Wow! I made this exactly as the recipe is written except that I divided it in half because I have a small quart-size ice cream maker. I toasted the coconut along with the pecans; 350 degrees for about 10 minutes - watch them closely and stir them often. I used the cookie pieces style of pecans because I like how small they are. I did a 24 hour chill in the fridge mixed it up one night made it the next night and this made it REALLY smooth and creamy. I'm sure if you mixed it up in the morning and made it that night it would be fine but it does need to cool down quite a bit to keep the ice crystals from forming and also to help it get really frozen. I guess you could consider that a drawback since you can't decide to make this and have ice cream 40 minutes later like you could with no cook recipes. But trust me it is WELL WORTH the wait. My husband said it's the best ice cream he's ever had and then ate enough to prove it. I've already hidden a small bowl of it behind the frozen peas in the freezer to make sure I get more than one bowl! Every ice cream maker is different of course but it came out of mine like a real thick soft serve style and after being in the freezer over night it's hardened up nicely but still scoopable. Definitely a keeper! I didn't have any caramel sauce but I think this would put it over the top. I'll be trying that next time.

Just to comment on the person who said the ice cream was grainy. Although I have not had this problem with this ice cream recipe i did have it happen with another custard based recipe. I let the warm mixture cook too long. It had started to boil around the edges of the pan. It turned out grainy. Per "The Perfect Scoop" by David Lebovitz when cooking the custard for a custard-based ice cream it is done when it just begins to steam. Test it by running your finger down a spatula or wooden spoon that is coated with the mixture. It is done when your finger leaves a definite trail that doesn't flow back together. He also suggests immediately removing the mixture to a separate bowl and sitting this bowl in an ice bath in a larger bowl and stir frequently until the mixture cools. I always do this now with custard based recipes. It also helps shorten the cooling time. I can make the custard in the morning and have the ice cream ready that evening.

This frozen custard turned out great with a very smooth and creamy texture. I only had 2 ounces of german chocolate so I added some dark cocoa powder to the mixture. I used my Kitchen Aid Ice Cream Attachment and for your information this recipe will fill the canister to full capacity. I had a little bit of ice cream coming out of the top as it was churning. I will absolutely be making this recipe again!

The best ice cream I've ever made!

This is a great recipe! Loved the suggestion to toast both coconut and pecans together. I substituted coconut extract for the vanilla added some caramel sundae syrup and about 1 Tbsp Godiva liqueur (keeps it from becoming a brick when frozen) toward the end of freezing. Excellent! I tried making it with low fat half and half and 1% milk - good but much less creamy. Will definitely make this again. Thanks!

This is a fantastic recipe. I used full fat half & half instead of whip or heavy cream and I didn't have 6 ounces of german chocolate so I used 3 1/2 ounces of milk chocolate bar and 2 1/2 ounces of semi-sweet chocolate squares. There are little chocolate specks in my ice cream but its still phenomenal! I also toasted my coconut and pecans together as other viewers did. This chocolate ice cream recipe is definitely a new base for me.

We loved this ice cream it is very rich and creamy. Thank you for the recipe!

I agree with other reviews this is the best! The only change I would make is cut back on the sugar a little next time. I layered it in a Tupperware with a drizzle of caramel sauce in between. Divine! (Needed to halve the recipe for my Cuisinart ice cream maker)

I made this last night and I am having my first bowl today. This is the best ice cream reciepe I've made! It tastes like store bought! Added caramel topping SO good.

This was grainy and way too sweet. And that was without adding the coconut.