Either I’m getting more nitpicky about the end result of my recipes or I’m off of my game because I have been making two – and sometimes three – versions before settling on one that I’m happy to share with you.
This ice cream for instance: the first time around I just pureed fresh strawberries and stirred them into the ice cream base. I was disappointed not only by the bland flavor but also by the lackluster hue.
Enter roasted strawberries. A sprinkle of sugar + a quick roast in the oven yields sweet & juicy little jewels that beautifully dye the creamy coconut milk a vibrant pink color.
Strawberry flavor & pretty color: check.
But the roasted strawberry coconut ice cream wasn’t quite special enough, so I added in a bunch of chopped vanilla cream sandwich cookies to make a “blonde” cookies & cream ice cream.
Strawberries. Coconut Ice Cream. Blonde cookies. Strawberry Blonde Cookies & Cream Coconut Ice Cream!
Fun to say, pretty to look at, and delicious to eat. Oh, and easy to make, too!
What more do you need to know?!
Strawberry Blonde Cookies & Cream Coconut Ice Cream
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Keywords: roast dessert coconut strawberries ice-cream summer
Ingredients (8 servings)
- 2 (14 oz) cans of full-fat coconut milk
- 1/2 cup + 1 Tbsp unrefined granulated sugar, such as evaporated cane juice
- 2 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 1 lb container strawberries, preferably organic, hulled & halved
- 20 all-natural vanilla creme sandwich cookies, such as Wild Harvest Organic or Mi-Del, roughly chopped/crushed
Instructions
Preheat oven to 300°F. Toss halved strawberries with 1 Tbsp sugar. Lay strawberries on a parchment-lined baking sheet and roast in oven for 20 minutes. Let cool completely.
Refrigerate the cans of coconut milk for 1 hour (no longer). Chilling the coconut milk will cause the coconut cream to rise to the top of the can and slightly solidify.
Meanwhile, process cooled roasted strawberries, plus any accumulated juices, in a food processor or blend in a blender until pureed w/ some discernible pieces (some texture is good).
When chilled for an hour, carefully scrape out the coconut cream and water from both cans into a large mixing bowl. Add in the remaining 1/2 cup sugar and vanilla extract. Hand-whisk lightly to break up the solidified cream, and then whip with an electric mixer for about 20-30 seconds, or until smooth and thick. If you whip for much longer that this, you’ll start to make vegan whipped cream (not a bad thing, but not what we’re aiming for here!). Using a rubber spatula, gently fold the strawberry puree into mixture until almost fully combined (some streaks are fine).
Pour mixture into your ice cream machine and churn according to manufacturer’s instructions, gradually adding in the chopped/crushed cookies during the last 5 minutes.
Transfer mixture to a freezer-safe air-tight container and freeze until desired consistency is reached (at least a few hours).
