Due to the Texas heat, I recently kicked up my consumption of coconut water, and found myself with a debacle– too many Young Thai Coconuts living uneaten in my fridge, and not enough time to make my own coconut yogurt. Bummer.
However, a tragedy of coconuts was met with inspiration when combined with some new products I received courtesy of generous NuNaturals, and thus dessert became something infinitely more glamourous and decadent than the delightful coconuts themselves.
Behold, an Iced Caramel Coconut Custard to satisfy your ice cream cravings. This one is sure to put other dairy ridden delicacies to shame.
For the creamy custard base, I blended the meat of a few coconuts*, accounting for about 2 cups of thick white “meat,” with 1 cup of water. I am a fan of Young Thai Coconuts for their very subtle coconut flavor, creamy texture, and proposed anti-fungal and anti-bactertial properties. I often use them for desserts.
- 2 cups Young Thai Coconut meat, packed
- 1 cup water
*Note: (amount of coconut meat will vary per coconut- but if you get your hands on 2-3 medium Thai coconuts with white bottoms (as opposed to pink)– each coconut should contain about 1 cup of thick meat).
To lightly sweeten the dessert, I used NuNaturals Coconut Sugar (Crystallized Coconut Palm Nectar). Coconut sugar is considered to have a lower glycemic index than cane and beet sugars. Ultimately, it is a higher quality and better alternative to other processed and refined sugars, in addition to highly processed sugar substitutes like sucrose and aspartame. Although significantly less processed, and more “natural” than sugar itself, coconut sugar is not a weight loss supplement or a health food. While coconuts do have many nutrients and beneficial fatty acids, we are almost always better off consuming a food in it’s whole form– a.k.a. the whole raw coconut (except when juicing).
That all said, tasting a few of these little bad boy, brown sprinkles, I could not wait to try them out on the unsuspecting gentleman circling my kitchen (husband and boys).
Reminiscent of caramel, (which is essentially heated butter and sugar), the combination was light and can I dare to say, like a tickle to the taste buds? It was the absolute perfect compliment to my coconut mixture. (Which is not so surprising that “like” and “like” would pair well).
Lucky, lucky… My boys found themselves at the receiving end of this dreamy and creamy custard cloud of decadence, and you can too!
Full Ingredients and Method:
- 2 cups Young Thai Coconut meat, packed
- 1 cup water
Blended until smooth…
- 3 tbsp NuNaturals Coconut Sugar
- 1/4 tsp Red Ape Organic Cinnamon— This cinnamon is the real deal. Robust and fragrant in flavor, I have been adding it to my recipes ever since. Read more about it on NuNaturals website.
- 1 pinch pink sea salt
Blended until smooth…
- 2 cups ice
- 1 tbsp Maple Syrup Grade B
Pulse. Pulse. Blend. Blend.
Serve in 3 fancy glasses and finish with a generous sprinkling of coconut sugar, cinnamon, and freshly shaved (vegan) dark chocolate.
Bon appétit!
Diary of a Nutritionist 