Maple Walnut Ice Cream

If you are getting tired of plain banana 'nice' cream, then this recipe is for you! The flavors of this maple walnut ice cream are rich, creamy, maple-sweet, and nutty. This 'nice' cream was made by blending together homemade walnut milk, chilled coconut cream, and maple syrup.

Maple Walnut Ice Cream [Vegan, Gluten-Free]

Ingredients

For the Homemade Walnut Milk:

• 1 cup walnuts, soaked overnight
• 3 cups filtered water
• 1 vanilla bean, or 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 Medjool dates, pits removed
• Pinch cinnamon
• Pinch sea salt
• Dark chocolate chips, for topping

For the Walnut Maple Ice Cream:

• 2 14-ounce cans coconut milk, chilled
• 1/4 cup maple syrup
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup homemade walnut milk
• Pinch salt
• Splash rum, optional
• 3/4 cup walnuts

Preparation

To Make the Homemade Walnut Milk:

1. Strain your soaked almonds and add to your blender. Add filtered water, vanilla bean, dates, cinnamon, and salt. Blend on high for 1-2 minutes.
2. Place your nut milk bag inside a big bowl and pour your milk blend into the bag. Squeeze the bag to strain the nut milk until you can no longer remove milk from the bag. If you don't have a nut milk bag you can also use a pair of tights.
3. Pour the freshly-squeezed milk from your bowl back into your blender. Transfer the milk into an air tight bottle and store in the refrigerator to chill.

To Make the Maple Walnut Ice Cream:

1. Place a large mixing bowl and the metal beaters from your hand mixer in the freezer to chill for 10 minutes. Open coconut milk cans and scoop out the solid coconut cream from the cans into a chilled mixing bowl. Reserve the clear liquid for other uses.
2. Using a hand mixer, whip the coconut cream until fluffy and smooth. Then add maple syrup, vanilla extract, homemade walnut milk, salt, and a splash of rum. Whip again to combine. Taste and adjust flavors as desired, adding more maple syrup or rum if needed.
3. Transfer nice cream to a parchment-lined freezer-safe container and cover loosely with foil to help freeze.
4. Place nice cream in freezer for one hour. Then remove from freezer, fluff with a fork, and toss in chopped walnuts. Fold to combine and place back in the refrigerator for another hour.
5. After two hours of chilling remove nice cream from refrigerator and serve as a chilled gelato-like ice cream or freeze for longer for a firmer ice cream. Set out at least 20 minutes before serving for easier scooping. Optional to top with dark chocolate chips.

https://www.onegreenplanet.org/vegan-recipe/maple-walnut-ice-cream/