My new ice cream maker has been the best and worst thing to happen to my kitchen. As someone who very rarely purchased frozen desserts, I have made (and eaten) more ice cream in the last few months than I probably have in the last few years. Sigh. I suppose there are bigger problems.

The good news? Besides making BL one very happy man is that I get to experiment with different flavors and combinations to bring to you. There are a whole slew of dairy ice cream recipes out there for you to find, so mine will all be dairy-free. Using a combination of nuts, coconut milk, and almond milk, I think my ice cream has the same creaminess and richness of dairy ice cream.

This creation combines my love for sweet and salty;  Sweet maple ice cream studded with salted pretzel rods. I used cashews, the perfect nut for obtaining a creamy texture similar to cream and real maple syrup.

Ingredients:
1 cup cashews
1 cup maple syrup
1 tsp. vanilla syrup
1 cup water
1 tsp. salt
3/4 cup pretzel rods, chopped

In a VitaMix/Blendtec or other high powered blender-food processor, combine the cashews, maple syrup, and water. Blend until very smooth, about 4-5 minutes.  You don’t want it to be grainy at all. If you are using a “normal” blender and can’t get it to be silky smooth, then strain out any chunks. Add the vanilla and salt and pulse a few times to combine.

Place in the fridge for 2 hours until chilled.

Pour the maple mixture into your ice cream maker and make according to manufacturers directions. It might take longer than “normal” ice cream to process, this is OK. The last few minutes of churning, add the pretzel pieces.

The final result will be soft-serve consistency, the best if you ask me! However, if you like things harder then place the ice cream in the freezer for another 1-2 hours until firm.

What other flavors would you like to see?