I’m not much of an ice cream person. It’s true.

Okay, I should clarify that. I’m not a fan of plain ice creams. All the smoothness and meltiness…it just seems to disappear before you even take the first bite. To enjoy frozen desserts, I like to have chew, crunch and chocolate- like Blizzards, Coldstone Creamery creations or froyo with white chocolate chips.

But this recipe- this recipe changes everything. We used it to complement the gluten-free apple tartlets at our Friday night dinner, and the kitchen staff polished off the two remaining quarts of it within fifteen minutes.

Not only is this particular ice cream vegan and naturally sweetened, it’s one of the best plain flavors I’ve ever had. A rich, creamy, satiating cashew base; gorgeous natural flavor from vanilla beans; just a quick blast of Southern Comfort. And so easy to make! You’d think that creating a frozen dessert would be difficult, but if you can use a blender and read an instruction manual, you’re good to go.If you have an ice cream maker (I feel like it’s the kind of random thing people put on wedding registries and Christmas lists and never even take out of the box), I demand that you make this.

Please and thank you.

Cashew Cream Vanilla Bean Ice Cream

Prep time: 30 minutes; total time: 1.5 hours, yields about 1 quart

Created by the members of CTP 203 at the Natural Gourmet Institute

Ingredients:

  • 3 cups rich cashew milk*
  • 3/4 cup grade A maple syrup
  • 1/4 cup rice syrup
  • 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
  • pinch sea salt
  • 1 vanilla bean
  • 3 tablespoons Southern Comfort
*To make 3 cups nut milk, blend 4 1/2 cups water with 2 1/4 cups raw cashews; strain mixture through a cheesecloth.

Procedure:

  1. Combine cashew milk, maple and rice syrups, vanilla and sea salt in a blender.
  2. Cut vanilla bean in half lengthwise; scrape out seeds and add to blender.
  3. Process mixture until well blended. Add Southern Comfort and blend again.
  4. Pour mixture into an ice cream machine and churn according to equipment directions, occasionally scraping sides of bowl until creamy and firm.

What’s awesome about this ice cream is that you can eat it to your heart’s content without worrying about getting sick from all the milk. It’s fabulous served with apple pie (I’ll post the recipe for ours soon as well), or just by itself. You could have a ton of fun with mix-ins, too…I’m thinking a Southern-inspired creation with pecans and peaches…

Smooth, plain ice cream, or ice cream with mix-ins? Have you ever tried non-dairy ice creams like cashew, almond or coconut?