Looking for a sweet treat to help beat the summer heat? This frozen custard is truly a decadent warm-weather dessert thanks to the addition of toasted coconut and a swirled-in pineapple butter sauce. You’ll find that this buttery ice cream has just the right amount of sweet tropical flavor to keep you coming back for more.
As a December baby, I’m a big believer in 1/2 Birthdays. Yup, that’s right, every once and a while, I think it’s only fair that I get to celebrate my birthday in the sunshine with tons of my favorite peeps, instead of during a freezing cold snowstorm all by myself because everyone else is either too scared to brave the horrific weather, or too preoccupied with holiday preparations to join me in the joyous celebration of my own birth.
So, this year for my 1/2 Birthday, I decided to share this CRAZY YUMMY tropical frozen custard recipe with y’all. After all, it’s summer, and ice cream is totally acceptable at this time of year, unlike during winter when it’s really quite possibly the last thing in the world one wants to see show up on their birthday. Yup, ice cream for 1/2 Birthday celebrations sounds like a doozy of a plan to me.
Now, while I wish that I could say that I would be enjoying this particular frozen treat today for my very special 1/2 big day, that would be a big ol’ lie. Instead, I’ll be spending the day in an even more special way. Tonight, I’ll be under the stars with one of my most cherished stars, at one of my very favorite music venues. That’s right y’all, I’ll be spending my 1/2 Birthday with Harry Connick, Jr. tonight at Wolf Trap, in the very first row.
So, who’s the lucky 1/2 Birthday girl? Well y’all, today that would be me. Ice cream or no ice cream. Frozen custard or no frozen custard. My little 1/2-year-older tuckus is going to enjoy every little second of this day. So, please join me in singing, “A very merry 1/2 Birthday to me, that’s right, to me.” Then, grab a spoon and join me in the joyous 1/2-year celebration of my very own birth. If we’re really lucky, maybe Harry will join us.
Ingredients:
Frozen Custard:
- 2 Cups Heavy Whipping Cream, Divided
- 1 Cup Whole Milk
- 1/2 Cup Granulated Sugar
- 1/4 Teaspoon Kosher Salt
- 6 Egg Yolks, Room Temperature
- 1 Tablespoon Vanilla
Pineapple Sauce:
- 1 Cup Fresh Pineapple, Roughly Chopped
- 1/4 Cup Granulated Sugar
- 1/4 Teaspoon Kosher Salt
- 1 Tablespoon Unsalted Butter
Toasted Coconut:
- 1 Tablespoon Unsalted Butter
- 1 Cup Unsweetened Flaked Coconut
Directions:
Frozen Custard:
- Place 1 cup of the heavy whipping cream in a medium saucepan along with the milk, sugar, and salt. Cook over medium heat for 5 minutes, stirring constantly.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the egg yolks. Slowly add a cup of the warm cream and milk mixture to the eggs, whisking constantly.
- Slowly pour the egg and cream mixture back into the saucepan, whisking constantly.
- Return the saucepan to medium heat and cook for 8 minutes, stirring constantly, or until the mixture is thick and coats the back of a spoon. Remove from heat.
- Place the other 1 cup of heavy whipping cream in a large heat-safe glass bowl with the vanilla. Place a strainer over the bowl and then pour in the warm custard mixture. Whisk until well combined.
- Allow the custard to cool before tightly covering and refrigerating.
- Refrigerate for 8 hours or overnight.
Pineapple Sauce:
- Place the pineapple, sugar, and salt in a food processor and blend until smooth.
- Add the mixture to a small saucepan along with the butter.
- Cook for 3 minutes over high heat, stirring constantly.
- Pour into a small heat-safe glass bowl or container, cover tightly, and refrigerate.
Toasted Coconut:
- Melt the butter over medium-low heat in a small saute pan. Add the coconut and cook for 3 to 5 minutes, or just until the coconut is golden brown and toasted. Stir constantly.
- Spread the coconut out onto a foil-lined baking sheet.
- Allow to cool and cover tightly.
