Vegan Butter Pecan Ice Cream
Brandon Woo
Who doesn’t love ice cream? Ice cream is a fun, easy to make dessert that I have been getting more and more involved with in recent times. I have fond memories of making ice cream as a child with family, on a hand churned machine. Years later, I woke up one day and decided to buy a new motorized ice cream maker and get back into it.
I’ve made various flavors and experimented with different bases: dairy, coconut milks, nut milks. By far, this oat milk base has been the best non-dairy consistency and I’m ready to try it with other flavors.
The joy, for me, really comes from planning the presentation and sharing my creations with family and friends. I’m always thinking of how I can create an experience, or translate other desserts we all know and love into ice cream form. For this dessert, I used fresh apple cider donuts from a New York apple orchard to make a Cider Donut Butter Pecan Sundae.
So far, I’ve just been trying things out, seeing what works, what I like and what I don’t like. Some day, I can see doing this at a larger scale. Stay tuned for more experiments from Sundae Socials, by Woo.
INGREDIENTS:
– 1 1/4 cup raw pecans
– 1 tBS vegan butter
– 3 cups unsweetened oat milk
– 1/4 cup rolled oats
– 1/2 cup raw cashews
– 2 tSP vanilla extract
– 1/3 cup maple syrup
– 1/4 cup coconut sugar
(sub brown or cane sugar, if desired)
– 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
(use 1/4 teaspoon if including butter)
– 1-2 tBs bourbon (optional)
Method:
Prepare the pecans to allow them time to cool.
Preheat a medium sized skillet over medium heat. Add butter and pecans (optional for candied pecans: add cinnamon and sugar to taste). Stir frequently to avoid burning the pecans. After about 5 minutes, transfer to a plate to cool.
In the same pan, add 1 cup of oat milk and the rolled oats. Cook until soft, as directed on packaging. Transfer to a bowl to cool.
Blend the remaining oat milk, cashews, and 1/2 cup of toasted pecans on high until smooth.
Add cooled oatmeal, vanilla, maple syrup, sugar, salt, and bourbon (if using). Blend until smooth.
At this point, taste your batter and add sugar or maple syrup to taste.
Refrigerate, or place in the freezer, until cold.
Chop the remainder of the pecans while you wait
Churn the mixture following the directions for your machine. After churning, fold pecans into your ice cream and freeze.
