Maple Alps

ice cream

Mango Swirl Ice Cream (vegan)

RecipesAmanda Walter | Maple Alps4 Comments

Going for ice cream is one of those iconic things about Summer break. Strolling down the street with your little cone or sitting and enjoying some company and views is part of what Summer brings. Thankfully, there are more and more dairy-free options being offered, but depending on where you are, they can be hard to find - and expensive when you do find them.

Thankfully, I don’t have to go out to enjoy a delicious cone of ice cream, and I don’t have to spend $5 or more on a pint in the grocery store. I can just make it in my kitchen. It does require some planning and waiting, but it is all worth it in the end!

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Mango Swirl Ice Cream (vegan) | www.maplealps.com

Earlier this summer I shared my chocolate chai ice cream recipe, but today I have something fruity for you for when you want to use your fresh produce (or even the frozen stuff in your freezer). 

I decided on mango because who doesn't love a good juicy mango? I could seriously eat mangos all summer long and never et tired of them. In fact, I do! :)

Yes, you will need an ice cream maker for this recipe. I'm hoping to add some churn-free ice creams to my index in the future. The good news is that you can get a relatively inexpensive ice cream maker and it will work beautifully. Mine is a simple one with a base that freezes and an electronic churn and I love it! Only paid $30 for it brand new a few years ago (check out Amazon for one).

Mango Swirl Ice Cream (vegan) | www.maplealps.com

The swirl is the most fun part of this whole thing. Half of the swirl mixture is added to the end to make the effect - and adds more fun fruity flavour!

My husband's eyes opened very wide in delight when he tasted this, so I counted this recipe a success.

Mango Swirl Ice Cream (vegan) | www.maplealps.com

Mango Swirl Ice Cream

 

What you need:

For the Mango Swirl:

  • 2 cups mango'

  • 2 TBSP organic cane sugar

For the Cream Base:

  • 2 cans full fat coconut milk

  • 2 TBSP arrowroot powder

  • 2 tsp vanilla extract

  • 4 TBSP maple syrup

  • 1/4 tsp sea salt

 

What to do:

  1. Mix all of the ice cream ingredients (to avoid clumps, you can do this in a blender, or dissolve the arrowroot powder into a small, separate amount of coconut milk) into a small pot on medium heat. Do no let it boil, but allow it to cook and thicken - about 5-8 minutes or so.

  2. Cool and then chill in the fridge for at least 5 hours.

  3. While the cream base chills, make the swirl by adding the mango and cane sugar to a small pot. Cook on low heat and constantly stir as the fruit softens.

  4. Once the fruit no can no longer maintain its shape, use an immersion blender to puree it until it becomes a thick sauce (feel free to leave chunks if that is your cup of tea). Set aside and allow to cool.

  5. Once completely chilled, put the mixture into your ice cream maker. Churn according to manufacturer's directions.

  6. As the mixture becomes thicker, like soft serve, start to slowly pour in about half of the mixture.

  7. Ladle the finished ice cream into a container. Scoop the rest of the mango swirl in three sections along the top and use a bread knife to swirl it in.

  8. Freeze a few more hours and then scoop and enjoy! 

 

Do you have an ice cream churn to enjoy during the Summer?


 
Mango Swirl Ice Cream (vegan) | www.maplealps.com

Chocolate Chai Ice Cream (vegan + gluten free + nut free)

RecipesAmanda Walter | Maple Alps18 Comments

Summer is here and I fully intend on enjoying every last second of it! The problem, however, is that summer only lasts a few weeks before Autumn comes creeping along and I have to break out the coats again. I do love the Fall, but I have been waiting and my body has been aching for sunshine that comes right now. The Winter was so long. So, so long. Thankfully, one can still eat ice cream in the Winter. It's just that it can be enjoyed outside in the Summer. 

Chocolate Chai Ice Cream (vegan + gluten free + nut free) | www.maplealps.com

The other day, I decided to break out my ice cream maker. You have to understand that I bought it years ago on a whim because it was a good deal. Since getting it, however, I have used it probably a grand total of….thrice. I was never able to achieve the creamy goodness that comes from the store, so I gave up. And then I had no time to experiment. And then it was in our basement still in the box. So yes, it was really time to either use it or lose it. I decided to try my hand at homemade ice cream again. I tried and tried some more until I finally came up with what I’m sharing with you today: a tasty chocolate chai ice cream.

The best part is that there is no dairy in it! I do love ice cream, but the dairy stuff makes me ill.

Chocolate Chai Ice Cream (vegan + gluten free) | www.maplealps.com

The base is a coconut cream and chai-infused soy milk mix that is pretty tasty if I do say so myself! It’s also creamy and has the right texture. Beyond that, it is inexpensive to make and will save you $5/pint of the dairy-free stuff at the store. You can’t get much better than that, really.

I wasn’t actually planning to make a chai-infused ice cream. I was just brainstorming flavours and I looked over and saw some loose tea that I had picked up a while back and it hit me:

chai + chocolate = seconds, please!

Chocolate Chai Ice Cream (vegan + gluten free) | www.maplealps.com

I already have a ton of ideas for future flavours, so stay tuned as I experiment and develop ice cream-making skills. 

Chocolate Chai Ice Cream (vegan + gluten free) | www.maplealps.com

Chocolate Chai Ice Cream (vegan + gluten free)

What you need:

  • 2 cups soy milk

  • 1 can (15 ounces) coconut cream

  • 1 TBSP chai tea (loose tea or 1-2 tea bags)

  • ⅓ cup arrowroot powder

  • ¼ tsp salt

  • ½ tsp vanilla

  • ¼ cup cocoa powder

  • 2-3 TBSP maple syrup or agave (depending on how sweet you want it)

 

What to do:

  1. Heat 2 cups of soy milk

  2. Steep the chai tea in the milk for 10-15 minutes, depending on how strong you want the chai flavour (I used a loose-leaf decaffeinated chai from Teavana)

  3. After the tea is done steeping, add it, along with the rest of the ingredients, to a high speed blender. Mix well until there are no clumps

  4. Add mixture to a large saucepan, and heat up slowly, continually stirring, until you have a pudding-like consistency.

  5. Completely cool the mixture (about 4 hours in the refrigerator)

  6. Put into ice cream maker and churn according to instructions

  7. Add ice cream to a shallow container and freeze for a few hours. It will stay creamy for a few days in the freezer- just let it sit out for a few minutes after the first day till it softens a bit!

 

Have you ever made your own ice cream?


 
Chocolate Chai Ice Cream (vegan + gluten free) | www.maplealps.com