No-Churn Chocolate Cherry Ice Cream

 

I had some sweetened condensed coconut milk to use up, so I decided to make this no-churn chocolate cherry ice cream. I was unable to find lactose-free cream cheese anywhere, so I had to use vegan cream cheese – while this ice cream was good, I believe it would have been much better with dairy lactose-free cream cheese! Just remember to take the ice cream out of the freezer about 15 minutes before serving it. 

16-oz. bag frozen pitted dark sweet cherries (about 3 cups) 

½ cup granulated sugar 

2 tsp. cornstarch 

2 tsp fresh lemon juice 

½ tsp. kosher salt, divided 

8 oz. lactose-free cream cheese (see note above), at room temperature 

1 Tbsp. vanilla extract 

14 oz. sweetened condensed coconut milk 

2 cups lactose-free cream (vegan is fine) 

4 oz. semisweet or bittersweet chocolate bar, coarsely chopped (or grated) 

Stir together cherries, sugar, cornstarch, lemon juice, and ¼ teaspoon salt in a medium saucepan. Cook over medium, stirring occasionally, until bubbling, about 5 minutes. Reduce heat to medium-low; simmer, stirring often, until thickened, dark, and slightly reduced, 12 to 15 minutes. Transfer mixture to a large baking dish. Refrigerate until cool, 1 to 2 hours. 

Beat cream cheese in a large bowl with an electric mixer on medium speed until smooth and lightly whipped, about 1 minute. Add vanilla and remaining ¼ teaspoon salt; beat on high speed until just combined. With mixer running, gradually add condensed milk in a steady stream, beating until no clumps of cream cheese remain and scraping down sides of bowl as needed, 2 to 3 minutes. 

Place cream in a separate large bowl. Beat (no need to clean beaters) on medium-high speed until medium peaks form, 2 to 3 minutes. Fold whipped cream into cream cheese mixture. Fold in chocolate. Fold in 1 cup cooled cherry mixture until just swirled in, being careful not to overmix. 

Pour into a freezer-safe 2 ½-quart baking dish or 10-by-5-inch loaf pan. Dot with remaining cherry mixture; swirl with a spoon. Wrap tightly with plastic wrap and freeze for at least 4 hours.