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.