Vegan. Samoa. Ice cream. On another note, today was my last day of work.
Whoa! Didn’t see that one coming, did you? Neither did I. I currently feel like the sprinkles in the above picture. My brain is all over the place.
Believe it or not, this has actually been a long time coming. Because guess what? I’m starting school in the fall.
Business school. I’m going to business school.
(I’m hoping the more I say it, the more real it will become.)
What better way to celebrate school and new beginnings than with ice cream?
I am super excited to be participating in OXO’s latest kitchen campaign, Ice Cream for OXO. The lovely OXO folks sent over an awesome ice cream-making care package with that adorable, perfect-sized, freezer-safe LockTop container you see above, a sleek ice cream scooper, and a 4-piece set of mini measuring beakers (among other things) that comes with the double bonuses of being useful AND making me feel like a cooking goddess a la this lady.
So this ice cream: it starts with a base of coconut milk. I used one can of full-fat and one can of lite milk simply because it had been languishing in my pantry. I now only buy full-fat milk because I believe lite milk is simply full-fat cut with water–and thus a bit of a waste of money. I would recommend using all full-fat milk, but it’s up to you. I made the recipe as written below and loved every last sliiightly icy bite.
So coconut milk. Then little bits of shredded coconut which OMG THE TEXTURE. I loved it. You might hate it. I loved it. Plus cookie bits, which I had on hand already. You might want to try this recipe for vegan shortbread (yum).
And then swirls of vegan coconut milk caramel and chocolate.
(And then magic shell + sprinkles. Eat and repeat.)
I could not stop eating this. It was madly addictive.
Vegan Samoa Ice Cream
Ingredients
- For the ice cream:
- 1 13.5 oz can full-fat coconut milk refrigerated
- 1 13.5 oz can lite coconut milk minus 1 cup (to use in the caramel), refrigerated
- ¼-½ cup unrefined turbinado or coconut sugar
- 2 teaspoons vanilla
- pinch of fine-grain sea salt
- ½ cup unsweetened shredded coconut
- 1 cup vegan shortbread cookie crumbs
- For the caramel swirl:
- ½ cup unrefined sugar
- 1 cup lite coconut milk
- 2 teaspoons vanilla
- big pinch fine-grain sea salt
- For the chocolate swirl:
- ½ cup chocolate chips
- 2-3 tablespoons non-dairy milk
Instructions
- In a blender, combine coconut milk, sugar, vanilla and salt. Freeze as directed in an ice cream maker. When the ice cream is nearly finished, add the coconut and cookie crumbs.
- While ice cream is freezing, make the caramel and chocolate swirls. Once the swirls are ready and the ice cream is done freezing, place several scoops of ice cream into a freezer-safe container and drizzle with chocolate. Add another scoop and drizzle with caramel. Continue alternating scoops of ice cream with swirls until all ingredients are used up. Freeze for several hours to harden to a scooping consistency. After being thoroughly frozen, ice cream will need to sit at room temperature for about 15 minutes to soften for scooping.
- For the caramel:
- Cook the sugar without stirring until caramelized, keeping an eye on it. Whisk in the coconut milk in a thin stream and cook for approximately 10 minutes until thickened and darker in color. Remove from heat and whisk in vanilla and salt. Let cool.
- For the chocolate swirl:
- Combine chocolate chips and milk; microwave for 1 minute. Stir until melted.
Graham @ Glazed & Confused
SHUT UP. (the compliment kind, not the condescending kind) Seriously, this is driving me crazy.
First you killed me with the ice cream. So creamy and chocolatey and coconutty (that’s definitely not a word). and then the sprinkles!
Instantly followed! So glad I stumbled along your blog. Great stuff!
erika
Haha I like you already! Thanks so much Graham–I’m so excited to check out your blog–love the name! 🙂
Kim @ AdventuresInANewishCity
CONGRATS ERIKA!!!!! Omg, that’s so exciting! Where are you going? When are you starting? HOW ARE YOU GOING TO BALANCE IT ALL WITH REVENGE AND SCANDAL THIS SEASON?!?!?! I’m so so excited for you!
