Vegan Magnum Ice Creams

August is coming to an end but summer is still in full swing here in Barcelona, luckily though the heat wave's gone and nights are a bit more bearable when you are in bed. A great way to end the month (and use those silicone molds I bought last year and haven't used them since then) is making these extra delicious vegan Magnum-style ice creams.

I tested this recipe two times and didn't need a third one because the first batch came out almost perfect, but I wanted the vanilla ice cream filling to be very creamy...honestly, some Magnum recipes that I've seen on the 'net look rather like rock solid popsicles...and that's not what we want, amiright!? So after a few tweaks here and there I can finally share with you these homemade, dairy-free Magnum ice creams that, let me tell you one thing: they taste as good (or even better) than the original ones. You'll enjoy them a lot if you are a true dark chocolate lover like myself. I'm not very fond of milk chocolate to be honest, and the sweet vanilla ice cream filling pairs so well with the intense flavor of the dark chocolate+chopped almonds shell. This one is truly a must-try recipe, you won't regret it.

I was meaning to publish another ice cream recipe this month but as some of you may already know I've been busy being a proud kitten mom (sorry guys, I'm officially a member of the"Crazy Cat Lady Club") and simply enjoying some quiet time at home. Also some sleepless nights too because the little furball loves to play when the clock strikes midnight. But I'm slowly learning some tricks to train her so she let us sleep during the night; she's a super smart, adorable and sweet kitten and learns very quick! To those who follow me on Instagram, I'm sorry for all the kitty spam but my Paquita Steele (yup, that's her name) mealts my heart.

¡Receta en español aquí!

Vegan Magnum Ice Creams

(4 servings)

Ingredients

1 cup raw cashews, soaked overnight.

2/3 cups water.

1/2 cup full-fat coconut milk.

1/4 cup agave syrup.

1/4 cup unrefined cane sugar.

2 tablespoons vegan vanilla protein powder.

1/4 teaspoon guar gum.

The seeds from one vanilla pod.

A small pinch of pink Himalayan salt.

- For the chocolate shell:

300 g (10 oz) dark chocolate (70 % cocoa).

1/3 cup approximately of chopped almonds.

Directions

Don't forget to soak the cashews in water with a small pinch of pink Himalayan salt overnight. The day after, drain them well and place inside the jar of your high-speed blender or food processor, add in the water and pulse until a creamy mixture forms. You might need to stop a few times and scrape down the sides of the container to make sure you get a really smooth cream.

Add in the rest of the ingredients, minus the guar gum, and pulse until creamy and smooth; finally add in the guar gum, on low speed, until fully incorporated.

Pour the cashew-coconut cream into the molds, add wooden sticks and freeze until solid. It's very important that you wait until the pops are very firm cause they'll be covered in hot melted chocolate, I recommend to let them sit in the freezer overnight.

Melt dark chocolate in a double boiler, transfer to a tall mug wide enough to fit the Magnums, and set aside.

Press the chopped almonds against the surface of the pops making sure they stick to the vanilla cream and immediately dip the pops in the melted chocolate. Wait a few seconds so the excess chocolate drips off, holding the pops almost upright but being careful the wooden sticks don't get covered in chocolate too. Carefully transfer to a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and let it harden in the freezer until ready to use.

Notes:

- You may think the chocolate quantity is excessive but I've tried several methods to cover the ice creams and the one that works best is by dipping them in a tall and wide mug. The chocolate shell looks better and you make sure the Magnums are fully covered.

There will be plenty leftover chocolate, obviously do not throw it away! I make chocolate chips or use it for peanut butter cups. ;-)

- Look for a brand of full-fat coconut milk that doesn't contain any thickener since we already add 1/4 teaspoon of guar gum to the vanilla ice cream.
- Just in case you are curious to know the type of molds I used, you can find them here. (This is NOT an affiliate link, btw).

Gluten-Free Crackers with Mediterranean Herbs

Since the beginning of this year I've been thinking about slowly adding savory recipes to the blog, not every single dish I prepare at home (because honestly, most days are "let's throw those leftovers in a bowl and pretend I'm eating a fancy buddha bowl") nor every recipe I develop for certain brands, but I want to share the ones that really resonate with me. Also I will try to keep this savory recipes as simple as possible, wholesome and nourishing dishes that won't require too much planning and will make your tummy feel happy and full.

Still don't know how often I'm gonna share this type of recipes, will just let myself go with the flow and rest assured that whenever I'm inspired I will quickly write a new blog post. Of course the cakes, cookies, ice creams and all things sweets will always be the soul of Cinnamon Girl; some super easy recipes and others a tad bit more elaborated...because some days you can't tame the Nigella inside of you and have the need to create some tall and decadent layer cakes. ;-p

So let's talk about this recipe, gluten-free crackers that are so damn easy to make and taste so damn good! They are really tasty on their own, and quite addictive like potato chips; I love to have a small bag of these crackers in my pantry to nibble on between meals.

They are great with any kind of vegetable spread, paté, hummus, cheese...highly recommended to serve them if you are having a dinner party. You can throw in whatever aromatic herb your heart desires, my favorites are oregano, thyme and rosemary.

