Ice-Cream and Giggles

Prep: 40 minutes, Cooking: 20 minutes. Total Time: 1 hour.

Serves 4.

You will need:

1/2 cup unsweetened almond milk
1/2 tsp apple cider vinegar
1/4 cup natvia sugar
40 ml canola oil
1 tsp vanilla essence
1/2 cup spelt flour or all purpose
40 ml or 1/6 cup cocoa powder
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt

Plus:

3 tbsp coconut yogurt or cream
4 mini vegan waffle cones
60-70 g sugar free hazelnut chocolate or chocolate of choice, melted
1/3 cup crushed hazelnuts

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 180 degrees Celsius.
2. In a bowl, curdle the almond milk with the vinegar. Whisk in the natvia, oil, vanilla, and salt, and sift in the baking powder, soda, cocoa powder and spelt flour. Whisk again. Once mixed, divide between 6 cupcake patties and bake for 18-20 minutes.
3. Once cooked, let the cakes cool for 10 minutes, then remove from patties and using a fork, turn the cake into crumbs, Mix in the coconut yogurt, until the cake can be formed into balls.
4. Divide this mix into 4, and press into small waffle cones, making sure the top looks rounded.
5. Dip the cake end of the cone into chocolate, and sprinkle with hazelnuts. Let the chocolate set, and enjoy!

Sundaes. A girl's dream dessert. Ice-cream with multiple sauces, flavourings and toppings, a mix of sweet and savoury, a melted sweet drip with vanilla bean, a crunch of peanut butter, a dash of salted pretzel, and a smooth chocolate sauce to tie it all together *drools*. Have I convinced you that you need to try this combo? However, if you are like "hmm" and "ahh" and aren't entirely convinced, please at least take away the fact you NEED to try fresh vanilla bean in your nice-cream. It may only be a small amount, but trust me, it takes it up few notches, without really even trying. To here's to summer and spending those hot days slurping and drinking our nice-cream!

Serves 1-2, Total time: 10 minutes.

You will need:

3 frozen bananas
1/2 cup unsweetened almond milk
1/2 scraped out vanilla bean
1 tbsp peanut butter
1 tbsp du chocolat drinking cocoa powder
1/2 tbsp boiling water
handful of vegan pretzels (I used vegan GF pretzels as they were what I had in my cupboard, but use what you have)

Method:

1. In a bowl, mix the du chocolat with the boiling water and stir until you get a sauce.
2. In a food processor/high-speed blender, combine the bananas, almond milk and vanilla bean until a smooth nice-cream is made.
3. Roughly mix in the peanut butter and combine with the chocolate sauce and pretzels. Eat!

This is just a brief post to serve as a PSA: namely, carob. I know, I am late on the bandwagon, but this magical powder has quickly become a daily staple in my kitchen. Carob is kind of like chocolate, but not. It is safe for dogs to eat, has no caffeine, and is high in protein, potassium and magnesium, and cheaper than cacao. But probably my favorite part: it is super sweet. So if you want to make chocolate? Just mix equal parts of carob powder with coconut oil and set it in the fridge. If you want sauce, just mix water with carob power! It's freaking amazing, as my preferred chocolate sauce in the past has been cacao with maple syrup. Now, here is a totally awesome chocolate sauce that has no sweetener added at all! Naturally, I made a chocolate fudge sundae with this magical syrup.

Serves 2 or one hungry munchkin.

3 frozen bananas
2 tbsp carob powder
2-3 tbsp water

Optional: crushed nuts like peanuts, pistachios. 

1. Combine carob powder and water in a bowl until smooth. Add more water if too thick, or more carob powder if too liquid-y. It really depends on your preference!
2. Combine frozen bananas in food processor until smooth.
3. Serve the sundae by mixing and layering the carob sauce with the ice-cream. Top with nuts.

Wondering what the perfect thirst quencher is for those blistering hot summer days? Ice. It cools down your core temperature. That's why for this recipe, I decided to top the traditional banana ice-cream with a pineapple flurry! It's what I imagine someone would eat on a tropical island.

Serves 1, approx 2 h 10 minutes prep (2 hours freezing time)

You will need:

2 frozen bananas
1/2 cup pineapple juice (I juiced a pineapple myself to make sure there was no unwanted added sugar)
1 tbsp maple syrup (optional).

1. Pour your pineapple juice into a container. Add maple if needed. Mix. Place in the freezer for 2 hours. Check on it every half an hour and stir so that it doesn't turn into an ice block.
2. Combine your bananas in a food processor. If it won't mix, add some water (1tbsp - 1/4 cup).
3. Place your banana ice-cream in a jar, top with the pineapple flurry!

Rocky-road used to be one of my favourite treats as a kid: decadent chocolate, fluffy marshmallows and crunchy nuts... It is been on my to-do-list to make a vegan rocky-road ice-cream for quite some time, though I found it extremely difficult to find vegan marshmallows. However, (for Sydney-siders), I did find Freedom strawberry marshmallows at Vegan's Choice Grocery Store in Newtown (which is attached to the cafe Green Gourmet), though I really want to try Dandies marshmallows, but every online site is always sold out! 

Serves 2, approx 25 minutes prep and 30 minutes freezing time.

