The mellow sweetness of the maple syrup makes for a wonderfully comforting ice cream. Coconut butter gives richness and the crunchy pecans add texture and a surprise element.

Although preparing the maple-coated pecans requires starting one day ahead of making the ice cream itself, it is so well worth it! The sweet crunchiness adds a wonderful surprise element and texture, which is not achieved by incorporating plain chopped pecans into the ice cream.


YIELD
8 servings

TIME
soaking: 8 hrs;
dehydration: 12 hrs;
preparation: 1 hr;
chilling: 1 – 2 hrs

EQUIPMENT
(high-speed) blender;
dehydrator;
ice cream maker

DIFFICULTY
advanced



WHAT YOU NEED

  • 1 + 3/4 cup pecan nuts (soaked for 8 hrs or overnight)
  • 1 + 1/4 cups cashew nuts (soaked at least 2 hrs before starting to blend the ice cream)
  • 1/4 cup coconut butter
  • 1/4 cup coconut butter
  • 1 vanilla bean or 1 teaspoon vanilla essence
  • pinch of salt



HOW TO MAKE

a) Crunchy Pecan Crumble

  1. Soak the pecan nuts for 8 hrs or overnight.
  2. Drain and rinse.
  3. Take 1 cup of the nuts and chop into small pieces.
  4. Transfer to a clean bowl.
  5. Add about 2 tablespoons maple syrup and mix so that the pecan nuts are evenly covered.
  6. Transfer to a dehydrator tray lined with a non-stick sheet.
  7. Dehydrate at 118 F (48 C) or about 12 hrs or until crunchy.


b) Pecan Milk

  1. Take the remaining 3/4 cup of the soaked pecan nuts and add to a high-speed blender container.
  2. Add 1 + 1/2 cups of filtered water and blend on high until smooth.
  3. Pour into a nut milk bag and strain.


c) Ice Cream

  1. In a high-speed blender, mix the pecan nut milk, the soaked cashew nuts, the maple syrup, the coconut butter, the vanilla bean or essence, and a pinch of salt and blend until very smooth.
  2. Transfer to an ice cream maker and follow directions.
  3. Once ready, evenly fold in the crunchy chopped pecans – except for 1/8 cup to use as a topping.
  4. When serving, sprinkle with additional crunchy pecans.




CHEF’S NOTE

Instead of pecan nuts, you could also use walnuts, but because of their sweet and mellow taste, pecans are a match made in heaven when combined with maple syrup.



DOWNLOAD THE RECIPE

If you would like to download this recipe as a PDF, click here.




Enjoy!