And that ice cream might be all of my dreams coming true. 🙂
erika
Haha thank you so much Kim!! I’m going to Rice. I just started today. I have no idea but IT WILL HAPPEN! I promise 😉
You’re the best. I <3 your excitement. <33333333333
Kayle (The Cooking Actress)
CONGRATS ON SCHOOOOOL!!!
and omgeeee this ice cream-samoa ice cream is GENIUS and I cannot believe that it’s vegan too! LOVELOVELOVE!
erika
Thanks Kayle!!! :)))
laurasmess
Business school?? Wow, so exciting Erika! Hope that it goes well! Such a liberating feeling to finish work. I felt the same when I resigned to go traveling. Scary but awesome. Anyway. Back to this amazing ice cream. Yum. I’ve never heard of Samoa ice cream but I think I’m already addicted…
Argh. So good! Xxxx
erika
Thanks Laura! YES, liberating is the exact word/feeling/emotion/everything. And have you ever had a samoa (girl scout) cookie?! That’s what this ice cream is based on; I guess I didn’t mention that since I figured it’d be clear to all US readers. If you’ve never had one, I am going to mail you some!!
laurasmess
No I haven’t!! They do sound delicious. I don’t think Aussie girl scouts widely sell any sort of cookie… or if they do, I’ve never come across one! xx
Irene @ {a swoonful of sugar}
You talk of swirls, coconut shreds and cookie crumbs nestled inside a dreamy vegan ice cream. IM SO IN. And all the best for business school girl!! I always love seeing how food bloggers DO have a life outside of cooking and it always gives me a pleasant feeling when sometimes they’re completely unrelated to food. Like, there’s sooo many super multi-talented ladies out there (and of course you’re part of the gang too Erika :))
erika
Thank you SO much Irene! I couldn’t agree with you more about seeing the outside-the-blog life of food bloggers, but I’m still so flattered that you’re interested in mine 🙂 You’re so sweet–I want to hear more about your OTB life!! 😉
susan @ the wimpy vegetarian
Many congrats on your huge life transition. It will be such an exciting time for you, with new experiences and new ideas. Good for you for taking a month off before starting – it’s good time to relax, enjoy, think, and refocus. I only hope you make a business around your photography and writing. And food. You have so much creative talent.
erika
Thanks so much, Susan! You’re right–this past month of getting ready has been so exciting and even the first day of school was just a barrage of newness. And THANK YOU! That means so much, coming from an amazing recipe developer/photographer/writer/all-around talented lady like you!
janet @ the taste space
Yippee for business school!! That sounds like you have a whole month off! BOOYAH!! 🙂
Have you already done all your travelling or is it for now?
erika
Haha thanks Janet! I actually had about 1.5 weeks off, but it was GLORIOUS. I think I was camping when you left your lovely comment, but I’m back now and done with traveling…and just finished with my first day! HOW ARE YOU? Back in Canada now?!
janet @ the taste space
Awesome! I am back in Canada but living in an empty home. Our pod with all our stuff from Houston still hasn’t arrived.. but otherwise settling into my new job as well. 🙂
Muna Kenny
This ice cream looks so creamy and tasty, flavored with coconut it must be refreshing too! I wish you all the best, study hard but don’t forget about us 😉
erika
I could never forget you guys, Muna! Thanks so much for your sweet comment and thoughts!
Amallia @DesireToEat
wow, your samoa ice cream looks so good.
Erica @ Cannella Vita
I wish you the best of luck at business school! My mother would love this recipe, she doesn’t eat dairy. Who knew that you could make caramel from coconut milk! Leave it to you to figure that out… I can’t wait to give this a try!
erika
Aww thanks so much Erica! I’ve been trying to avoid the dairy too lately, and coconut milk is doing pretty well to fill the void 🙂 I bet you’d be able to whip up something absolutely fantastic for her! Can’t wait 🙂
Katie @ Butterlust
Congrats on business school! This ice cream looks amazing! Samoas (or Caramel Delights as they’re called in TX) are my all-time favorite Girl Scout Cookie + my boyfriend is lactose intolerant so this recipe is PERFECT for us!
