Grasshopper Chocolate Chip Coconut Milk Ice Cream. (No gluten, soy, dairy) Ice cream for grown-ups!

My favorite dessert, even as a little kid (shhhh), has always been a grasshopper drink. You know, that creamy, blended concoction of ice cream, creme de menthe, and creme de cocoa. When my grandparents or parents would make a batch at family dinners, they would always sneak a little taste to me. I was hooked. Sure, a Shamrock Shake or mint chocolate chip ice cream taste similar, but there is something soothing and decadent when you add the creme de menthe.

Because I have to avoid dairy for a few weeks and all of the grocery store alternatives contain preservatives, emulsifiers, gums, and other additives, I decided to purchase an ice cream machine from Amazon and whip up a batch of Grasshopper Chocolate Chip Coconut Milk ice cream from scratch. It's REALLY SIMPLE and only requires a few ingredients.

As I said in my post about Pina Colada Coconut Milk Ice Cream, I love everything coconut! Coconut milk is good for the skin, hair and loaded with anti-inflammatory properties. I use coconut oil and coconut milk in my recipes whenever I can... and coconut oil on the skin feels like a day at the beach.

This was my first try at making ice cream from scratch and I am so impressed with how easy it was and how yummy the end result turned out! Even my husband, who can have dairy, couldn't stop going back for more.

If you want to make it non-alcoholic, you can easily substitute mint extract. However, I prefer creme de menthe because the alcohol prevents the ice cream from becoming too hard in the freezer. For most people that shouldn't be an issue, but I'm one of those who likes to grab just a spoonful... or three. :)

Grasshopper Chocolate Chip Coconut Milk Ice Cream. (No gluten, soy, dairy)

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 can unsweetened coconut milk (13.5 ounces)

• 1/3 cup coconut syrup (more to taste). You could also use maple syrup, agave, or honey.

• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

• ¼ cup creme de menthe (more to taste, but not so much that your ice cream won't set)

• ¼ cup dark chocolate chips.

DIRECTIONS:

• In a large bowl, mix together the coconut milk, syrup and vanilla with a hand mixer for 2-3 minutes until the mixture is totally smooth.

• Chill the mixture for at least 2 hours. The mixture will thicken a bit.

• Turn on your ice cream machine. Pour the chilled mixture into the freezer bowl and let mix until thickened, about 20-30 minutes, depending on the coldness of your ice cream machine. During the last 10 minutes, add the creme de menthe and chocolate chips.

• Transfer the soft ice cream to ice cream containers or another freezer safe (and odor-safe) container. Freeze for 2 hours to allow the texture to firm further.

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