Tres Leches Coconut and Chocolate Fudge Ice Cream Tacos with Banana Peanut Salsa.
Leave it to me to turn traditional savory into over the top sweet with this Tres Leches Coconut and Chocolate Fudge Ice Cream Tacos with Banana Peanut Salsa.
I mean JEEZ, can’t I just leave anything as is?
The real answer? NO, even the simplest of the simple I just have to mess with. I can’t help it, I just get so bored.
This actually is not the first time that I turned a taco into a dessert. I did it a few years back during my first year of the blog and while I am dead scared to even mention them because the photos are horrible, I still love those tacos.
This year’s taco is a bit different. Or well, a lot different, and a lot easier since we are not making crepes. Either taco recipe does require a little time and patience. I know, I know. UGH. I promise that nothing about this recipe is hard in any way, but you just have to, you know, wait for the ice cream to freeze.
Talk about pain in the you know what.
But promise, it’s worth the wait and extra effort.
ALSO, if you do not have an ice cream maker, you can still make these. Yeah! I gave all of you non ice cream maker people a no-churn recipe too! I just couldn’t leave anyone hanging without being able to make this recipe. It’s TOO good.
I am not really sure when and how these coconut fudge ice cream tacos with banana peanut salsa came to be. All I know is the second I had the concept down, I was up and making them. And if you know me at all, then you know how unusual this is for me. Normally I completely over analyze. I will think about a recipe, think about it more, think about whether it is really a good idea and then go back to thinking about it more. Basically what I am trying to say is that I over think and over analyze every single recipe. My brains never stops thinking, which if you are wondering, can be a bit exhausting….help.
But this one? This one was different.
The thought of a coconut milk tres leche ice cream alone sounded beyond amazing to me. It’s coconutty, vanilla-ee, sweet and with a nice touch of cinnamon. Of course, I needed to add some chocolate. This is when the chocolate balls of fudge came into play. All those little fudge balls. They sure do put the ice cream over the top. Could totally make the ice cream without them, but why would you???
That’d be just plain craziness.
The ice cream is really simple and easy to make. It has no fancy ingredients or even eggs. The secret is simply full fat coconut milk and sweetened condensed milk.
Ahhh. And maybe a little coconut rum too. Hey, it seemed appropriate, I mean it is Friday!!!
Once you have the ice cream, you just need to make some sweet taco shells. Since I felt like I was really going all out and having fun with these, I did fry my shells in a little oil, but baking them works too. Either way, you finish them up by dusting on granulated sugar. Yes, yes, yes.
They are basically just like a Mexican sopapillas, but just made a little easier.
So you have the shells. Now it’s time to fill them with ice cream and freeze. This is obviously the hard part.
Waiting…
When the wait is finally over, you are totally going to want to make a quick banana salsa and then dip each taco in a little bit of chocolate. Trust me, you must do this.
Not only is it fun, but it completes the ice cream taco experience.
And then you eat…
Perfect way to finish off a Mexican feast, right?!? Cinco De Mayo here we come!!
If you make this Tres Leches Coconut and Chocolate Fudge Ice Cream Tacos with Banana Peanut Salsa be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Above all, I love to hear from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every comment. And of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Tres Leches Coconut and Chocolate Fudge Ice Cream Tacos with Banana Peanut Salsa.
By halfbakedharvest
Course: Dessert, Snack
Cuisine: American, Mexican
Keyword: chocolate, coconut, fudge, ice cream, tacos
A deliciously sweet twist to a Mexican classic
Ingredients
Tres Leches Coconut and Chocolate Fudge Ice Cream*
- 8 ounces semi sweet or bittersweet chocolate chopped
- 1/2 cup full fat coconut milk or heavy cream
- 2 cans (13.5 ounce) full-fat coconut milk 14
- 1 can (14 ounce) sweetened condensed milk
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon stick or 1/2-1 cinnamon
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 1 tablespoon coconut rum optional
Tacos
- 6 corn tortillas
- canola oil for frying*
- granulated sugar for sprinkling
- 12 ounces semi-sweet or milk chocolate chopped, about 2 cups
- 3 tablespoons coconut oil
Banana Salsa
- 2 firm but ripe bananas, diced
- 1/4 cup roasted peanuts chopped
- 1/4 cup toasted shredded coconut
Instructions
Ice Cream
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Add the chocolate and 1/2 cup coconut milk to a small sauce pan and set over low heat. Heat, stirring often until the chocolate is smooth and melted. Watch closely as you do not want the chocolate to burn. Once the chocolate is melted, remove from the heat and transfer to a bowl. Place in the the fridge until firm, about 1 hour. Once the chocolate fudge is hard, remove it from the fridge and roll the fudge into half teaspoon size balls. Keep in the fridge until ready to add to the ice cream.
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Meanwhile, combine the remaining 2 cans coconut milk, sweetened condensed milk, cinnamon stick, vanilla and coconut rum in a medium size sauce pan. Bring the mixture to a low boil and then simmer 15 minutes or until just slightly thickened and coats the back of a wooden spoon. Remove from the heat and transfer to a bowl, cover and place in the fridge until cool, about 2 hour hours or 30-45 minutes in the freezer, stirring often to prevent freezing.
