I am a true chocolate lover and I especially love dark chocolate. A while back I was in such a good place with my eating habits that ice cream and other sugary treats–and any processed food, really–very rarely tempted me, and when I did have a bite I was turned off by the taste. My healthy habits were so engrained that I felt I had truly arrived and 90%+ healthy eating felt very normal and natural to me. But toward the end of my pregnancy and in the months that followed, my habits slid back a bit, and some old cravings crept back in. I’m getting back on track now. Once again I’m finding myself in the two-steps-forward-one-step-back dance, but I AM climbing back to where I need to be and trying to be patient with myself. I have to tell you, this healthy ice cream recipe for Dark Chocolate Silk “Ice Cream” is going to save my butt over and over.

This is one of those recipes that you could probably feed to guests and NOT tell them it’s healthy and they wouldn’t bat an eye. It’s one of those healthy desserts that will truly hit the spot. My sister and I tried it for the first time a few days ago and we both agreed that this healthy ice cream would TOTALLY hit the spot and if we kept this on hand in the freezer for those emergency melt-down situations, we would never again be temped to have “real” ice cream again. That’s how good it is.

You might have all this stuff in your pantry right now. If so, you need to make it immediately and put it in your freezer for the next time you feel you “need” a sweet treat. You will thank yourself like crazy later!

2 cans coconut milk (I use the Thai Kitchen brand – it needs to be the full-fat coconut milk, not the type you would pour on your cereal.)

1 cup pure, grade B maple syrup (you could also use pure, raw agave)

1/2 cup raw chocolate powder (or chocolate nibs)

pinch sea salt

Shake coconut milk cans and pour into ice cube trays or into a muffin pan and freeze. Then add the coconut milk ice cubes to your BlendTec or other high-powered blender, along with all the other ingredients. Press the ice cream button or blend until smooth. You then have a few options:

1) Serve immediately for milk shake consistency

2) Process in ice cream maker for 30 minutes for soft-serve consistency

3) Pour into sealable container and freeze for hard ice cream consistency later

Seriously amazing! If you try this recipe, please let me know how you liked it in the comments below, and pin it on Pinterest!