The sweet taste of childhood
We all have a favorite candy bar. For me, it’s the Butterfinger. When I bite into a Butterfinger, my mind travels back to wistful summers spent as a child, where I would mow my neighbors’ lawns for a few dollars to spend at the drugstore. A Butterfinger was always among the things I bought.
When I learned that Almond Joy was the favorite candy of a close friend, I knew I had to give her that experience. I debuted this ice cream at a pool party she was hosting last summer. It was a smash hit.
I made enough for ten, but our five person party devoured the whole dish in a half hour. My friend told me she loved it and demanded the recipe.
If you enjoy coconut, chocolate, and almond, give this recipe a try! It’s the perfect mix of complex adult flavors and sweet ice cream to keep your taste buds entertained while you satisfy your sweet tooth.
You can use this wonderfully easy ice cream recipe for parties, after dinner dessert, or as a decadent snack to enjoy any time you like!
Almond joy ice cream recipe
First, a note about two ingredients. Cream of coconut is coconut milk with less water. This makes it thicker and more suitable for our purposes.
You use it to make a pina colada. It’s normally found near the margarita mix in your local grocery store.
You can buy toasted coconut pre-toasted. It might be easier to toast it yourself, however.
In order to do so, spread shredded sweetened coconut on a baking sheet and toast in the oven for about 10 minutes at 350 degrees F.
It’s done when it begins to brown.
Recipe (with ice cream maker)
1. In a medium mixing bowl, combine the milk and sugar. Use a hand mixer on low to stir until sugar is dissolved.
2. Slowly stir in the coconut cream, heavy cream, vanilla and toasted coconut.
3. Turn on your ice cream maker and transfer the cream mixture to it.
4. Let the ice cream maker do its thing until your cream mixture is almost thick enough, about 17 minutes.
5. About 5 minutes before you’re totally satisfied with how thick your ice cream is, add the mix-in ingredients.
6. Let ice cream mix for 5 more minutes, until thick.7. Transfer ice cream to a dish, cover with foil and freeze until it reaches the desired consistency (3-4 hours).8. (Optional) When serving, use leftover mix-in ingredients as a garnish.
Recipe (without ice cream maker)
1. Follow steps 1-2 above. Transfer the cream to a cold cake pan or dish of your choice
2. Put the dish in the freezer for about 20 minutes or until edges start to freeze.
3. Add your mix-in ingredients to the dish.
4. Using a hand mixer, vigorously beat the cream on low until well mixed.
5. Repeat steps 2 and 4 until ice cream reaches desired consistency. Expect to mix four or five times in total. If your ice cream starts to get too hard without being fluffy enough, let it sit in the refrigerator until it’s soft enough to beat.
6. (Optional) When serving, use leftover mix-in ingredients as a garnish.
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Modification and other notes
In order to make Pina Colada ice cream instead, substitute a can of crushed pineapple for the mix-ins and/or add about 3/4 cup pineapple juice to the cream mixture.
To mimic the classic look of an Almond Joy, keep whole toasted almonds and chocolate sauce handy. Top small dollops of ice cream with almonds and smother them in chocolate sauce.
The perfect summer treat
This ice cream (and its cousin, the Pina Colada ice cream mentioned above) is the perfect companion to any summer poolside gathering. Your friends and family will make excuses to come together and enjoy it with you.
The easy recipe means you can get your kids involved — use this as a sweet way to teach them about cooking. Best of all, you don’t even need an ice cream maker!
Ingredients List:
For the ice cream:
1 1/2 cups milk (whole)
1 1/2 cups heavy cream
1 1/2 cups cream of coconut (one 10-16 oz can is fine)
1 1/8 cups sugar
1/2 cup toasted coconut
1 – 2 tablespoons vanilla extract
For the mix-in:
1/3 cup chocolate chips or chunks
1/3 cup roasted almonds, coarsely chopped
1/3 cup toasted coconut
Use any leftover mix-in ingredients as a garnish.
Yields 7 1 cup servings. Total cook time approx 30 minutes to 5 hours, depending on how firm you want your ice cream.
The Final Conclusion
This easy Almond Joy ice cream recipe puts candy in your bowl, with or without an ice cream maker.
Enjoy your favorite candy in ice cream form, whether you have an ice cream maker or not.
