Our very favorite dessert for Cinco de Mayo or anytime we eat Mexican food are these SUPER EASY ice cream sundaes. It's the perfect finale! Imagine dulce de leche ice cream drizzled with a warm cinnamon chocolate sauce, then sprinkled with Spanish peanuts and toasted coconut. It becomes a favorite of anyone we share it with. The flavor combinations are muy bien!
Mexican Ice Cream Sundaes
Serves 6
2/3 cup heavy cream
6 oz. bittersweet chocolate, chopped into pieces
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Pinch of salt
1 1/2 quarts dulce de leche ice cream (or any caramel ice cream)
3/4 cup sweetened flaked coconut
1/4 cup Spanish or redskin peanuts
In a medium saucepan, bring heavy cream to a simmer (almost boiling), then remove from heat and add chocolate, cinnamon, and salt. Let stand for 1-2 minutes. Whisk until chocolate is melted and mixture is shiny. (Can make ahead, cover, and refrigerate for up to a week. Before serving, heat in the microwave.) In a small frying pan over medium heat, toast coconut, keeping an eye on it and flipping frequently so it doesn't burn. Scoop ice cream into bowls, top with warm chocolate sauce, and sprinkle with toasted coconut and peanuts.
Step-by-step tutorial:
Gather your ingredients. You will need heavy cream, bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, cinnamon, Spanish peanuts, coconut, and some type of caramel ice cream. Sometimes I can find a brand that has a Dulce de Leche ice cream, but any caramel ice cream works great. We've even served this with chocolate or vanilla ice cream. This Sea Salt Caramel ice cream from Walmart was superb!
Chop 6 oz. of chocolate into pieces.
In a medium saucepan, heat 2/3 cup heavy cream to a simmer, almost boiling. Remove from the heat and add the chocolate, 1 teaspoon cinnamon, and a pinch of salt. Let it stand for a few minutes.
Use a whisk to stir the chocolate sauce until all the chocolate is completely melted and the sauce is shiny.
In a small frying pan over medium heat, toast 3/4 cup sweetened coconut. Stir and flip over frequently, keeping an eye on it so it doesn't burn. Once a few pieces start to brown, it will go quickly. I love toasted coconut on ice cream so much! That little bit of crunch is an awesome texture contrast to the smooth, cold ice cream. If you haven't tried it, you need to!
I like to put the chocolate sauce into a creamer so that it pours nicely. These toppings are about to become your new favorites for ice cream!
Scoop some ice cream into a bowl, then top with the warm chocolate sauce.
Sprinkle with peanuts and toasted coconut. You can let everyone put on their desired amount of toppings. Like me, I personally put extra coconut on mine. My son covers his ice cream with so much chocolate sauce that you can't see it.
You are going to fall in love with this festive dessert! It couples so well with a Mexican inspired meal. Kids and adults alike all give this a big thumbs up!
Recipe Source: Recipe from Shanna's recipe box