erika
Aww yay!!! Hah I should know that fact about Caramel Delights since I live in Houston…but clearly I’ve been living under a rock. Glad to have been enlightened!! And thank you so much Katie!!! Hope you and your boyfriend enjoy 🙂
Kathryn
Woohoo for big life decisions! Business school sounds like such an amazing opportunity, congrats on taking the big leap!! And I think that ice cream is definitely the perfect way to celebrate a new start!
erika
Thank you thank you Kathryn!! I so agree 😉
Sophie
OH MAH GAH why have I never put shortbread bits in ice cream before now?! THANK YOU. Everything is going to be ok: shortbread. Coconut. Caramel. Ice cream. This look so amazing. I recently made my first vegan ice cream for a cookout with vegan pals and they were thrilled with it and SO WAS I which is saying a lot because I love my dairy 🙂 Wheee! This flavor is insane!
So proud and impressed of how you’re changing things up! Congratulations and best wishes on your business school adventure! Celebrating with sprinkles = YES.
erika
Ooh yay!!! What kind of vegan ice cream did you try? And GIRL my general ice cream strategy is to dump anything and everything (erm…strategically) into the base mix. Cookies, cake, you name it. Whatever I have on hand. Shortbread IS a clear, clear winner though.
And THANK YOU!!! :)))
Sophie
I did coffee and a little bourbon in a mix of fatty coconut milk and almond milk. It was a little icier than I would have liked but no one seemed to mind 🙂 It’s hard to argue with soft-serve right out of the machine! One time I added Reese’s Peanut Butter Crispies cereal to my chocolate-peanut butter ice cream….. that was a bad idea. They became chewy and unpleasant to eat. Cookies, cake! YES! xoxoxo
cynthia
YAY B-SCHOOL!!! I hear that going back to school after working is the best. thing. ever so I hope you have the time of your life in the fall <3 <3 <3 You deserve it, lady! And OMG this ice cream looks SO so good. Coconut milk ice cream has been so high on my to-do list for so long and yours looks phenomenal. Perfect for summer. Huge congrats, Erika!!
erika
Thank you, lovely lady!!! I’m all smiles after reading your comment :))
Millie l Add A Little
Last day of work?! AND YOURE GOING TO BUSINESS SCHOOL?!?! Holy Jesus, you’re a high achiever!! You go girl, celebrate with that ice cream! Also, I really want to eat that as I’m currently in Tokyo and it is SO hot!!
http://youtube.com/addalittlefood
erika
Thanks Millie!! :))
Katie (The Muffin Myth)
Congrats on going back to school! That’s awesome and terrifying, as I who have spent much of my adult life in school (and still sometimes contemplate more?) well know. Lite coconut milk doesn’t have water added but it does have some of the coconut cream skimmed off… so feel ripped off or don’t? I don’t feel ripped off by it but there is def a time and a place. Anyways, this ice cream! Amazing! And I’m back with my ice cream maker for the next 2 weeks, so this must happen!
erika
Thank you so much, Katie! Haha you are a boss and I don’t know how you do it. So much school!!!
Hmm that is good to know. Except that my lite coconut milk did have water listed as one of the ingredients, so maybe it varies by brand? And YAY! Hope you like it and hope you are having a fabulous time!! :))
[email protected]
Congrats on business school!!! The ice cream is looking delicious. You’ve got a lot of amazing flavors going on here.
erika
This is quite the late response, but THANK YOU Nik!! Such a compliment coming from a flavor guru like you :)) I can’t wait to catch up on your blog once this rush of first-days-of-school is over!!
The Vegan 8
Looks sooo amazing and delicious Erika!!! You KNOW I love this because I’m a vegan ice cream making fool, hahahaha! I love that pic of the spoons,, super cool!! Congrats on business school girl, that’s so exciting!! Lots if reason to celebrate with lots of ice cream!
erika
Thanks Brandi!! :))
Choc Chip Uru
Damn, your ice cream looks INCREDIBLE! Can’t believe this is vegan 😀
Who can resist samoas?!
