Homemade Blackberry Ice Cream (refined sugar and dairy free)
One of my favorite things about summer is picking berries, although it usually results in me having more berries than I know what to do with. To fix this problem, I make homemade blackberry ice cream! This recipe works best with an ice cream maker, such as this one (see note below about freezing the bowl of the ice cream maker for 24 hours before using). Although this recipe uses blackberries, you can try and substitute other berries as an alternative! This recipe was inspired by Paleo Newbie.
Ingredients:
1/2 pint fresh blackberries
1/4 cup raw honey
2 Tbsp lemon juice
1 can (about 13.5 oz) reduced-fat coconut milk
1/2 of a large, ripe banana - mashed
1 tsp vanilla
Optional: 1/3 cup of dark mini-chocolate chips (or unsweetened carob chips)
Instructions
VERY IMPORTANT: You must freeze the bowl of your ice cream maker for at least 24 hours before making any ice cream. I also freeze the plastic stirring device. When you place these in the freezer, I would recommend keeping them in a plastic bag to avoid accumulating any frozen condensation that may dilute your ice cream.
In a saucepan, simmer blackberries, honey, and lemon juice over medium heat (about 20 minutes to break down), stirring occasionally.
Remove from heat and strain the berry mixture through a mesh strainer or cheese cloth, and discard pulp.
Place in fridge to cool.
In a mixing bowl, combine coconut milk, mashed banana, and vanilla.
Add cooled berry mixture to bowl and combine.
Pour into electric ice cream maker.
Churn until mixture starts to freeze.
Sprinkle in chocolate chips during last 5 minutes of churning.
Spoon into bowls and enjoy!
This ice cream pairs well with carob/chocolate zucchini cake (recipe here), but it is also just as tasty on its own. Enjoy!