Frozen Custard Assembly:
- Use an ice cream machine to churn the frozen custard mixture for 20 minutes.
- Add the toasted coconut and churn for an additional 5 minutes, or until thick.
- Spoon 1/3 of the frozen custard into an ice cream container, add 1/3 of the pineapple sauce, and then use a knife to cut or swirl the sauce into the frozen custard. Repeat this process two times until all of the frozen custard and pineapple sauce are gone.
- Freeze for at least 4 hours before serving.
Suggestions:
- I cannot say this enough, “STIR CONSTANTLY!” If you don’t stir the custard, pineapple sauce, or coconut while they are cooking, they will burn.
- Straining the warm custard mixture ensures that you won’t have any cooked egg bits in your frozen custard. That’s also why you slowly add a little bit of warm cream mixture to the whisked eggs before adding them back into the saucepan. Using room-temperature egg yolks helps with this process as well.
- The pineapple sauce is done when it has reached the consistency of applesauce.
- I use unsweetened coconut in this recipe because it’s what I prefer. If you use sweetened coconut the frozen custard will be super-sweet.
Improvements:
- Add finely chopped macadamia nuts to the ice cream along with the toasted coconut.
- Sprinkle with additional toasted coconut or pineapple sauce when serving.
- Serve this ice cream along with this Aloha Hawaiian Pineapple Butter Cake.
- CLICK HERE to check out all of our other delicious ice cream recipes.
Ingredients:
- 2 Cups Heavy Whipping Cream, Divided
- 1 Cup Whole Milk
- 1/2 Cup Granulated Sugar
- 1/4 Teaspoon Kosher Salt
- 6 Egg Yolks, Room Temperature
- 1 Tablespoon Vanilla
- 1 Cup Fresh Pineapple, Roughly Chopped
- 1/4 Cup Granulated Sugar
- 1/4 Teaspoon Kosher Salt
- 1 Tablespoon Unsalted Butter
- 1 Tablespoon Unsalted Butter
- 1 Cup Unsweetened Flaked Coconut
Directions:
- Place 1 cup of the heavy whipping cream in a medium saucepan along with the milk, sugar, and salt. Cook over medium heat for 5 minutes, stirring constantly.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the egg yolks. Slowly add a cup of the warm cream and milk mixture to the eggs, whisking constantly.
- Slowly pour the egg and cream mixture back into the saucepan, whisking constantly.
- Return the saucepan to medium heat and cook for 8 minutes, stirring constantly, or until the mixture is thick and coats the back of a spoon. Remove from heat.
- Place the other 1 cup of heavy whipping cream in a large heat-safe glass bowl with the vanilla. Place a strainer over the bowl and then pour in the warm custard mixture. Whisk until well combined.
- Allow the custard to cool before tightly covering and refrigerating.
- Refrigerate for 8 hours or overnight.
- Place the pineapple, sugar, and salt in a food processor and blend until smooth.
- Add the mixture to a small saucepan along with the butter.
- Cook for 3 minutes over high heat, stirring constantly.
- Pour into a small heat-safe glass bowl or container, cover tightly, and refrigerate.
- Melt the butter over medium-low heat in a small saute pan. Add the coconut and cook for 3 to 5 minutes, or just until the coconut is golden brown and toasted. Stir constantly.
- Spread the coconut out onto a foil-lined baking sheet.
- Allow to cool and cover tightly.
- Use an ice cream machine to churn the frozen custard mixture for 20 minutes.
- Add the toasted coconut and churn for an additional 5 minutes, or until thick.
- Spoon 1/3 of the frozen custard into an ice cream container, add 1/3 of the pineapple sauce, and then use a knife to cut or swirl the sauce into the frozen custard. Repeat this process two times until all of the frozen custard and pineapple sauce are gone.
- Freeze for at least 4 hours before serving.
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TASTE OF HOME FEATURED RECIPE
This “Buttery Pineapple & Coconut Frozen Custard” recipe has been featured in Taste of Home. This recipe was featured in the 2021 Taste of Home “Holiday & Celebrations” Cookbook.