This dairy-free ice cream recipe is a copy of Baskin Robbins’ Jamoca Almond Fudge, a coffee ice cream flavored with chocolate chips and toasted almonds.
The other day Alex and I listened to a TED Talk on The Secret to Success. The speaker claimed to know the key ingredient for success. Over time, I became skeptical of empty promises: Here’s the Secret to Losing 20 Pounds in 2 Weeks! 20,000 Instagram followers in 2 days! While I know it’s not that simple, sometimes I click on these links just to see if I’m missing something simple. (nope)
So, the secret to success in this life, according to this TED Talk? Squeak. In other words: perseverance. Persistence. The ability to persevere when push comes to shove, sticking to a vision despite setbacks. I was a bit disappointed and wish the answer was a little simpler, a quick fix. But it’s been stuck in my head ever since. Squeak. The ability to persevere despite unexpected obstacles. How does that relate to this dairy-free ice cream recipe? Read on to find out more.
A homemade copier from Jamoca Almond Fudge
A few weeks ago a friend came to me with a challenge. She wanted Alex and I to make a copy of the Jamoca Almond Fudge ice cream recipe. It’s her favorite Baskin Robbins ice cream flavor and she wanted us to try to create a healthier homemade option. It was a casual remark but I was curious so we took it as an experiment. We chose a dairy-free ice cream recipe because dairy-free ice cream is easy to make at home.
That innocent experience turned into a weekend of four different attempts at coffee ice cream, coffee grounds that covered our kitchen, a coffee-flavored paste behind my ear at one point, and multiple trips to the edibles for coconut milk. My first attempt had potential, the second a total failure, the third average, and finally the fourth: a sweet, sweet success. We ate way too much, enough to frustrate my intention to indulge in sweets occasionally. (So be careful, these are dangerous things.) But we have a recipe. And this is my favorite ice cream we’ve made so far.
As much as I hate to admit it, the grain could be that secret key. When we meet, in the kitchen or in life, courage helps us persevere, whether it’s through illness, a time of uncertainty, or, damn it, ice cream. .
Related: How to Make Iced Coffee | How do you make cold brew coffee?
Why are you making this dairy-free ice cream recipe?
Even if you’re not vegan or dairy-free, we promise this dairy-free ice cream recipe is worth your time. Here’s why:
- Despite being vegan/dairy free, you would never know. Since there are so many standard ice cream recipes out there, we came up with a creamy, dairy-free ice cream recipe. You’ll never know the difference between this vegan ice cream and the original.
- It’s healthy because it’s homemade, using plant-based ingredients and natural sweeteners. No preservatives here. The recipe uses no dairy and uses a combination of agave sugar and coconut sugar. Of course, it’s still full of sugar, so we can’t call it healthy.
- It’s a heavy ice cream lover’s dream. I’m a fan of ice cream chips and it has it in every bite. The chocolate is mixed with tahini, so it’s a slightly healthier version of a fudge ribbon, and it turns into chunks of heaven, along with the toasted almonds.
Which ice machine to buy
If you don’t have an ice maker, are you wondering which ice maker to buy? This is the ice maker we are using. We have found that a quality ice maker is key; We had a low end unit that broke after a year! Fun to have on an occasional “food project” like ice cream – and a great Christmas gift idea for someone who loves to make it.
Notes on coffee ice cream
Here are a few things we learned about coffee ice cream while creating this recipe. The main methods for coffee ice cream are: boiling the cream with whole grains, boiling with coffee grounds, or adding instant espresso powder. For us, cooking the beans had great flavor, but we ended up with about half the ice cream mix we started with as the beans soaked up a lot of the liquid.
Adding instant espresso powder was an easy method, but the flavor wasn’t as good as real beans. What worked? Simmer the ice cream mixture with coarsely ground beans of my favorite coffee, then pass the mixture through a fine mesh sieve. The amount of liquid was maintained and the flavor was rich and nutty.
Looking for easy vegan dessert recipes?
Aside from this dairy-free Jamoca Almond Fudge Ice Cream recipe, here are some of our favorite easy vegan dessert recipes:
This dairy-free ice cream recipe is…
Vegetarian, gluten free, vegan, plant based, dairy free
The description
This dairy-free ice cream recipe is a copy of Baskin Robbins’ Jamoca Almond Fudge, a coffee ice cream flavored with chocolate chips and toasted almonds.
- 5 tablespoons dark roast coffee, coarsely ground (decaffeinated on request)
- 2 15-ounce cans of whole coconut milk
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
- ⅓ cup agave syrup
- ⅓ cup coconut sugar
- 1½ teaspoons vanilla extract
- ½ cup almonds
- 2 ¼ ounces Bitter Chocolate (¼ cup + 2 tablespoons pieces of chocolate), vegan on request
- 1 tbsp tahini
- 1 teaspoon cocoa powder
- Freeze the ice maker base overnight.
- Coarsely grind the coffee.
- Pour the coconut milk into a medium-sized saucepan. Pour ¼ cup of liquid into a small bowl; mix with cornstarch and set aside.
- Bring coconut milk, agave syrup, coconut sugar and coffee to a boil. Add the cornstarch mixture, whisking frequently until thickened, about 6-8 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in the vanilla. Strain through a fine mesh strainer into a 1 gallon ziplock bag. If stirring immediately, place the bag in an ice bath for 30 minutes until cool; If you’re stirring the next day, refrigerate for 4 hours or overnight (in either case, the mixture should be as cold as possible before stirring).
- While the mixture cools, add the almonds to a dry skillet and toast over medium-high heat, shaking frequently, until fragrant, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool, then chop and set aside.
- Stir the ice cream in an ice cream maker until it takes on the consistency of soft serve.
- When the mixture is almost the consistency of soft serve, add the chopped walnuts. Place the chocolate chips, tahini, and cocoa powder in a glass measuring cup, then microwave at 20-second intervals until melted, stirring after each interval. Use a spoon to drizzle the chocolate into the ice cream as the chocolate mixture will be thick. If desired, break up larger pieces with a spoon while swirling the mixture. When the chocolate is just incorporated, turn off the ice cream maker (the chocolate step should only take a few minutes).
- For a soft texture or for a hard ice cream, eat immediately, freeze according to the following instructions: Press a piece of parchment paper or wax paper into an airtight container, then use a spatula to scrape the ice cream into the container, being careful not to scrape off any frozen parts up the edges of the ice machine base. Freeze for 4 hours for a hard ice cream texture.
Remarks
Due to the time required for the recipe, we recommend starting the day before serving if possible.
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Frozen
- Kitchen: American
Keywords: Dairy Free Ice Cream Recipe, Jamoca Almond Fudge, Vegan Ice Cream, Vegan Ice Cream Recipe
