Scooped: Better Than Almond Joy Ice Cream

Updated August 09, 2018

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I may be alone in saying this, but there's no greater Halloween candy currency than Almond Joy. I don't mean it's the best candy bar out there, but you don't see them often on days besides October 31st. So come Halloween I go nuts.

Most people don't care for the sweetened coconut flakes that form the base of candies like Almond Joy and Mounds. I get that. I mean, I don't understand you, but I respect your decision. Which is why this ice cream is ultimately for you: all the flavor of an Almond Joy without any chewy coconut whatsoever.

Instead, here's a toasted coconut ice cream studded with dark chocolate and toasted almonds, crunchy and creamy in equal measure. In a trick I'm stealing from Tracy Obolsky, the pastry chef of North End Grill in New York, the coconut gets steeped into dairy overnight for "a punch in the face of coconut flavor." The overnight steeping soaks a good amount of liquid out of the dairy, and adds more time on to your ice cream-making process, but the end result is well worth it. But if you're pressed for time, steeping your coconut for as little as an hour will still make something tasty.

From there it's all about mix-ins: good dark chocolate (yes, Almond Joy uses milk, but don't let that stop you) and toasted almonds. Get a mix of fine shavings and big chunks in there—the variety works well in this ice cream. For best results, chill the mix-ins in your freezer and add them to the ice cream in the last minute of churning.