Chocolate Chip Mint Ice Cream

Chocolate chip mint ice cream will forever be a classic favorite! There’s just something about cooling peppermint paired with creamy, sweet ice cream and dark chocolate chips. It just hits the spot every time! This version by Amie Sue of Nouveau Raw is made without any dairy or sugar whatsoever. Instead it utilizes the creaminess of almond milk and young Thai coconut meat and the sweetness of agave, raw honey, and yacon syrup. Use fresh mint for an authentic peppermint flavor and a pinch of spirulina if you desire a brighter pop of green!

Ingredients

• 2 cups almond milk
• , click here on recipe
• 2  cups of fresh, young Thai coconut meat
• 1/3 cup raw agave nectar
• 1 Tbsp raw yacon syrup
• 1 Tbsp raw honey
• 2 tsp vanilla extract or 1 vanilla bean pod (using only the seeds scrapped from the inside of the bean)
• 2 Tbsp raw cold pressed coconut oil
• 1/4 tsp  sea salt
• 1/2 – 1 cup chocolate chips (we recommend using raw sweetened cacao paste)
• 1 cup fresh mint leaves, de-stemed

Instruction

1) Put all vanilla ice cream ingredients in the blender ( except chocolate chips ) and blend for 3 minutes.
2) Blend until nice and creamy.  If you want more of a green color you can add a dash of spirulina at a time till you reach the desired color.  Just be careful to not add to much because you don’t want to alter the flavor.
3) If you have an ice cream maker, after mixture is blended, chill for about 1 hour in the freezer and then pour into your ice cream maker and follow the manufacturer’s instructions.
If you don’t have an ice cream maker, pour into a Tupperware container and place in the freezer.  Be sure to stir it a few times an hour until frozen.
4) Just before your ice cream is about to freeze, add in the chocolate chips.

Notes

If you don’t have access to fresh young Thia coconuts, you can use 1 1/2 cups of raw cashews that have been soaked for at least 2 hours in its place.

Yacon syrup is a unique ingredient to use… it is an organic sweetener that tastes somewhat like molasses as well as a friendly dietary addition for diabetics and those looking to cut calories.  I recommend that you add this to your pantry but if you don’t have any and are dieing to make this recipe you can use extra honey or agave.