I've been yearning to post ice cream recipes since I started blogging more than a year ago. But here I am, 365+ days later and on a fully-fleshed out website, JUST NOW posting my first one. I was just really picky about these and kept tweaking the recipe so I could get whatever texture and flavor I wanted. And the final product is so easy, which makes me look like a liar that it just took me as long as it did to make this first one!

A little back story: I'm an ice cream snob. Growing up, I was generally pretty healthy. But my one vice was that I would go for the tub of ice cream in the freezer after dinner several nights each week. And when I say "go for the tub," I don't mean I would scoop the recommended 1/2 cup into a nice little bowl and savor tiny bites. No. I went through about 1/2 a gallon a week, serving myself a bowl that was roughly a pint's worth of ice cream each night that I ate it. Come at me.

Ice cream is still my vice. I am not ashamed to admit that I have "cheated" on paleo to indulge in some ice cream from time to time. Mostly I stick to brands that are of better quality/sourcing, but to say I've only had coconut or almond milk ice cream since changing my lifestyle would be an outright lie. And lying is NOT acceptable when ice cream is involved.

So, I think my background is why it's taken me forever to post a recipe of my own for paleo (and in this case, vegan!) ice cream. I've tried too many sub-par recipes and brands that were compliant with either or both of these diets to post something less than what I'd want to eat.

The result? This modest little blueprint for some Maple Vanilla Ice Cream. It's delicious by itself and would pair perfectly with some fruity and/or cinnamon-y dishes like my Blackberry Rhubarb Cobbler. I hope it passes your taste test, too! ;)

Maple Vanilla Ice Cream

Prep time: 10 minutes Churn time: 20-30 minutes (optional) Freeze time: 1+ hours

Total time: 40+ minutes

Directions

Ingredients

Add coconut cream, almond milk, and maple syrup to a large bowl and mix with either an electric mixer or whisk by hand vigorously to evenly combine.
Cut a vanilla bean in half and then cut one of the halves length-wise to open it up. Use your thumb to push the contents of the middle into the bowl with the coconut mixture. The skin is not used in this recipe.
After added contents of the vanilla bean, add the vanilla extract as well and beat again with a hand mixer or whisk to evenly spread the flavor. Sample a bit of the mixture to determine if sweetness and strength of vanilla are to your liking. If not, add more maple syrup or vanilla accordingly. Just keep in mind that adding more bean scrapings will be stronger than adding more extract.
Pour contents into your ice cream maker (I use this one & LOVE it!) and churn according to manufacturer's instructions. Mine took about 30 minutes to reach the consistency pictured, but was scoopable without needing to be placed in the freezer to harden before serving.
You may remove the ice cream sooner if you want a soft serve texture (or if you're me & impatient for your treat). If you wish to store it for later or your ice cream maker does not achieve the harder consistency mine did, but you want to be able to scoop it, pour the soft-serve-textured ice cream into a freeze-safe container and lay parchment paper on top of the ice cream. Even if there is a lid with your container, lay a layer of parchment paper directly on the ice cream before placing the lid over it. This will prevent freezer flavored ice cream.
Store in the freezer in this manner up to a week until ready to serve. Or, more likely, scoop and serve to be devoured immediately!