finding time for cooking
Peanut Butter & Honey Ice Cream with Sea Salt
Summer in Georgia. Crazy humidity. The smell of rain on concrete. Fireflies. And bare legs sticking to your leather couch.
In other words, folks, it’s been hot & humid up until the cool spell we had this week.
The last thing I’ve wanted to do lately is turn on my oven, so to get my sweet fix I’ve had to turn to cool treats. I’ve never made anything but frozen yogurt in my frozen yogurt maker, but didn’t see any reason this wouldn’t work. And the peanut butter + honey + sea salt flavor combo is one I seriously can’t resist.
This ice cream is amazing! The texture is super creamy, with the mild sweet honey and peanut butter blending perfectly, with just the hint of sea salt to cut it. I sat on my hot couch on a Saturday night in my pajamas and ate a giant bowl, then contemplated eating the rest…then reminded myself that then I would have eaten an entire can of coconut milk in one sitting. So I resisted, but it was touch-and-go there for a while!
The instructions at the bottom look long, but it really is literally a five-minute recipe—your ice cream maker does the rest! There are two options. In news that’s shocking to no one, I did the easiest option (#2). The other one uses arrowroot powder, and is meant for when you’re using light coconut milk that’s not as thick and creamy (helps it achieve the right consistency).
Blend the ingredients together in a blender, then put in the fridge to get good and chilled. This recipe is super simple, but you can jazz it up if you want—a dash or cinnamon or cayenne would be great here. But for me, the sweet, simple flavors are the best.
Once it’s chilled for a few hours, pour into your ice cream maker and make it according to the machine’s instructions. For me, that’s just turning it on for about 15 minutes, then you’re golden.
For the best texture, chill for up to an hour or serve right away. You can chill leftovers and eat later as well, but you might want to let it sit out on the counter for half an hour to soften.
Salted Peanut Butter & Honey Ice Cream
I halved this recipe since my ice cream maker is small, though went heavy on the peanut butter
- 2 cans (28 ounces) of coconut milk, either 2 cans full-fat or 1 can full-fat and 1 can light; I used Trader Joe’s light coconut milk because it’s just as creamy as regular full-fat
- ¾ cup of honey
- ½ cup of creamy, natural, unsalted peanut butter
- 1 teaspoon of pure vanilla extract (I used vanilla bean paste)
- ½ teaspoon of fine grain sea salt
- Optional (I left out): 1 1/2 teaspoons of arrowroot starch
- Option 1 – if you’re using arrowroot powder this is a must; otherwise it’s optional. In a Dutch oven or a big, heavy-bottomed pot, combine the coconut milk (don’t worry if the coconut solids have separated from the liquid), honey, peanut butter, vanilla and salt. Bring the mixture to a simmer over medium-high heat, whisking often to prevent scorching. If you’re using arrowroot powder, transfer a few tablespoons of the mixture to a small bowl, add the arrowroot starch to the bowl and whisk to get out all of the lumps. Pour the mixture into the pot and gently simmer for 1 minute, whisking frequently.
- Option 2 – if you’re not using arrowroot powder, you can just blend all the ingredients in your blender.
- Either way, place the bowl in the refrigerator until the mixture is completely and thoroughly chilled. If your ice cream maker bowl needs to freeze, make sure that’s done as well.
- If you used arrowroot starch, scoop off the thickened top layer with a spoon (if there is one) and discard it. Pour the now-chilled mixture into your ice cream maker. Freeze according to your manufacturer’s instructions (for me, that’s letting it freeze/stir for about 15-20 minutes.
- To me, the texture was best when eaten right away or chilled for an hour or so. But you can also freeze and eat later (might want to soften on the counter for a half hour or so).
Original recipe from Cookie+Kate
