Who doesn’t want a tall glass of piña colada on a hot summer day? Not only is the combination of pineapple and coconut refreshing, it provides a nice tropical respite from an otherwise busy, hectic life.  Now add a scoop of ice cream to the mix and you have a delicious frozen treat to keep you cool all afternoon.  Courtney of  Neighborhood Food shares an adaptation of her favorite summer beverage.  Her colorful and vibrant photos make me want to head for the pool with a frosty drink in hand.

Everyone loves fried foods and desserts, but it may not always be the best option for summer.  Courtney’s faux “fried” ice cream is perfect to keep you slim and beach body ready for the remaining hot days of summer.  Be sure to also check out Neighborhood Food on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and Instagram.

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a slice of “fried” pina colada ice cream with honey rum drizzle

Fried Pina Colada Ice Cream with Honey Rum Drizzle

Pina Coladas are definitely my favorite alcoholic beverage.  I love pineapple and coconut together, and I also love alcoholic beverages that don’t really taste much like alcohol.  Soooo…Pina Colado for the win!

Why I never though to combine these flavors in an ice cream is a mystery.  It might be partly because the Mr. has a strange tastebud numbing reaction to pineapple, which means I don’t often cook or bake with it.  But really, this just means when I cut open a pineapple, it’s all mine.  Totally not complaining.

This combo turned out even better than I expected.  The pineapple adds a wonderful fruity flavor and bursts of tartness to the ice cream and the roasted coconut is a welcome addition to the traditional corn flake topping.

And then there’s the drizzle.  Aren’t drizzles just the best?  I mean what are pancakes without the drizzle of maple syrup?  What are cinnamon rolls without a drizzle of cream cheese frosting?

I mean, the drizzle makes the dessert.  And in this case, it makes it wonderful.  And boozy.

It only takes a couple of tablespoons of rum to liven up the honey and bring back memories of sitting pool side with a frosty beverage in hand.

That’s the life.

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pineapple + coconut + rum = pina colada

Pina Colada “Fried” Ice Cream

Ingredients:

2 quarts (8 cups) vanilla ice cream, softened

1-8 oz container whipped topped, thawed

1 fresh pineapple or 2-15 oz. cans pineapple, cut into small pieces

1 stick butter

6 heaping cups cornflakes, crushed

3/4 cup sugar

1 heaping cup coconut

about half cup of honey

2 Tablespoons coconut rum

Instructions:

1. **Before you prepare this dish, decide if you want to make the entire dish ahead of time and serve it straight from the freezer, or if you want the topping to be warm like traditional fried ice cream.  It’s delicious both ways, it just depends on what you prefer.  If you want the topping to be warm, you’ll have to wait to make the topping until just before serving.  Otherwise, you can make the entire dish ahead of time and simply freeze until ready to serve.

2. For the ice cream base, combine the softened ice cream, whipped topping, and pineapple chunks in a large bowl.  Use a stand mixer, hand beater, or blender to combine.  Spread ice cream mixture evenly in a 9 x 13 inch pan and place in the freezer.

3.  For the topping: In a large skillet over medium heat, melt butter.  Add cornflakes, sugar, and coconut and fry for 5-8 minutes or until coconut and cornflakes are browned in places.  Remove from heat and set aside.

4. For the honey: Stir together honey and rum until well combined.

5.  If you’re freezing this ahead of time, layer the cornflake mixture and honey on the ice cream as soon as it’s cool, then freeze for 2 hours or overnight.

6. If you want the topping to be warm, wait to prepare the cornflake topping until 30 minutes before you’re ready to serve, then pull the pan from the freezer, top with the warm cornflakes and honey, cut into squares, and serve immediately.

Recipe and Photos courtesy of Neighborhood Food