Raw Vegan Cherry Garcia Ice Cream
January 14, 2021Ben and Jerry’s most popular ice cream flavor goes Raw and Vegan! This ice cream is every bit as fantastic, rich and delicious as the original. Super creamy cherry flavored ice cream coupled with whole cherries and homemade dark chocolate pieces that will make you swoon. This is seriously the best ice cream I have ever eaten! If you make it for your friends and family,no one will ever miss the dairy, refined sugars, or artificial flavors.
Ingredients
For the Ice Cream Base:
- 2 cups raw cashews, soaked 2-4 hours, then drained and rinsed
- 2 cups purified water
- 2/3 cup raw agave or pure maple syrup
- 2 tablespoons organic extra virgin coconut oil
- 1 teaspoon vanilla OR cherry extract if you can find it
- 1 cup fresh or frozen pitted cherries
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
For the Dark Chocolate Pieces:
- 2 tablespoons raw organic cocoa butter
- 2 tablespoons organic extra virgin coconut oil
- 2 tablespoons raw agave or pure maple syrup
- 1/2 cup raw cacao powder
Instructions
Make the dark chocolate pieces first: Melt the cocoa butter and the coconut oil together over a double broiler on very low heat (if you want to keep it raw, measure the temperature with a candy thermometer and make sure to keep it under 115 degrees). Once fully melted, whisk in the raw agave and the raw cacao powder and the pinch of sea salt. Pour the chocolate mixture into an 8×8 pan lined with parchment paper or plastic wrap. Stick in the freezer and let chill until solid. While the chocolate mixture is chilling, blend the soaked cashews with the purified water to make a thick and creamy cashew milk, which is the base for the ice cream. Then add the raw agave or pure maple syrup, fresh lemon juice, coconut oil, vanilla or cherry extract, and just a few of the cherries (for color) until completely smooth. This may take a minute or two. Pour the mixture into a prepared ice cream maker and let churn for 25-30 minutes. If you don’t have an ice cream maker, you can try this method. While the ice cream is churning, cut the chilled raw chocolate into small rectangular pieces with a pizza wheel. Return raw chocolate pieces to the freezer. When the ice cream finishes churning, pour ice cream into a large freezer safe container and stir in the chocolate pieces and the remaining cherries by hand, so they stay mostly intact. You can eat it now, like soft serve, but it’s much better when you freeze it for 2 hours ‘til it’s nice and solid.
What's better than real fruit and homemade dark chocolate? Having them in raw, vegan ice cream.