I have had a few folks ask for an update on Matt’s and my quest to sell our condo and find a new home in the city — so I thought I would give a short update. If you want to skip this and go right to the recipe, I can hardly blame you. Paleo mocha ice cream, right?!
When we last left our smart, witty and strong heroine (that’s me, in case you didn’t recognize me!), she was prepared with a big bowl of Chicken, Orange and Cabbage Salad and headed for a hotel in a snowstorm for relaxation while her condo was being shown to potential buyers. She hoped some of the showings would lead to offers…
We were fortunate to get a couple of offers that weekend and accepted one. We are moving ahead with the sale, which is going smoothly.
For the past few weekends, Matt and I have been looking for a new home, which is a sort of fun. Every time we see a house we like, we imagine our lives there – entertaining friends, letting Tour out in the backyard, setting up a gym in the garage, hosting our families for long, leisurely visits. It’s like having a whole new life each time we spend ten minutes in a new house.
I’ll tell you what else is sort of fun – this recipe. As you know if you follow this blog, I don’t post a lot of dessert recipes. Mostly because I don’t make a lot of paleo desserts. I prefer to end most meals with a paleo finisher. Or if it’s a weekend or special occasion, I will probably just indulge in a straight up, traditional, non-paleo brownies and ice cream night.
But last weekend, I had the strange urge to have all our “treats” be technically paleo. So first, Matt and I stopped by Mmm…coffee, the paleo coffee shop here in Denver, and picked up some paleo chocolate coconut macaroons, chocolate chip cookies and chocolate brownies. Note: Yes, we are very lucky to have a paleo coffee shop just a few blocks from our house! And the treats? Amazing!
Then, I wanted ice cream that was technically paleo. I’m calling this ice cream because it really tastes and acts like ice cream. If you are an ice cream purist, you can refer to this as a frozen treat. If you looking for happiness in bowl, you can just make it and not worry about what to call it.
The trick to this recipe is the timing. After about three hours in the freezer, the ice cream is like a thick pudding. After 6-8 hours, the coconut milk freezes to just the right consistency and acts like ice cream. Much longer, and it gets really hard.
The ice cream is pretty rich and even an ice cream lover like myself could not eat too much. Just return leftovers to freezer. When you are ready to eat again, defrost it a bit and reblend the mixture — or just hack off chunks with a knife and eat it that way. I may have done that.
Mocha Paleo Ice Cream
Unsweetened coconut milk, 1 can (14 oz)
Dates, 12
Unsweetened cocoa powder, 3/4 cup
Decaf coffee, 1 ½ tablespoons
To garnish: Cocao nibs
- In a food processor or with a hand blender, combine coconut milk, dates, cocoa powder and coffee.
- Place mixture in freezer for about 6 hours. For most ice cream like consistency, the mixture should be frozen on top and icy but not solid in the middle.
- Blend mixture again (or just whip it well with a spoon) until it is smooth, creamy and ice cream-like.
- Top with cocao nibs, if desired. Eat immediately. Return leftovers to the freezer, blending again before serving