
I’ve always been a fan of Almond Joy candy bars, so I immediately bookmarked this recipe when I saw it. Unfortunately, I got busy making other things and forgot about this one. We recently had a faculty meeting where they handed out mini candy bars, and as I reached for an Almond Joy, I thought of this ice cream and put it on my list for that week. Once I made it, I couldn’t believe it had taken me so long! This is one of my favorite ice creams. It actually reminded me very much of the German Chocolate Ice Cream I made a few months ago. It was a standard custard recipe, made very rich by the coconut milk and dark cocoa powder. Mixing in the almonds and coconut gave it just the right texture. I added way more coconut than the recipe called for just because I like a lot 🙂 If you are a fan of Almond Joys, this is certainly the ice cream for you!
Almond Joy Ice Cream
Source: adapted from How to Eat a Cupcake
1 ½ cups heavy cream, divided
1 cup whole milk
½ cup unsweetened coconut milk
2/3 cup granulated sugar
3 tablespoons dark cocoa powder
1 ¼ cups sweetened or unsweetened flaked dried coconut, divided
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
6 egg yolks
3 tablespoons cream of coconut
¼ teaspoon coconut extract
Pinch of salt
½ cup roasted almonds, roughly chopped (I used slivered almonds)
In a small saucepan, whisk together 1 cup heavy cream, whole milk, coconut milk, sugar, and cocoa powder. Mix in ½ cup dried coconut and the vanilla. Warm over medium heat, stirring often, until the sugar dissolved and small bubbles form around the edges, about 4-5 minutes.
In a small bowl, whisk together the egg yolks and the remaining ½ cup of heavy cream until blended. Whisk ¼ of the coconut-milk mixture into the yolks. Then whisk the yolk mixture back into the saucepan with the remaining coconut-milk mixture. Heat over medium-low heat, stirring constantly, until thick enough to coat the back of a spoon, 4-5 minutes.
Pour the hot custard unto a bowl and cool completely in an ice bath, 30-45 minutes. Once the custard has cooled to room temperature, remove from the ice bath. Place a piece of plastic wrap directly on top of the surface of the custard to prevent a “skin” from forming. Refrigerate until well chilled, at least 3 hours.
Place in an ice cream maker and freeze according to manufacturer’s instructions. After churning, stir in the remaining ¾ dried coconut, cream of coconut, coconut extract, almonds, and a pinch of salt. Transfer mixture to a plastic container and freeze.
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