'Tis the Season: Coquito Ice Cream

It's that time of year again. The weather outside is frightful, but everything else is so delightful, so let it snow, let it snow, let it snow! I am one of those people who love the Christmas season. I love that everyone is more cheerful; I love Christmas trees; I love baking holiday cookies; I love the angels at Rockefeller Center; I even love snow.

As I count down the days to Christmas on my advent calendar and listen to Christmas carols, I have also been making all the traditional Christmas treats. One such treat is coquito. I was introduced to coquito by one of my best friends in high school. For those of you who don't know, coquito is a Puerto Rican drink that is similar to eggnog, but even better. This recipe is not only delicious, but is extra special to me because it invokes all the nostalgia and warm feelings the holiday season traditionally brings. 

Ingredients:

2 cans (12 oz. each) Evaporated Milk

1 can (15 oz.) Cream of Coconut

1 can(13.5 oz.) Coconut Milk

½ cup Sweetened Condensed Milk

½ cup white rum (optional)

1 tsp. vanilla extract

½ tsp. ground cinnamon, plus more for garnish, if desired

Cinnamon sticks (optional)

For ice cream, add:

1/2 cup of cream

2 egg yolks

Directions:

1. Put all the ingredients together in a blender. Blend for 1 - 2 minutes. Serve cold.

2. If making ice cream, churn ingredients in an ice cream maker after blending.

As I was drinking coquito, I thought this would make for an amazing ice cream. I took the above recipe added half a cup of cream and two egg yolks and put it in my ice cream churner. It was delicious! I am particularly proud of this recipe because it is the first one I have made completely on my own (without looking at another recipe). For my first completely original flavor, I give it a thumbs up.

Spoiler Alerts: I plan on making a candy cake (peppermint) and eggnog ice cream  in the next couple of weeks to celebrate the holiday season!

Until next time, stay calm and get your ice cream eating on.