Tacos
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To fry the shells, heat 1-2 inches of oil over medium heat in a skillet. Carefully add half of the tortilla (folded into a taco shape) and fry until golden (you will need to hold up the tortilla half the entire time using tongs.). Using tongs, carefully flip the tortilla to fry the other side until golden (continue holding the free edge to maintain the shape). Remove from skillet. I have found it helpful to take an old 1 inch thick book and slightly open it with the pages fanning down and the binding up. Then balance the taco shell on the binding until set. Repeat, placing second taco shell on top of the last to drain oil and set. Hopefully you can get 2 sets on top of your binding. It should only take a few minutes for the taco shells to dry and set. Next, sprinkle the tacos generously with granulated sugar. These can be stored in a bag with piece of tin foil wedged into the shells to help them hold their shape for a day or two.
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Once the milk mixture is cool, freeze in an ice cream maker according to the manufacturer’s instructions. Fold in the chocolate fudge chunks.
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Grab your taco shells and fill each shell about 3/4 the way full with ice cream. Place in an inverted cupcake tin to help the tacos stand upright. Freeze for 4-6 hours.
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To make the chocolate shell, combine the chopped chocolate and coconut oil in a medium sauce pan over medium heat. Stir frequently until chocolate is almost melted. Remove from heat and stir until completely melted and smooth. Allow to cool 15-20 minutes before dipping the tacos.
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Once the tacos are frozen, dip them into the chocolate shell and quickly sprinkle with chopped peanuts or toasted coconut. Return to the freezer for 5 minutes or until ready to serve. Before serving, top each taco with banana salsa (below).
Banana Salsa
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Combine the bananas, peanuts and coconut in a bowl. Toss well. Serve immediately with the tacos.
Recipe Notes
*Instead of frying the tortilla shells, you can also bake them in the oven using this method. **Here is a video I found on [frying taco shells | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=apve0z6PicM]. ***To make the ice cream without an ice cream maker, follow the directions through making the chocolate fudge balls. Then add 1 can of COLD full-fat canned coconut milk (drain off the coconut water from the top of the can before adding to the bowl, reserve the water for another use) and 1 1/2 cups COLD heavy cream to a large bowl. Beat on high speed until whipped. Gently fold in 1 can sweetened condensed milk, 1/2-1 teaspoon ground cinnamon (start with a 1/2 teaspoon, taste and add more if desired), 1 tablespoon vanilla and 1 tablespoon coconut rum until evenly combined. Fill tacos as directed above.
Oh, and since Cinco De Mayo is on a Tuesday, that means this weekend either goes all the way through until Tuesday, or that next weekend begins on Tuesday… right??
Wow! These look incredible. I still don’t have an ice cream maker yet so I’ll give this recipe a try I reckon.
I love all the tricks you have- the inverted cupcake tin to keep the taco shells upright, the no-churn ice cream that doesn’t force me to find the ice cream maker hidden in the garage’s crevices. The flavor combos sound great as always (tres leches coconut?? I am so there) and what’s a HBH recipe without a fruit salsa? (:
I think you’ve just been blessed with great photography skills because even your older post had great lighting and focus! Sure, the first round of tacos looked messy, but hey, with something that delicious, who cares? 😉 Great recipe!
A perfect combination – banana and chocolates. they are my favourites. i could have that for a week.
It’s fine that you can’t leave well enough alone if this is the product. They look awesome!
I love all your crazy recipes! These tacos look insanely good; have to make them!
Oh my these are definitely not on the list of foods the doctor advised me to eat but I can really enjoy the pictures and save the recipe.
Oh my!!! It is only 7:25 in GA but I could eat this for breakfast if I had it. Ha!! After all it has fruit and milk. Hehe!!
I am coming over for Cinco de Mayo. Screw salsa, spiced meats and all the other fixings. I think we have nearly every food group covered here right? These tacos are everything I want and more!!
Tieghan these sound so AMAZING! I just got the ice cream attachment for my KitchenAid a few months ago and I have been having an awesome time making ice cream!! These will definitely be on my list of ice cream treats to make for guests this summer at the beach! I can’t wait to see their faces when I serve up one of these!! (That’s if I don’t eat them all before they get there!)
Oh, man. Talk about making desert the main course…these look irresistable! Happy Friday!
I think all of your photos look amazing! I have a bit go photography envy in fact hah. What a decadent dessert, good God! I’m totally loving this idea of an ice cream taco…heavenly. Great recipe!
Ice cream tacos?! Yes please!! These are wonderful!
Yum! A homemade coconut and banana choco taco? Count me in! That looks amazing! I love the creativity!
This is a perfect birthday present for — me! As usual, you have a good eye for the pics. My freezer is virtually empty now. What an opportunity to get into mischief! Thanks for sharing this, Tieghan!
Thank you for making provisions for us non-ice-cream-maker people!! So many blogs don’t have that, and then I just sit there feeling all sad!
This is genius!! I never would’ve thought of dessert tacos, but this looks addictively good and my mouth was watering and I was getting all excited reading the post! Just gotta say: your family must feel pretty lucky to be able to eat your deliciousness so frequently. 🙂
And I would die of joy I could take pictures like your old “bad” ones…so I guess it’s all in the way you look at things. Your current photos always floor me, they are so breathtaking!
mmmm… sweet sweet 🙂
This looks SO GOOD. OMG now I’m huuuuuuungry!
Tacos are a genius idea! Now I can’t stop thinking about a waffle-cone-taco..or cinnamon-sugar-taco..or….
Dessert tacos sound pretty epic to me and that ice cream is just too good!
whatt!! this is killing me right now because it looks so good!! thanks so much for sharing I will definitely have to make this for my family.
Goodnesss this looks amazing!!! I can’t wait to try this soon!
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