INGREDIENTS
(MAKES 12 COOKIES AND 750g ICE CREAM)

For the coconut banana nice cream

• 120ml canned coconut cream, frozen in an ice-cube tray
• 4 ripe bananas, roughly chopped and frozen
• 1 tsp maple syrup
• Pinch of salt

For the cookies

• 300g plain flour
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 100g virgin coconut oil, solid
• 100g soft dark or light brown sugar
• 1 tbsp vanilla extract
• 50ml coconut milk (from the coconut can)
• 100g dark chocolate chips
• 1 tbsp coconut oil

METHOD

1 Place your frozen coconut cream, bananas, maple syrup and salt in a blender or food processor on a low speed for a few seconds. You want to keep the frozen consistency, so resist adding any liquid and all will work out perfectly. Keep blending until the frozen mixture is the consistency of a thick, soft-serve ice cream, then transfer to a bowl and place in the freezer for 25–30 minutes

2 Preheat the oven to 190°C. Have two big bowls ready. Add the dry ingredients (flour, salt, baking soda and powder) to one and whisk with a fork to break it up and mix everything evenly. Add the coconut oil and sugar to the other bowl and begin to mash and mix the two together. Once the sugar and coconut oil combine, you’ll have a thick sugary paste. Add the vanilla extract and milk and mix together

3 Add your dry ingredients to the wet and fold them all in. Get your hands in to bring it all together. Just before the mixture starts to look like dough, add half the dark chocolate chips and mix into a ball

4 Scoop out a palm-sized amount of dough and roll it into a ball. Place on a baking tray and press each ball down lightly. Bake for 12–14 minutes until light brown on top and around the edges and the centre is baked through, then remove and set aside to cool

5 Take the ice cream out of the freezer and allow it to thaw a little before scooping. Sandwich the cookies together with ice cream and freeze again for 15–20 minutes to firm up

6 Melt the remaining chocolate in a small heatproof bowl over a saucepan of simmering water. Keep over a low heat, add a tablespoon of coconut oil and the chocolate chips and mix, allowing the chocolate to melt. Dip each sandwich into the melted chocolate and serve immediately, or store in the freezer in an airtight container for up to three days

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