When people ask me what my food weakness is, ten times out of ten I will always respond with "ice cream for sure". I have always loved ice cream not only because it is delicious, but because it holds a lot of memories. Growing up we would take family trips to go get ice cream which was my favorite thing to do, especially during the summer when we could take our friends with us too. Luckily we were fortunate to have several amazing ice cream places near our house, so it was always a struggle to decide where we wanted to go.
The only downside about ice cream is that I am lactose intolerant, so I would always suffer the consequences immediately after consuming it. That was pain that I was always willing to endure just because I loved ice cream so much. When I started getting older, and more interested in cooking, I thought why not make dairy free versions of ice cream to enjoy without the pain. I will admit it is not always the same as eating the real thing, but it has taken me a while to find a recipe that I loved.
This recipe is the closest I have gotten it to taste like the real thing! I am most definitely going to be making this all the time, because purchasing dairy free ice cream can sometimes cost an arm and a leg! It really is a simple recipe and you don't even need an ice cream machine to accomplish it.
When I first started experimenting with diary free ice cream recipes, I thought the only way to get the right consistency is to add bananas. Although I do like bananas, the flavor was very over powering and did not really satisfy that ice cream craving that I longed for. This recipe came out the perfect consistency without the addition of bananas!
RECIPE
prep time: 15 minutes
cook time:6-8 hours
total time: 6-8 hours + 15 minutes
Ingredients
· 2 ½ cups canned coconut milk
· 1 ¼ pitted Medjool dates (soaked in water to soften)
· ¾ cup natural peanut butter
· ½ cup cashew butter *see notes*
· 2 tsp vanilla extract
· A dash of Himalayan sea salt
Instructions
· Soak dates in water while preparing all other ingredients (you can soak overnight but not necessary)
· In a food processor combine all ingredients together and blend on high speed for 4-5 minutes...you may need to go a little longer depending on the type of food processor you have
· Make sure all ingredients are combined to form a smooth, thick, creamy texture
· Line a 9x5 bread loaf pan with parchment paper and pour the ice cream in
· Drizzle a little bit of peanut butter on top for show (optional)
· Seal tight with plastic wrap and store in the freezer for 6-8 hours
*NOTES* For cashew butter I made mine homemade in a food processor:
2 cups of cashews l a dash of cinnamon l a dash of vanilla l a dash of honey
- You can use store bought as well
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