And congratulations on business school, this is fantastic news!!!
Cheers
Choc Chip Uru
Nora (A Clean Bake)
Are you SERIOUS right now!? This ice cream is perfection. You’ve already excelled in the first lesson business school: self-medicate early and often. Ice cream or cookies are best. No but seriously, you’re going to be GREAT! (And I am here to advise/commiserate anytime!!!)
erika
Bahahha I love it. I am keeping that in mind 😉 So glad I have you as a fellow blogging AND MBA-commiserating buddy!!! <33333333
Ala
GOOD ON YOU, GIRL. Looks like you might need to join in the grad student bloggy crew very soon! This ice cream is such a perfect way to celebrate because ice cream = every celebration dessert, ever. Congrats!! I can’t wait to hear your business school stories, hah! We can certainly commiserate now!
erika
Yupppp AMEN TO THAT! 😉
Michelle @ Hummingbird High
OHMAGAWD this ice cream. AND THOSE PICTURES. I love the dark one with the spoons… swoon. Also I love OXO stuff! So glad you’re working with them, two of my favorite peeps/things combined.
CONGRATS ON BSCHOOL!!! Though I think I told you that when we got pastries at Nuvrei? I remember we talked about this, I think. Eitherway, congrats again! Hope you’re gonna do loads of fun things during your summer time before school.
erika
Ahhh thanks Michelle! Yes, we probably did talk about this since I can’t stop blabbing about it. THANKS! I did have tons of fun this summer, and so glad meeting you was included in that fun-ness! 🙂
PS. I went to Common Bond for the first time. It is AMAZINGGGGGG. Comecomecome so we can go 😉
Anne
Seriously?! You just had to post this right after I ate regular store bought strawberry ice cream that made me want to choke of sweetness? My favorite girl scout cookie and you just had to turn it into ice cream??? You’re going to be responsible for me eating my weight in ice cream while convincing myself it’s healthy because it doesn’t have any cream. It may seem like I’m mad at you right now, but I am not. But everything I said was true… 😀
Good luck in school!!! Starting high school in a few days so kinda nervous.
Oh, btw, totally LOVE your blog! Photos are always gorgeous and writing is amazing. The recipes are so amazing… More of a silent reader, but just wanted to say how stunning your blog is. 😛
erika
Anne!!!!! Thank you so much for your sweet comment and SORRY this comment is long, LONG overdue! I am a silent reader of many blogs, so I totally get the extra effort that goes into commenting and I so appreciate you taking that time 😉 Arg, isn’t store-bought ice cream the worst? So convenient…but just not quiite satisfying. Also: starting high school–so exciting!!! I hope everything went smoothly and that you’re loving it!
Nancy @ gottagetbaked
Holy shizz this looks incredible and magical and delicious and all the good descriptive words in the world! Congratulations on going to business school, Erika! I love endings and beginnings so much. I’m a bit of a rolling stone – I don’t think I’ve stayed at a firm longer than 2 years since I became a lawyer. There’s just something about letting go of all the stresses that were involved in one venture and the excitement of starting something new. How long is your program? Do you get to enjoy the rest of your summer before school starts? I hope so. I suggest making more of this ice cream because it looks phenomenal!
erika
Hahah thanks Nancy!! Yes, starting new things is so exciting and shiny, isn’t it? I like your rolling stone philosophy/vibe. My program is 2 years and YES I enjoyed every last bit of summer before the first day of school. Hope you are still enjoying some fab summer weather, lady!
stephanie
omg this looks SO good. minus the magic shell though because i’m weird like that. but the coconut bits in the coconut milk based ice cream plus shortbread plus caramel!?! YES!!!
biggest congrats on business school!! YAY! so happy you’re following your dreams lady! xoxo
erika
Thanks Stephanie!!! I cannot WAIT for your book!! Seriously.can.not.wait.
And what do you mean you don’t like magic shell?! You must explain this logic to me. (And then brainwash me into thinking the same because I could literally eat buckets of it and you’d be doing my hips a big big favor.)