Ok ok ok so we've been at the beach for the past 48 hours and have had a totally amazing time: white sand, tiny bathing suits, lots of wine, etc. We did it right and documented the whole thing on Snapchat (@probably_this). But today is not about the beach, cause today is about choco tacos! Peanut butter choco tacos! They are a thing!

If you're not familiar with choco tacos they're a creation of the Klondike company who invented them to make millions of people eat more ice cream because it's in the shape of a taco and who wouldn't want that? Don't quote me on it but that sounds about right. It's got a waffle cone "taco" shell, vanilla-chocolate swirl ice cream, a topping of peanuts and then it's dipped in chocolate. The original version is amazing but loaded with fake shit and the only fake stuff we don't mind putting in our bodies is botox (kidding, for the next decade at least). This version uses kinda sorta more whole ingredients and has a 'taco' shell that is more like a pancake but really dope (thanks Molly!), vegan peanut butter ice cream, a coconut oil chocolate shell, and roasted peanuts. It's so damn good you guys let's just take a moment to breathe.

*moment*

Wow, great work.

Anyhow, if you're a chocolate/peanut butter combo fan, you're gonna love this. Even if you aren't, you'll probably still love this. Also, the peanut butter ice cream is vegan. Yes I know the rest of this recipe isn't vegan so you still can't serve the choco tacos to your vegan friend Jessica but she'll still really appreciate a few scoops of this ice cream, as it stands amazing on it's own. The *reason* it's vegan is because truth be told I make basically every one of my ice creams vegan, the base being coconut milk. Matt and I discovered this trick a while back and have just been totally enamored with how rich coconut milk makes an ice cream while not giving you that "Awe, why did I eat that?" feeling. If you don't believe me/us, please please please just try it and see what you think. You've gotta use full fat canned coconut milk to get the right texture, so don't skimp with that 'light' coconut milk out there!

Ok, we're all ready to make the choco tacos? Or at least look at more photos of them? Sweet! Have an amazing week bb girls and boys <3

Shell

2/3 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup sugar
1/8 teaspoon kosher salt
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted, plus more for greasing the pan
1/4 cup milk
1/4 teaspoon almond extract
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 large egg whites

Filling

4 oz chocolate chips
1 tablespoon coconut oil
4 to 6 cups peanut butter ice cream (recipe below or store-bought)*
1/2 cups crushed peanuts

Peanut Butter Ice Cream (vegan!)

3/4 cup chunky peanut butter + 1/2 cup, seperate
1/2 cup chopped peanuts
1/2 cup honey plus 3 T (sub agave nectar for strict vegan)
1 T fine sea salt
1 T vanilla
2 T potato or corn starch
2 (13.5oz ish) cans of full fat coconut milk
*ice cream maker required*

How:

If you're just using store-bought ice cream, skip to step number 7! Otherwise... make sure the freezer bowl of your ice cream maker has been frozen for at least 12 hours.
Shake coconut milk cans to prevent separation. Pour 1/2 cup of the coconut milk into a small bowl and set aside. In a medium sauce pan over medium-high heat, whisk together the honey and coconut milk (less the 1/2 cup you've set aside) until the honey has dissolved - about two minutes. Add the potato starch to the 1/2 cup of coconut milk you had set aside, and whisk until combined. Pour into the saucepan with the rest of the coconut milk and whisk to combine.
Over medium heat, cook the mixture until thickened (about 6 minutes). Stir often during this process, making sure the mixture doesn't ever come to a boil. Once it is thick enough to coat the back of your spoon, stir in the 3/4 cup peanut butter and mix until no lumps are left. Remove from heat and stir in the vanilla extract. Let sit in a medium bowl until cooled to room temperature. Once cooled, cover and place in the fridge to chill for four hours to overnight.
After it's been chilled, follow the instructions on your ice cream maker to churn it.
You'll want to add the chopped peanuts towards the end of the churning process, just so that they are evenly folded into the finished ice cream.
It should be the consistency of soft-serve once its done in the ice cream maker. Freeze it for a few hours to make it a bit harder, if desired, though a little softening of the ice cream is required to fill the shells properly.
To make the shells, first prepare 6 - 8 hardcover books by wiping their spines clean and standing them up, page side down (pictured above). These will be the molds for your "taco" shells. Alternatively, your oven handle bar may make an excellent taco shell mold, depending on it's shape.
Whisk together the flour, sugar, and salt in a medium mixing bowl and set aside. In a separate bowl, whisk together the milk, both extracts, butter and egg whites, in that order. Add the dry ingredients to the wet and whisk together until smooth.
Heat a small amount of butter in a skillet over medium heat and add 2 1/2 tablespoons of batter to the pan. Let cook for about two minutes, until the bottom is slightly brown. Flip and cook for another minute until slightly brown. Remove from the pan and place onto one of the books (or your oven handle / whatever else you thought appropriate) and lightly press until the pancake takes the shape. Repeat with the remaining batter. Let cool completely before using.
To make the chocolate sauce, place the chocolate chips and coconut oil in a microwave-safe bowl and melt on high in the microwave at thirty second intervals, stirring between each session, until melted. It took me about a minute to fully melt it all, but it may take you a bit longer. Let the chocolate sauce cool to room temperature before using. Fill the shells with a bit of the softened ice cream, drizzle with chocolate sauce, and top with crushed peanuts. Enjoy!

Notes

To be real, I know I say "store bought" peanut butter ice cream is an OK substitute but I honestly don't know if I've ever actually seen just "peanut butter" flavored ice cream in a store, SO, something like Ben and Jerry's Peanut Butter Cup would be excellent, and Haagen-Dazs also carries a Chocolate Peanut Butter flavor that would be just fine.

Still screaming for ice cream? We got you.

Peanut Butter Choco Tacos