Okay, so if you’ve been following along you already know that I have a serious will-power issue with dairy-free ice cream. In fact, I think it might contribute to me needing that forgiving elastic band in maternity pants sooner rather than later 🙂 Whoops.
It just so happens that my friend Adrienne is a food blogger and also a dairy-free ice cream wizard, so I’m super excited to share this guest post from her blog Appetites Anonymous today! This ice cream is TO DIE FOR. Adrienne was sweet enough to drop off an adorable mason jar full of it for me to try, and it was so cute that I wanted to photograph it, but then I accidentally ate it all! If you love today’s recipe, click on over to Appetites Anonymous and subscribe to see what other amazing creations she’s shared. Enjoy!
Hi internet friends and maybe some real life friends! Adrienne here from Appetites Anonymous! I am a pretty normal and busy (working and paying off student loans) 20-something-year-old who decided one day that I should probably learn to cook something other than a PB&J…if that even counts as cooking! My blog started as a place to document the fun process behind learning how to cook! I am by no means a chef, just someone who loves food, cooking, baking, and photography and hopes to inspire others!!
Like Becky, I don’t eat dairy so when she asked me to come up with a dairy-free ice cream post I was like HELLO YES PLEASE. So here we are! Let’s be friends and eat delicious dairy-free ice cream :).
Sooo I’m pretty sure that as a child I used up all my lactose “fighting” enzyme (lactase) by eating the family size box of mac n’ cheese as a snack…
Seriously though guys… I used to inhale all things cheesy and then I got older and my tummy was like…
Cheese you can’t sit with us!
When I first discovered that dairy and I weren’t besties, I thought it would be so hard to maintain a dairy-free lifestyle… But it’s totally not. There are so many dairy alternatives these days which, in my opinion, are better than the real thing. Coconut milk, for example, is omg so much better than real milk. Sorry cows… I’m on team coconut.
Speaking of coconut… This ice cream’s base is made from full fat and fully delicious coconut milk! It’s so ridiculously creamy, silky, and smooth that you won’t even be able to tell this ice cream is not made with heavy cream. A scoop of this amazing ice cream is just plain luscious with a bit of heaven (in the form of date honey caramel) mixed in. You know you want to try it…
Dairy-free Date Honey Caramel Vanilla Ice Cream
yield: about 4 cups
calories: about 395 calories per 1/2 cup…whoops
total time: about 9 hours…(prep time: a little over 1 hour | soak/chill time: 6-8 hours)
special equipment:
ice cream maker (make sure to chill your churning bowl according to the manufacturer’s instructions; usually 12-24 hours before you want to make ice cream)
freezer safe container
[other not super special equipment: food processor and high-speed blender]
ingredients:
1 ¾ cup raw cashews, soaked for 6 hours (or overnight) in warm water then drained
1 (15 oz) can full fat coconut milk
½ cup raw agave nectar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
3 teaspoons sea salt, divided
3 tablespoons coconut oil, melted
20 pitted medjool dates, soaked for 10 minutes in hot water then drained
2 tablespoons honey
1 tablespoon bourbon (optional – included in calorie count; if not using, add one more tablespoon of water)
2 tablespoons warm water
directions:
- prep all things that need chilling and soaking: i recommend soaking your cashews and placing your ice cream churning bowl in the freezer the night before you want to make the ice cream! note: this step is not counted in the total time…
- add cashews (soaked and drained), full fat coconut milk, agave nectar, vanilla extract, one teaspoon sea salt, and melted coconut oil to a blender then blend on high until completely smooth, creamy, and liquidity.
- using a rubber spatula, scrape the contents of the blender into a bowl (cover with lid or plastic wrap) and chill mixture in the fridge for at least 4-6 hours (best option is overnight if you have the time). you want this mixture to be very firm before churning otherwise it will not churn properly (and not be super ice cream like).
- during the 4-6 hours while you are waiting for your ice cream base to chill, make the date honey caramel! soak dates for at least ten minutes in hot water then drain. place soaked and drained dates in the bowl of a food processor and pulse until only small bits remain. next, add in honey, bourbon, water, and remaining two teaspoons of sea salt to the food processor bowl then pulse until mixture becomes fully incorporated and looks gooey – like caramel!!!
- once the mixture is thoroughly chilled, scoop it into the ice cream churning bowl and churn for at least 45 minutes (or according to manufacturer’s recommended time; mine is the Kitchen Aid mixer ice cream maker attachment). if you find that after 45 minutes the ice cream is not looking like thick and creamy ice cream, place the ice cream churning bowl (with the ice cream) back into the freezer for about 1-2 hours then churn again until the ice cream looks like… ice cream!!!! J
- pour churned ice cream into a freezer safe container (i use these and they are awesomesauce.). using a butter knife, scoop some caramel onto the knife then dip it into the ice cream and swirl it around to create a marbled pattern of ice cream and caramel. make sure to evenly distribute the caramel throughout the ice cream! lastly, top with a few more pinches of sea salt!
- place ice cream with swirled caramel in its container in the freezer for 2-4 hours or until ready to eat. i recommend letting it sit out for about ten minutes before scooping. it will be much easier on your forearms/biceps J
- serve ice cream plain or with delicious toppings like dark chocolate syrup or honey!! enjoy!!
© Appetites Anonymous 2016