Cold Brew Mocha Swirl Ice Cream
To quote my favorite coffee shop in Tucson, Raging Sage, “A sage once said to follow one’s passion and find purpose and fulfillment.” Happy Belly After is my passion, as well as my personal guide to purpose and fulfillment. Every recipe and photograph becomes an opportunity for me to expand my process and grow creatively, and today’s recipe is no exception!
Summer is officially here, and if you haven’t yet noticed, take a step outside and whiff in that warm northern hemispherical air! Summer to us means ice cream and pie for dessert - or both! I regularly use coconut milk in my ice cream for extra creaminess, but this time I decided to roll with oat milk (pun intended if using rolled oats). The result is still creamy, but with less fat and calories.
This recipe takes multiple steps over three days, but it’s worth the effort and sense of accomplishment! The first day is for the cold brew and the second day is for the ice cream base and mocha syrup. Chill overnight and freeze the ice cream for use on the third day. For added flair, I use my favorite [and colorful] ice cream containers made by @TovoloUS.
Make the cold brew – Coarsely grind the coffee beans in batches in a grinder. Pour into a wide mouth quart Ball glass jar. Add 3 cups of cold filtered water. Stir and cover. Refrigerate for 18-24 hours. Place a Militta natural paper coffee filter inside a second quart Ball glass jar, leaving a 1/2″ edge at the top. Fold the filter over the top edge and secure with a rubber band. Pour the cold brew in batches, letting the coffee slowly drip through the filter. Discard the coffee grinds. Cover and refrigerate.
Make the Ice Cream – Drain the cashews. Transfer to a high speed blender, add 1 cup cold brew coffee and purée until smooth. Combine the sugar and 3 tbsp cold brew in a small saucepan over medium heat and stir until the sugar is dissolved. Remove from heat and add the coconut oil and cacao butter. Let rest until the cacao butter is melted. Add to the high speed blender along with the remaining ingredients. Purée until smooth. Chill overnight.
Make the Mocha syrup – Add the cold brew, cocoa, sugar and coconut oil to a medium saucepan on medium heat. Whisk until combined, about 2-3 minutes, cooking until thickened. Do not boil. Pour into a glass jar and chill overnight.
Make the ice cream – Transfer to an ice cream maker and process according to the manufacturers instructions until thick.
To make swirl ice cream – Transfer the frozen ice cream by large spoonfuls to a quart storage container, alternating thin layers of ice cream with drizzles of the mocha syrup until the quart container is filled. Freeze until solid.
makes one quart
COLD BREW
- 1 cup coffee beans, coarsely ground
- 3 cups filtered water
ICE CREAM
- ½ cup raw cashews, soaked in hot water for a least 1 hour water
- 1 cup cold brew (see above) plus 3 tbsp cold brew
- ¾ cup organic cane sugar
- ¼ cup refined coconut oil
- ¼ cup cacao butter
- 1¾ cups oat milk
- 2 tbsp Kahlua
- 1 tsp vanilla bean paste
- ½ tsp pink Himalayan sea salt
MOCHA SYRUP
- ½ cup cold brew
- ½ cup Rodelle cocoa
- ½ cup sugar
- 2 tsp refined coconut oil