Chocolate Cinnamon Walnut Ice Cream

Chocolate Cinnamon Walnut Ice Cream @Cara's Cravings, vegan chocolate ice cream, nut based ice cream, walnut ice cream,

I know why you’ve been quiet.

I mean, here I am, sneaking back into blog world with things like vegetables and fish. Boring. 

I think we need some more ice cream around here. Well to be more accurate, there’s been a lot of ice cream in my kitchen but I need to share it with you. I’ve been churning up batch upon batch of creamy, vegan and naturally sweetened nut-based ice cream and I am loving it. Seriously the best ice cream I’ve ever made.

Cashews are my go-to for a creamy base when replacing dairy. They’re full of healthy fats and have a buttery, neutral flavor. I have used them in both savory soups and luscious cheesecakes. But every time I do, one of my dear friends asks, “do you think it will work with walnuts?” And my answer has always been an unhelpful, “I don’t know!” I just never got around to trying it since cashews work so well for me. But not so for everyone – this friend, a vegan, is also allergic to cashews (but not other nuts) so it was important to me to figure out an ice cream she could love too.

Walnuts are a little trickier because they have a stronger flavor and I wanted to pick something that would go along nicely. I’m pretty sure you can never go wrong with chocolate. Then I remembered this awesome chocolate cinnamon walnut brownie recipe in my arsenal and I was sold.

This is not your typical chocolate ice cream: it’s dense and creamy in a way you might only imagine coming from dairy, except it’s nuts. And the cinnamon gives it a spicy, sophisticated twist.

So, will you make some noise for Chocolate Cinnamon Walnut Ice Cream?

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Chocolate Cinnamon Walnut Ice Cream

Yield: 6 servings

A dense, creamy chocolate ice cream that's vegan and free of refined sweeteners. Soft and scoopable straight from the freezer!

Ingredients:

1 cup raw walnuts
1 cup pitted dates
3 tablespoons soaking water from dates
1/4 cup honey or maple syrup
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
1 cup unsweetened almond milk
4 heaping tablespoons cocoa powder

Directions:

Place walnuts and dates in separate containers and add enough water to cover. Cover and refrigerate for a minimum of 3-4 hours.

Drain walnuts and dates, reserving 3 tablespoons of water from the dates. Add the walnuts, dates, reserved water, maple syrup, almond milk, cinnamon and salt to a blender. Begin blending on low speed and gradually increase to high, stopping to scrape down the sides as needed and blending until completely smooth. Chill the mixture for several hours.

Churn in an ice cream maker according to manufacturer's directions. Transfer to an air-tight, freezer-safe container and freeze for several hours or overnight before scooping.

Cara Lyons, www.carascravings.com

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One Response to “Chocolate Cinnamon Walnut Ice Cream”

  1. 1

    Alison — July 20, 2014 @ 8:41 am Reply

    I cannot wait to try this out 🙂 Thank you for thinking of me, Cara 🙂

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