You will need:

For the ice-cream:

2 frozen bananas
2 tbsp cocoa powder

For the Rocky Road:

3 tbsp cocoa powder
1/4 cup coconut oil
2 tbsp maple syrup
1/2 cup marshmallows (divided)
1/4 cup chopped nuts (I used almonds)
1 tbsp coconut flakes/shredded coconut

1. Combine bananas and cocoa powder in a food processor until smooth. Place in a bowl in the freezer.
2. For the rocky road: melt the coconut oil in the microwave, and mix in cocoa powder and maple syrup. Get a small (teeny tiny) tray lined with baking paper and pour in half of the chocolate. Layer half of the marshmallows into the chocolate, add nuts and coconut. Pour the rest of the chocolate on top to cover everything, and place in the freezer for at least half an hour.
3. Once the rocky road has set, cut into small squares (you might not need all of it). Chop up the remaining 1/4 cup marshmallows.


4. Mix the rocky road in with the ice-cream, and serve!

A few months ago I spotted this blog post which had donut ice-cream sandwiches. I saw it, knew I wanted to make it, and bookmarked it. However, there was the tiny problem of finding the perfect vegan donut in order to make them. I tried numerous batches of baked donuts. But they just wouldn't cut it. I eventually realized that if indeed I did want the perfect donut, it would need to be deep fried. I used this recipe for the donuts, and lo and behold! I did have the perfect donut, just in time for summer to make donut ice-cream sandwiches! Now, I am sure you are thinking: no. You can't combine the two greatest desserts together and get away with it. It's too much of a good thing! But actually, they go well together. And it doesn't matter if your donuts are stale. It just doesn't. I was actually surprised how perfect it was. So will you be one to try the donut ice-cream sandwich?

It should make enough ice-cream for 3 donut ice-cream sandwiches.

Prep: 5 minutes.

You will need:

3 donuts (for best results, use this recipe if you are making your own)
2 frozen bananas
1/2 cup thawed blackberries

1. Slice you donuts in half.
2. Combine the bananas and blackberries in a food processor until combined.
3. Place one scoop of ice-cream per donut.
4. Eat!

Yep, another cake! Ice-cream, vegan, banana, strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, and it is healthy! Here is pretty much another reason why bananas are a magical fruit: they make ice-cream, popsicles, smoothies, cakes, they can be used as an egg replacement in muffins, pancakes, cookies, donuts, and! You can even dehydrate bananas to make crepes. If you don't like bananas for some odd reason (or you're allergic, in which case I feel sorry for you), you are really missing out! But in the future I will try and make a soy or coconut cream based cake, to cater for everyone's needs!

You will need:

3 small frozen bananas (separated)
1/4 cup chopped strawberries
1/2 cup fresh blueberries
1/4 cup raspberries


+ a spring-form tin, approx: 5 cm high and 12 cm in diameter.

1. Strawberry layer: combine banana and strawberries in a food processor until smooth. Pour into a small spring-form cake tin and spread out evenly.
2. Blueberry layer: combine blueberries and banana in a food processor until smooth. Pour on top of the strawberry layer and smooth out.
3. Raspberry layer: combine raspberries and banana in a food processor until smooth. Pour on top of the blueberry layer and smooth out.
4. Place in freezer for 1-2 hours.
5. Serve!

When my dear friend Angela told me there was Star Wars cookie cutters on eBay for a steal (like $2.50 for 4 cutters and free shipping!), I knew I had to buy them and make some vegan ice-cream sandwiches (I may or may not be going through an ice-cream sandwich phase). Considering it is Darth Vader, of course the cookies had to be dark (chocolate) and the ice-cream darker (well, chocolate anyway). You don't have to make Darth Vader ones, I am sure there is something you can find: Minnie Mouse, Winnie the Pooh, or even flower molds. Use your imagination!

Vegan Chocolate Shortbread cookies, recipe altered from Emily Levenson,

Makes around 24 cookies.

Approximately 40 minutes prep (10 minutes mixing, 30 minutes refrigeration) and 10-15 minutes baking.

You will need:

1 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour (do NOT use self-raising!)
1/2 tsp salt
1/3 cup cocoa powder
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 cup softened vegan butter/margarine
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla
optional: 1-2 tbsp water if mixture is too dry

Directions:

1. In a small bowl, combine flour, cocoa powder, salt and baking powder.
2. In a large mixing bowl, cream margarine and sugar, then add vanilla.
3. Add in flour mixture. Mix until combined. If is too dry (which really depends on the flour you used) add some water.
4. Form dough into a ball, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.
5. Preheat oven to 350F/180 degrees Celsius.
6. Roll out dough between two pieces of wax or parchment paper. It helps to flour the wax paper before rolling out the dough. Dough should be 1/4-1/2 inch thick.
7. Cut cookies into desired shape and place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. If the dough sticks to the cookie cutters, clean: removing any dough, then using some cooking oil spray into the cutter before cutting. This should minimize any sticking, and you will probably need to repeat each time you cut the cookie.
   
8. Bake for 10-12 minutes. 
9. Let cool on a rack for at least 20 minutes.

When ready to assemble ice-cream sandwiches:

Approx. 5 minutes preparation, + 20 minutes freezing time, makes 10 sandwiches

You will need:

20 cookies
2 frozen bananas
2 tbsp cocoa

1. Combine the bananas and cocoa in a food processor until combined. The mix should be thick enough to serve immediately.
2. Place one tablespoon of ice-cream between 2 cookies.
3. Once all have been assembled, place in freezer for at least 15-20 minutes (this makes sure the ice-cream doesn't slip out when you take a bite into it!). Serve!