu cooking education swirling down the drain while screaming "traitor!!"

I'm going to justify this guilty feeling by saying I did this for you guys. I wanted the lovely followers of this blog to have a super simple ice cream they could make themselves. Yeah, that sounds good. For you guys. Not for me. Never for me. Christina doesn't need simple! We don't need an easy way to make ice cream (can we sense the sarcasm in this?)

You're welcome.

Homemade Coconut Ice Cream
Makes about 6 cups

• 2 cups organic heavy whipping cream
• 1- 14 ounce can light coconut milk
• 1 1/8 cups vanilla sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon coconut extract (I used this one which is EXTREMELY strong and was perfect at 1/4 teaspoon- adjust amount according to type you used)
• 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/4 teaspoon sea salt

This couldn't be easier to make, seriously.

1. In a small sauce pot add your heavy cream, coconut milk, and sugar. Cook over medium low, stirring occasionally until just about to simmer.

2. Once about to simmer, turn heat to low and cook stirring occasionally until sugar is dissolved- about 1 minute.

3. Remove pan from heat and stir in coconut extract, vanilla extract, and salt. Stir well. Allow to cool in pot for about 15-20 minutes. Once cooled, add to a container with tight fitting lid and place in fridge for about 8 hours or best, overnight.

4. Next, stir coconut custard once more, pour into your ice cream maker (which is already running! Never add ice cream base to a standing-still ice cream maker) and churn according to your maker's instructions. You're looking for a soft serve consistency as well as an increase in volume. For my Cuisinart this took about 17 minutes.

5. Transfer to a freezer-proof container with tight fitting lid and freeze at least 3 hours before digging in! We allowed ours another night to freeze before eating ;)

Of course, homemade ice cream (of any sort) is meant to be shared! So, share away friends!