With a few fresh strawberries this easy recipe makes a decadent chocolate treat. Nice cream is ice cream without the cream so it can be enjoyed as a dairy-free or healthier alternative to ice cream.

“You scream. I scream. We all scream for NICE CREAM!”

REMEMBER: always ask permission from a grown-up before you start cooking

What you need:

• One tin of full-fat coconut cream

• ⅔ cup unsweetened cocoa powder

• A cup of pitted dates, soaked in warm water for 5 minutes

• 1 tsp New Zealand Rewarewa honey or Vanilla

• 1 banana

• ½ cup vanilla or almond milk

• Plastic wrap
  (bonus points if you can think of a reusable alternative to this)

What to do:

1. Pour all of the ingredients into your blender and blend until you have created a smoothie-like mixture.
   Taste and adjust if needed, it’s best for the flavours to be very rich and sweet now because some of the richness of the flavor will be lost when it’s frozen.

2. Pour your nice cream mixture into an airtight container and cover with one sheet of plastic wrap, making sure that there is as little air in there as possible.
   The air causes the ice cream to form ice crystals, so wrapping the plastic tightly onto the mix is important.
   Put on the lid and store in the freezer.

3. Freeze your nice cream overnight or enjoy it after a few hours of freezing.
   Just a few hours of freezing will give you a softer mousse-like nice cream. If you want it to be firmer leave it in the freezer longer.

4. If your nice cream is very firm let it sit out of the freezer for about 10 minutes to soften.
   To serve a really good soft scoop of nice cream you can also warm up your ice cream scooper or serving spoon.

5. This recipe will keep for one to two weeks if the container is airtight.