I honestly think that cashew cream vegan ice cream is richer and creamier than regular ice cream. This one in particular was just wonderful but I’ll include some more kinds of cashew ice cream as the weeks go on. Winter is no excuse to skip ice cream but I certainly am in the mood for different flavors in the winter. This one takes advantage of Ohio maple syrup that I got at the Shaker Square farmer’s market that runs all winter. This maple pecan vegan ice cream has a fairly subtle flavor because there is no added refined sugar.

Serves 2 (because really, who eats less than a full bowl?)

Ingredients:

• 1/2 c pecans and enough maple syrup to coat
• 1 1/2 c cashew cream (recipe below)
• 1/3 c maple syrup (the darkest you can find)
• 1/4 tsp salt

Cashew Cream:

This is for a whole bag. Go ahead, make 3 different kinds of ice cream this week! Soak raw cashews in filtered water for 3-4 hours. Drain the cashews and add them to the Vitamix or other blender. Add enough water to cover the top of the cashew line. Blend for about 60 seconds in a Vitamix or longer in any other blender. When it seems the consistency of very thick sour cream, you’re done. This means it should not be gritty AT ALL. Transfer to a large pot and simmer on low heat for only 10 minutes and stir almost the whole time. Put into the fridge to cool down unless you really trust your ice cream maker to cool it down super fast.

Delicious Maple Pecan Ice Cream made from Cashew Cream

How to:

1. When the cashews are ready, preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
2. Put the pecans on a baking sheet in a single layer and cover with some maple syrup. Roast for just about 5-7 minutes. I actually put these in an oven safe non-stick pan (meaning non-teflon which is what Calphalon’s non-stick is) to make clean up easier.
3. Add the cashew cream to the blender and then add the maple pecans after they have stopped bubbling.
4. Blend on high for about a minute in a Vitamix or longer in a regular blender.
5. Add the maple syrup and salt to the blender and blend for a few seconds or until it’s just combined.
6. At this point you can put it straight into an ice cream maker or you may want to let it sit in the fridge for a little bit to cool down first. If you don’t have an ice cream maker, you can put it in the freezer for a few hours and then spoon it out into your blender to get a soft serve consistency.
7. Scoop out and serve with pecans on top and collect the compliments from anyone that you may be sharing with!

I updated this on 2/4/2013 because I tried the method of roasting the pecans along with the maple syrup and it was so good and made such a difference that I had to tell everyone. It’s also really important to let the cashew cream simmer for 10 minutes. When I made that change, it drastically changed the flavor. Let me know if you made any modifications, too or if you have tried any other flavors with the cashew cream base!