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Life-changing Burnt Salted Caramel and Choc-chip Ice Cream

Why would I call an ice cream life-changing? Because we used to only have dessert once a week… and now that might be changing. Honestly, it’s because of this ice cream. Now, I don’t mind us all having a scoop of on a daily basis. Here is why.

Life-changing Caramel and Choc Chip Ice cream Wholesome CookLife-changing Caramel and Choc Chip Ice cream Wholesome Cook

The ability to churn your own ice cream from wholefoods – making it dairy-free, vegan and sugar-free even –  is one of the best reasons to get your own ice cream machine. It does not have to cost an arm and a leg – our Cuisinart one was $129 and is about three years old now. You can get cheapers ones, too.

But, let’s start from the beginning. The Life-changing ice cream takes about 25 minutes to make. There are no custards, no chilling of mixtures, no sugar. Hands down, this must be my favourite flavour, especially when served Sundae-style with warmed up, fudgy Pure Harvest Coco2 spread, banana and chopped nuts. Okay we reserve the right to enjoy that special treat once a week.

But I digress…

Life-changing Caramel and Choc Chip Ice cream Wholesome Cook

The life-changing Burnt Salted Caramel and Choc-Chip Ice Cream is creamy and cold, as real ice cream should be. There’s none of that fluffy light texture of powedered milk and additives. It’s made with real food – frankly, foods I would struggle to get the all of the family members to eat all on their own. And there is a dairy-free / vegan option when it comes to the yoghurt you use.

  • Yoghurt – while Liana and I like it, I struggle to get enough probiotics into the boys diets. They like pickles and miso, I add gelatin to soups and sauces, but they only have yoghurt once hidden in smoothies – Matt’s aversion goes a long while back when he lived on jelly and yoghurt after breaking his jaw. This, as you can imagine, is fab then!
  • Rice malt syrup – yes, it’s still sugar, but since it’s fructose-free it is a little less of a burden on the system. And it makes a beautiful burnt caramel. It’s also gluten-free despite the “malt” in its name.
  • Dates – and not too many. It must be the way they look or the texture that is off-putting for some. Again, they seem to go down fine in treats or smoothies, but I don’t use them too often. They do, however, impart a beautiful caramel flavour to the ice cream and the sweetness diminishes a little with freezing.
  • Dark chocolate – I used Loving Earth organic Dark Chocolate here because it’s sweetened with unrefined sugars. Chopped into chunks it makes for a much healthier choc-chip than anything choc-chip that’s bought from the store. In general actually, store-bought eating chocolate is better than most cooking chocolates and those chips. This one is dairy-free also.
  • Coconut cream – thick part only for some additional creamy mouthfeel.
  • The only other ingredients in the Life-changing ice cream are sea salt and vanilla powder.

Now that you know exactly what’s in it, here are some tips for making the most of it.

The ice cream is best enjoyed freshly churned. But, I doubt anyone would be happy to eat a batch on their own, in one sitting (except for the fact that over the weekend I discovered someone might have gone back for huge seconds!). To save some for later, freeze it in ice pop moulds for single-serve enjoyment, or spread in a loaf tin and freeze. It will go a little hard, so remove it from the freezer 5 minutes before serving to allow it to soften enough for scooping.

Yum!

Life-changing Caramel and Choc Chip Ice cream Wholesome Cook

Life-changing Caramel and Choc Chip Ice cream Wholesome Cook
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5 from 1 vote

Life-changing Burnt Caramel and Choc-chip Ice Cream

You can add an extra 50g melted dark chocolate to the coconut cream if you prefer a more chocolatey treat. You can make this without an ice cream maker, but the result won't be as fluffy. Simply pour the mixture into a loaf tin and freeze. Leave out of the freezer for 5 minutes, to soften, before serving.
Prep Time25 minutes
Cook Time5 minutes
Total Time30 minutes
Servings: 1 litre

Ingredients

  • 1/3 cup rice malt syrup
  • 1/4 teaspoon sea salt flakes
  • 4 Medjool dates pitted and chopped
  • 1 cup additive-free coconut cream mixed well
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla powder
  • 500 g full fat Greek yoghurt or coconut yoghurt
  • 50 g dark chocolate chopped roughly

Instructions

  • You will need to pre-freeze your ice cream machine bowl, if using - see notes above for no-churn version.
  • Place rice syrup and sea salt flakes in a small saucepan and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat and simmer, bubbling, for 2-3 minutes. Remove from heat and stand for 5 minutes to allow to cool.
  • In a jug, using a stick blender, blend dates with coconut cream and vanilla powder. Add the coconut date mixture to the rice malt syrup and whisk to combine. Fold in the yoghurt and chocolate pieces (and melted chocolate - see notes above, if using).
  • Transfer the mixture into the ice cream maker and churn for around 20 minutes. When the mixture is the consistency of soft-serve, serve immediately or place in a loaf tin and freeze for up to 1 month. To prevent frost-burn, cover the top with a layer of baking paper.

Notes

Gluten-free Nut-free Egg-free Refined sugar-free Soy-free | Option: Dairy-free Lactose-free
Tried this recipe?Mention @wholesomecook or tag #wholesomecook

 

10 comments

Anne September 14, 2015 at 1:13 pm

Amazing! such a good treat for summer. Our kids are fussy with yogurt too. Will have to try this.

Reply
Steph September 14, 2015 at 2:21 pm

Brilliant recipe for hot summer days, thank you for sharing.

Reply
Amanda O'Neill September 14, 2015 at 2:41 pm

ice cream maker bowl in freezer now! Yum

Reply
iliana Brown September 15, 2015 at 5:23 am

Hi! What a yummy recipe!!! Working on it right now!!!
I am curious? Have you been introduced to Do Terra CPTG essential oils?
I have completely enjoyed your blog and your recipes. I wonder if I have missed your involvement with essential oils.

Reply
Janet Catesby September 15, 2015 at 3:00 pm

This sounds absolutley delicious.
What would you suggest as a substitute for the coconut cream, it tends to make me sick unfortunately.

Reply
Martyna @ Wholesome Cook September 15, 2015 at 3:25 pm

Hi Janet, you could use dairy fresh cream instead if you’re okay with dairy?

Reply
SallyBR September 25, 2015 at 1:14 am

Hello there… just wanted to tell that I got your Kindle book today, and had to return it… so disappointing!

it turns out that it was impossible to download it, it says “incompatible with your device” , even though I own 111 Kindle books at the present time, never had this happen before.

I could not find a way to contact amazon with a specific message about it, so I’m letting you know, maybe as an author you can reach them, maybe my case is not unique?

sorry to bother you with this, but I was so excited to finally get the book…

Reply
13+ Healthier Ice Cream and Ice Pop Recipes | Wholesome Cook October 2, 2015 at 11:45 am

[…] Need I say more? Adaptable to be dairy-free and vegan as well. Get the recipe here. […]

Reply
Camilla October 16, 2015 at 8:20 pm

YUM! Massive cravings for this right now. How delicious Marty?!

Reply
Jackie Bolen April 13, 2016 at 10:44 pm

I totally agree! The secret to a successful and delicious ice cream is an efficient ice cream maker.

Reply

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