Caramel-Pecan Chocolate Ripple Ice Cream (Dairy Free)

A couple weeks ago I celebrated my birthday. My hubby and mom cooked up a steak dinner with all the trimmings and I took care of dessert. My parents are gluten and dairy free so I knew I wanted to make cake and ice cream that they could enjoy along with us. I love dreaming up new ice cream flavours, and making goodies that everyone can enjoy just makes me happy, so it was perfectly suitable for me to make my own birthday cake and ice cream. Plus, they can be made ahead so there was no real work to be done the day of.

I knew I wanted to make a simple chocolate cake. I had found a great looking gluten-free cake that I wanted to try for my mom and dad so it seemed like the perfect time. Since I was going with a simple cake I wanted to make an ice cream that would steal the show, and did it ever!

Instead of making a custard based ice cream and simply swapping out the milk and cream for coconut milk, like I usually do, I decided to just do coconut milk – no eggs – since it’s so creamy on it’s own. You honestly could not tell that this wasn’t a custard based ice cream, which means my dairy-free ice creams just got that much easier. Of course I had to go and complicate things by adding caramelized sugar. But really, who’s going to complain about that?

I got my inspiration from Turtle’s chocolates and made a caramel ice cream with tons of toasted pecans and a swirling of chocolate sauce. Yes, it does taste just as good as it sounds.

Why are you still sitting here? Get on this!

Caramel-Pecan Chocolate Ripple Ice Cream

Ingredients

Caramel Ice Cream

• 1 cup sugar
• 2 cans coconut milk
• 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla

To Assemble

• 1 recipe caramel ice cream (above)
• 1.5 cups toasted pecans, chopped
• 1/2 cup dairy-free chocolate sauce, chilled

Instructions

Caramel Ice Cream

1. Place sugar in saucepan set over medium heat. As it begins to melt, gently push the melted sugar into the center to help the process along. Allow to cook until a deep amber colour (if you’re unsure you can test a small spoonful on a white plate to check the colour). Keep a close watch because it can burn quickly. Once desired colour is reached, remove from heat and stir in one can of coconut milk, along with salt. Set over low heat and cook until any hardened sugar has melted. Remove from heat and stir in remaining can of coconut milk, along with vanilla. Allow to cool, then refrigerate for 8 hours, or until thoroughly chilled.

To Assemble

1. Freeze ice cream according to manufacturers instructions. Once ice cream has reached desired consistency, add pecans. Churn until evenly mixed. Spoon ice cream into a storage container, alternating with spoonfuls of chocolate sauce. Place in the freezer for several hours to firm up.