Raw Strawberry Chocolate Ice Cream

raw ice cream

May 20, 2016 0 Comments

with strawberry swirl & chocolate chunks

A fabulous summer raw dessert from Amy Lyons, of Fragrant Vanilla Cake fame, who had this to say:

"When I was asked to do a guest recipe, I was quite excited to come up with something delicious and chocolate filled to share with you all. I decided on ice cream, which is one of my favourite desserts to make, year round. I wanted it to be chocolate, but not plain chocolate, something with a bit of seasonal flavour…strawberry chocolate! So, I added plenty of strawberry flavour with fresh berries in the base and also in a swirl that cuts through the smooth ice cream. The base had plenty of cacao, but I decided that it needed chocolate chunks as well to make it even more delicious. Although this is good in the spring when strawberries are in season, I think it would be perfect year round if you had frozen berries."

It sounds and looks divine, so how could we say no!

raw strawberry chocolate ice cream

Ingredients

Ice Cream

1 cup coconut water
2 cups young coconut meat (or raw cashews, soaked 4 hours and drained if unavailable)
2 cups soaked raw cashews, drained (soaked at least 4 hours)
1/2 cup raw honey, Sweet Freedom or raw coconut nectar
seeds of one vanilla bean
a pinch of sea salt
1/2 cup plus 2 Tbsp coconut oil, warmed to liquid
2 cups fresh organic strawberries
1 cup raw cacao powder

Strawberry Swirl

1/2 cup fresh organic strawberries
2 medjool or deglet noir dates, pitted

1/2 cup chopped raw chocolate

Method

To make ice cream, add coconut water to a food processor, along with cashews, coconut, raw honey, vanilla, and sea salt. Process until smooth
Then with the processor running, add the coconut oil slowly and process until well incorporated, about a minute
Add the 2 cups strawberries and cacao powder to the mixture in the food processor and process until well blended
Pour through a fine meshed strainer to remove any coconut bits
To make the strawberry swirl, combine the 1/2 cup strawberries with the two dates in the food processor and process until smooth
Pour the strained ice cream base into an ice cream maker and process according to directions
Remove from ice cream maker, stir in raw chocolate chunks
Pour 1/3 of it into a freezer safe container with a lid, then add some of the strawberry swirl in Tbspfuls
Add half the remaining ice cream, then more drops of swirl
Add the rest of the ice cream, then the last of the swirl
Swirl the ice cream with a knife
Set in the freezer for about 4 hours, or overnight before serving. If your ice cream hardens too much after sitting in the freezer a day, simply let sit out 30 minutes before serving.

raw strawberry chocolate ice cream

What if I don't have an ice cream maker?

Then fear not, as Amy has kindly provided these instructions for those of us who don't:

After you have made the base, pour it into a bowl and place the container in the freezer and allow the mixture to freeze for 2 hours
Remove from the freezer and beat with a hand mixer to break up ice crystals that are beginning to form
Cover and place back in the freezer
Freeze for 2 more hours and then remove from the freezer and beat again with the hand mixer. The ice cream should be thick but to soft to scoop. If it is not thick enough, return it to the freezer for additional freezing time
When the ice cream has thickened properly, continue from step 7 above

About the Author

Amy is a food blogger at Fragrant Vanilla Cake, specializing in raw and vegan foods, and mostly desserts. She has a degree in studio Art from Bethel University, but her real passion is working with food and creating recipes.