Coconut Chocolate Chip Ice Cream

today is my dad's birthday (happy, happy birthday dad!)

in honor of this momentous day in history (jimmy dean and antonio banderas also share this birthday) i made him his #1 requested ice cream flavor - coconut chocolate chip. i almost made him the old standby of a coconut cake but then i remembered when i first got my ice cream maker, i took flavor requests and his was coconut chocolate chip.

it all stems back to hoffman's homemade ice cream in westminster, md. dad always got coconut chocolate chip. i swear, since then he always asks places if they have coconut chocolate chip. tonight, casa de wasti not only had his favorite flavor but it was the feature (and only) flavor on the menu.

served with a side of chocolate chip cookies (there is a story behind these cookies for a later post).

it must be noted that you need to use "cream of coconut" for this recipe. do not confuse coconut milk as a suitable substitute. it's not. i found cream of coconut in the "mixers" asile in wegmans. it was nestled right along side "bloody mary mix" and "whisky sour mix" both of which i promise you would taste 100 times better if you didn't use a drink mix but back to the task at hand - ice cream.

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Coconut Chocolate Chip Ice Cream

1 cup whole milk
15 oz cream of coconut
1 1/2 cups heavy cream
1 cup unsweetened shredded coconut
2 oz dark chocolate (60% cacao)

whisk together milk, cream of coconut, heavy cream, and shredded coconut. add mix to ice cream maker and follow manufacturers instructions. i let mine whirl away for 20 minutes. while that is working, chop chocolate up into small pieces/shreds. add chocolate in for last 2 minutes of churning. store ice cream in an airtight container and put in freezer for 2-4 hours before serving.

enjoy!

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**happy birthday dad!**
i love you like crazy and can't wait to celebrate many, many more birthdays with you:)