Coconut & Chocolate Almond Ice Cream Pop

One of my favorite candies as a child (and still as an adult) were Almond Joys...actually frozen Almond Joys. I'm a texture person, so Jello and yogurt just don't do it for me, but I can't say no to shredded coconut. When I was in full swing of trick-or-treating, Almond Joys were the one "chocolate" treat I liked in my Halloween bag. Since I wasn't into Reese's or anything like that (I know, I know), I would pass those candies to my parents (my mother would go for the Mounds and my father, the Heath). As I've gotten older, I've moved away from the milk chocolate and started to enjoy dark chocolate with sea salt or peanut butter(funny how things change), but my love for coconut has stayed the same. This is the perfect summer pop for any coconut lover, but don't worry if you don't have popsicle molds, it serves as a great ice cream and you can just drizzle the chocolate shell when you serve it to all your friends. An alternative is to ditch the chocolate and add rum, think of it as a much fancier 7-Eleven frozen drink! Cheers!

Ingredients: 

1 cup fresh or frozen coconut meat
1 can (13.5 oz) unsweetened coconut milk
3/4 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup sugar
2 tbsp rum

Chocolate Shell drizzle:

1/2 bar dark chocolate
2 tbsp coconut oil
1/4 cup finely chopped almonds


Directions:

1. *In a food processor add coconut and blend until fine
2. Add coconut milk, heavy cream and sugar and blend
3. Add coconut ice cream base to ice cream maker and freeze following manufacturers instructions

Chocolate Shell & Almond Topping:

If you want to makes this really quick, break up the chocolate into a heat safe bowl and pop it in the microwave for 30 seconds to 1 minute until it fully melts (if you want to follow a slower process create a double boiler and melt the chocolate in the bowl). Your best bet is to put it in the microwave for 30 seconds and stir until it is fully melted. Once melted add your coconut oil and stir until dissolved. It is important to know that the second the chocolate mixture touches the cold popsicle or ice cream it will harden so be ready with your chopped almonds. Once you dip your popsicle into the chocolate, IMMEDIATELY sprinkle the chopped almonds over it!   

*Note: If using frozen coconut place in a bowl and thaw. If you want to thaw the fast way throw it into the microwave for 1 minute on high, let it cool a bit before you use