Every time we cross the border into the USA, my family stops somewhere and loads up on Mounds bars before we go home. Chewy coconut wrapped in dark chocolate, they are one of our favorite American treats! This lightly flavoured coconut ice cream is fantastic with chunks of the bars mixed in, and if you want to make it Almond Joy, stir in some chopped roasted almonds as well. Pair with these Almond Joy Brownies for an extra sweet treat.
Ingredients:
1 cup dried shredded coconut (unsweetened)
1 cup whole milk
2 cups whipping cream
3/4 cup sugar
Big pinch of salt
1 vanilla bean, split in 1/2 lengthwise
5 large egg yolks
1 tsp rum
3 Mounds bars, chopped into 1/4 inch pieces
Pre-heat the oven to 350 F.
On a rimmed baking sheet, spread out the coconut in an even layer. Bake in the oven for about 5-8 minutes, stirring occasionally so that it roasts evenly. The coconut is ready when it’s fragrant and golden.
Warm the milk, 1 cup of the whipping cream, sugar, salt, coconut, scrapings from the vanilla pod and the pod itself over medium heat. Cover and remove from the heat and allow the flavors to infuse for an hour on the stove top.
Strain the mixture through a fine sieve, pressing the coconut to get the most liquid out that you can. Throw away the coconut and used vanilla bean pods.
Pour the remaining cream into a large bowl and set the sieve over top.
Warm the milk mixture again, and when steaming, whisk slowly into the egg yolks in a medium sized bowl. Pour the mixture back into the pot and cook on the stove top, stirring, over medium low heat until the mixture will coat the back of a spoon and not run when you run your finger through it.
Pour the mixture through the sieve into the cream and stir.
Cover with plastic film and chill in the fridge overnight.
Process the mixture in your ice cream maker according to package instructions. In the last minute of churning, add your chopped Mounds bars so that they will be incorporated into the ice cream well.
Scrape into a 1 1/2 liter container and store in the freezer until firm.
Makes 1 litre
Adapted from The Perfect Scoop
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