"Almost Paleo" Irish Cream

A delicious DIY for St. Paddy's Day and beyond!

For the printable recipe click here.

We love Irish Cream for a Friday nightcap or a spiked Saturday-morning coffee. Alcohol is totally not part of a paleo protocol, but we like to indulge responsibly from time to time.

So with St. Patrick’s Day on the horizon, I thought it would be fun to take this creamy, sweet liqueur and make it almost paleo.

Irish cream is essentially whiskey, sugar, and cream--give or take some stabilizers, flavorings, and whatnots, depending on the brand.

Here we combine Irish whiskey, coconut milk, coconut sugar, and vanilla bean for a dairy-free, minimally processed version that stands right up to the original.

If you want to go one step further and avoid grain-based spirits (whiskey is generally distilled from barley, corn, or wheat), dark rum (generally distilled from molasses) makes an excellent (if less authentic) stand-in, spiced rum included.

Either light or full-fat canned coconut milk can be used in this recipe. Full-fat coconut milk will give thicker, creamier results, but the cream will rise to the top and be more difficult to incorporate back into emulsion after storing in the fridge. Conversely, light coconut milk will produce a slightly thinner Irish cream, but a good shake will easily bring it back into emulsion after refrigeration.

I enjoy the flavor boost that vanilla bean brings to the mix, but it is a completely optional addition, as the Irish cream is almost as good without it.

Here's what you'll need:

• 1 vanilla bean (optional)

• 1 (13.5 oz) can coconut milk (light is fine)

• ¾ cup coconut sugar

• Pinch salt

• 1 ½ cups whiskey (or dark or spiced rum)

Here's what you'll do:

1. Use a paring knife to split the vanilla bean along its length. Scrape out the little seeds with the back of the knife and add them, along with the split pod, to a medium-sized saucepan.

2. Add the coconut milk, coconut sugar, and salt, stirring gently over medium-low heat to dissolve and combine, and heat just until tiny bubbles begin to burst around the sides (a slight simmer).

3. Off the heat, stir in the alcohol and remove the vanilla bean pod.

4. Transfer to a glass jar or other storage vessel, and let cool before storing in the fridge. Will keep for at least two weeks.

For the printable recipe click here.