Black ice cream is a hit

NEW YORK (FOX 5 NEWS) - Cultures around the world praise charcoal for its cleansing and purifying properties. Now that fine black powder is adding some color to a classic summer staple: ice cream.

Morgenstern's Finest Ice Cream on the Lower East Side is serving up a dose of charred embers in a surprising specialty flavor: coconut ash.

Marielle Shallow of Morgenstern's says it starts off as a plain coconut ice cream and with the ashes added it turns it black.

Scoops of coconut ash are homemade at Morgenstern's, along with all of their unique creations like cardamom lemon jam and strawberry durian. But right now, this darkly sweet treat is stealing the show.

While charcoal does boast several health benefits, you'd have to eat a lot of this ice cream to see any of them. And eating that much ice cream might not be so healthy after all.