To make things even more fuss-free you can use some good quality herb-flavored salt, like I did. The team at Herbes de la Conca kindly sent me a package with some of their best-selling products and I used their mediterranean herbs & salt blend; it works great for so many dishes! It's unrefined fossil salt 100 % free from microplastics...kind scary to know so many table salts contain microplastics; that's why I always buy Himalayan pink salt, it's one of the cleanest salts you can find.

Cooking with flavored salts is quite fun and gives a more complex and aromatic flavor to any food; maybe next time I will try cooking tofu with BBQ salt. ;-)

¡Receta en español en mi último post de Instagram, aquí!

GF Crackers with Mediterranean Herbs

Ingredients
1 cup chickpea flour.
1/2 cup white rice flour.
1/2 cup potato starch.
1/2 cup water.
5 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil.
1 1/2 tablespoons chia seeds.
1 teaspoon garlic powder.
2 teaspoons herb-flavored salt.

Directions

Preheat oven to 180 ºC (356 ºF) and line two baking sheets with parchment paper.

In a large mixing bowl sift together the chickpea flour, rice flour, and potato starch; mix well using a wire whisk. Add in the chia seeds, garlic powder, herby salt, and mix until combined.

Pour in the oil and mix using a silicone spatula until the mixture looks coarse, like wet sand. Gradually pour the water into the mixture mixing with your hands, until a cohesive and dense ball of dough forms; it shouldn't stick too much to your fingers.

Cut a big piece of parchment paper and place over your working surface, roll out the dough creating a circular shape (doesn't have to be perfectly round), until the dough is quite thin but still easy to handle. If the dough is too thin it'll be difficult to cut into shapes and transfer to the baking sheet.

If your rolling pin sticks to the dough lightly grease it with olive oil.

Using a circular cookie cutter cut your crackers until you've used all the dough, depending on the size of your cookie cutter you'll get a larger or smaller amount of crackers. Don't throw away the leftover scraps, shape into a ball and roll out repeating the process all over again.

Carefully transfer the crackers to the prepared baking sheets and prick each one with a fork to prevent them from puffing during baking. Bake for 20 minutes, rotating the sheets halfway through.

Let crackers cool completely on the baking sheets, they will get crispier as they cool.

I recommend to serve them on the same day to enjoy them at their best level of crispiness but you can safely store them in an airtight container at room temperature and still be delicious.

Vanilla Date Caramel Swirl Ice Cream

Summer is flying by and I've been so super busy the past weeks...damn, I've felt really overwhelmed by deadlines! But needed to finish several collaboration works before everyone goes off on vacation, and I stay here dealing with this insanely humid hot Barcelona weather preparing new recipes for my blog, call it a productive staycation. I've been so focused on developing recipes for food brands and other collabs that neglected the blog a little too much. Anyways, I'm back with a delicious super summery recipe: a vegan vanilla ice cream with date caramel swirl and walnuts. It's a completely vegan recipe and as usual I only use organic and wholesome ingredients. So incredibly good, so creamy...like really, really creamy no one would ever guess it's a homemade ice cream.

If I had to pick just one type of dessert I'm pretty sure it'd be ice cream, I'm a real ice cream monster that even during the coldest winter days dreams about caramel swirls and big chunks.

What's your favorite ice cream flavor? Mine is anything vanilla-based with lots of chunks and toppings.

Hope you are all having a fantastic summer, enjoying those endless golden afternoons outside with lots of ice creams, gazpachos and whatever your heart (and your gut) desires.

Vanilla Date Caramel Swirl Ice Cream

(4-6 servings approximately)

Ingredients

- For the date caramel:

8 Medjool dates.

150 ml full fat coconut milk.

- For the vanilla ice cream:

2 cups raw cashews.

1 1/3 cups water.

1/2 cup agave syrup.

1 cup full-fat coconut milk.

1/2 cup organic cane sugar.

1/4 cup vegan vanilla protein powder.

1/4 teaspoon guar gum.

A pinch of pink Himalayan salt.

1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla powder.

1 cup walnuts, chopped.

Directions

Soak the cashews in filtered water with a pinch of pink Himalayan salt overnight. The day after, rinse them well and place in your blender (preferably a high speed blender) or food processor with 1 1/3 cups of water (discard the soaking water). Blend until you get a smooth and creamy texture with no clumps. Let it set in the refrigerator while you prepare the rest of the ice cream base.

Combine the agave syrup, coconut milk, sugar, vanilla protein, guar gum, salt, and pure vanilla powder and blend until creamy and soft; you might need to stop a few times and scrape down the sides of the container. Add in the refrigerated cashew cream and blend again until fully combined.

Pour the mixture into an airtight shallow container, cover and refrigerate at least 4 hours or preferably overnight (the colder your ice cream base is the creamier it will be).

Once the mixture is very cold churn according to the manufacturer's instructions of your ice cream maker, it should have a soft serve consistency. Transfer to a shallow container and stir in the date caramel (instructions below) creating swirls with the help of a toothpick or a cake tester and finally add in 1 cup of walnuts.

Place the ice cream (covered) in the freezer until ready to use. Don't worry if your ice cream looks very solid once it's frozen, simply let it thaw at room temperature until it's scoopable.

- For the date caramel:

Chop the dates and place them inside your food processor and mix with the coconut milk until you get a smooth and slightly sticky mixture. Store in a sealed jar and refrigerate until ready to use.