Two-ingredient maple caramel sauce…
Yesterday was the birthday of a close friend, and when she asked me to make my Chocolate Zucchini Brownies, I came over with the works: frosted brownies, ice cream, and caramel sauce for a small gathering of friends.
Maybe “gathering of friends” is the wrong phrase. It sounds so formal… like we were there for tea or something. A caramel brownie sundae is obviously NOT tea! We sat on the floor, stuffing out faces with brownies and licking the plates completely clean. Our sundaes looked just as beautiful as the ones in the photos… for about 2 seconds before we demolished them!
To go with the brownies, I made up a funny new version of my favorite egg-free healthy ice cream recipe… the flavor can be best described as “Pancake Batter Ice Cream.”
It seriously will remind you of eating pancake batter!
2 Ingredient Maple Caramel
- 1/4 cup pure maple syrup (agave also works)
- 1 tbsp arrowroot (cornstarch also works)
Combine ingredients in a small pot and whisk together. Turn stove to medium and bring to a boil. As soon as it starts to bubble, stir constantly for 3-4 minutes, then remove from heat. Fridge 1 hour to set. This gets thicker as it cools, and if you let it sit long enough it will get completely hard. (Technically you can make this maple caramel in the microwave; but watch it carefully, as it bubbles up quickly.) I’m not listing a nutrition link, as the nutrition facts will just be pretty similar to the numbers on your jar of maple syrup.
Pancake Batter Ice Cream
- 1 cup raw cashews or macadamia halves (120g)
- 1 1/3 cup milk of choice (320g)
- scant 1/4 tsp salt
- 10 drops maple extract
- 3 tbsp sugar of choice or xylitol (30g)
- 1/16 tsp pure stevia, or 2 extra tbsp sugar of choice
- 1 1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
Cover the nuts with water in a cereal bowl. Let soak 4-8 hours, then drain and pat dry very well with a paper towel. Now combine all of the ingredients in a blender, and blend until the mixture is completely smooth. If you have a Vita-Mix: Pour the blended mixture into 2 ice-cube trays, and freeze until solid. When frozen, pop ice cubes into the Vita-Mix by pushing a knife down one side of each piece. Blend on high, using the tamper, until a smooth soft-serve texture is achieved. Quickly scoop into individual bowls, using an ice cream scoop for authentic presentation. Eat immediately or freeze each bowl up to an hour for a perfect ice-cream texture and consistency. Although the best texture is achieved with a Vita-Mix, you can still get good results with an ice cream maker. (If you don’t have an ice cream maker or Vitamix, you can either turn the blended mixture into really delicious popsicles, or: a few readers say they’ve had success with a food processor by thawing the ice cubes a little more for a soft-serve treat.) Ice cream maker ice cream: Pour the blended mixture into one large container, and freeze 30 minutes or refrigerate 4 hours or more. Pour the chilled mixture into an ice cream maker, and follow the manufacturer’s instructions. Once a smooth texture is reached, scoop into individual bowls, using an ice-cream scoop for authentic presentation. Eat immediately, or freeze up to an hour for a firmer texture.
Any of the following milks works well in the ice cream recipe: Silk Almondmilk, canned full-fat coconut milk, homemade cashew cream (the milk version), Alpro soy cream, Earth Balance soymilk… many other milks will surely work; I just haven’t tried them. (It is probably best to use a milk with some fat.) Due to the lack of stabilizers and preservatives, as well as the lower sugar content in this all-natural ice cream, it tastes best the day you make it. However you definitely can freeze for up to a month: portion out the ice cream into individual bowls before freezing, then remove a bowl from the freezer 20 or so minutes before eating. The hard ice cream will thaw back into a smooth treat.
View Pancake Ice Cream Nutrition Facts
Hi Katie! 🙂
Firstly, I love your site really much. All of the recipes are so yummy! Can’t wait to try them. ALL. It’s amazing how you can make such incredibly delicious treats healthy and vegan! You have a gift…
Now, I have to ask you something… I have been wondering : in your recipes you have ingredients like nutella, chocolate, oreos, protein powder and yogurts. I know you might use soy yogurts, but I don’t think the others are vegan, are they? As I know you are vegan, this confused me a bit 😛
Go on with being awesome! Kisses from Portugal 😉
Believe it or not they all can be began 😉
*vegan…can’t even blame autocorrect for that one lol
Well you can get heaps of dairy-free chocolate these days, especially dark chocolate, the nutella recipe that IS vegan can be found on this very blog, you can get vegan protein powders such as sun warrior and rice protein, and I don’t know about the oreos actually (sorry for the rant, but I hope this helps explain the matter)…..
Oreos surprisingly happen to be vegan. There is also a recipe for homemade Oreos on this blog.
Pancake batter I think is an acquired taste much like beer and coffee. One too many licks of the pancake bowl though and i have to say I’ve acquired it! 🙂 Pancake batter-flavored ice cream? Sounds incredible. Are we talking aunt jemima-tasting pancake batter or more like bread/muffin batter…?
Muffin batter would be good as well… I was thinking more like homemade pancakes.
I voted for you. I hope you win. I love your recipes, Thank You.
I voted for you, Katie! I am not even vegan (I am not vegetarian either) but your recipes are so delicious and healthy that it’s impossible not try them! Usually your blog is my first reading in the morning. Thank you so much for sharing your genius creations! By the way, I think I’ll love this caramel recipe, I’ll try it soon!
Aw thanks! 🙂
You got my vote Katie! I think your recipes are awesome, you’ve got amazing taste buds, so I hope you win one of the prizes!
So beautiful! Thanks for sharing!
Oh my goodness! Your sundaes are PERFECT. I so envy your ice-cream-scooping abilities. seriously.
I just recently made these brownies, and they are so. darn. good.
I love the caramel sauce!! I must try that. Soon. 🙂 Pinning this!
Hey!
So, just because of all of your recipes I have been thinking about purchasing a food processor. As almost all of your recipes call for a vitamix, could you tell me if a food processor can handle the job? I know in some recipes you do say if it can be used, but in others you don’t. As I should not spend sooo much money I can’t afford a vitamix (they don’t sell it in here anyways). The food processor I am considering has 750 watts, would it be enough for, let’s say, coconut butter? Or other stuff? Altnough you do mention it, I’m afraid it is not powerful enough so my desserts will be bad and my ice creams won’t be ice-creamy but icy 🙁
Please if any of you is able to answer, I’d appreciate it very much. There are other options, like 1100watts for 3 or 4 times the price, and It has been torture to look at the recipes without being able to make it!
Thank you VERY much!
Hi Rosa,
In all of the recipes that require a vita-mix, I will list options in the post’s recipe for people who don’t have one (or in rare cases I will say there’s no alternative).
If you’re looking for a high-quality food processor, I would go with a Cuisinart 7-cup. They last for years and years and do a very good job.
Of course I voted for you Katie!!!! You have the best blog ever, when I was in New York I remembered a time that you blogged about your trip to new york and I went to all of the restaurants and I had an amazing time!
🙂
I’ll be saving this recipe for the New Zealand summer! It’s too cold/stormy for ice-cream here.
I voted for you because I have fun reading your blog and expanding my knowledge of vegan recipes. After all, your blog gave the the motivation to go vegan.
Thank you so much!