Vegan Butter Pecan Ice Cream

My favorite ice cream flavor is Butter Pecan. I love the rich taste of toasted pecans and vanilla. The past few weekends I’ve been working on a Vegan Butter Pecan Ice Cream. This recipe is very simple but delivers a tasty and delicious treat. I hope you enjoy!


Vegan Butter Pecan Ice Cream
by Laura Friendly
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Chill Time: may vary depending on technique
Ice Cream Maker Time: about 25 minutes
Makes: 1 quart (4 cups)

• 2 cans full fat coconut milk
• ½ cup coconut palm sugar (more or less to taste)
• 1 vanilla bean, split lengthwise
• 2 tbsp vegan butter
• ½ tsp salt

• 1 tbsp vegan butter
• 1 cup pecans, roughly chopped

• 1 tbsp gluten-free vodka, optional

1. Melt 1 tbsp of vegan butter into a nonstick saucepan. Cook the pecans over low heat for about 3 minutes, until they are fragrant and lightly browned. Transfer pecans to a paper towel and allow to cool completely.
2. Scrape the seeds from the vanilla bean and place into a medium saucepan with coconut milk, sugar, 2 tbsp vegan butter and salt, bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for about 5 to 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat and chill the mixture completely.
3. Once coconut mixture has chilled, transfer to a blender and add ⅓ cup of toasted pecans and vodka. Blend until pecans become very fine. If you want the ice cream to be even smoother, drain mixture through a sieve to remove any large pieces of pecan.
4. Pour liquid into your ice cream machine bowl, and churn for about 25 minutes, or according to manufacturer's instructions. The last 5 minutes drop in the remaining pecans. Serve immediately.
5. If you’d like a firmer consistency, transfer into a freezer safe container with lid, and freeze for about two hours to thicken.

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Fruit Salsa with Cinnamon Chips

Fruit Salsa with Cinnamon Chips, is one of my first Laura Friendly desserts. New to the gluten-free world, I was struggling for sweet treats to make at home. As I was noodling around my kitchen, I came to my corn tortillas and wondered if these could be transformed into a dessert? Maybe… with a little bit of cinnamon and sugar… I could make something like Cinnamon and Sugar toast! But what goes with corn tortillas? Salsa. Perhaps, a sweet and spicy fruit salsa would be a good match!

This Fruit Salsa is so delicious, you really could eat this by itself (and I do). I think it tastes even better as the flavors mingle in the refrigerator for a day. The Cinnamon Chips are also delicious but are best served right away. I hope you enjoy!


Fruit Salsa with Cinnamon Chips
by Laura Friendly
start to finish: 30 minutes
serves: 4

Fruit Salsa

• 1 cup blueberries
• 1 cup strawberries, stems removed and diced
• 1 cup plums, pits removed and diced
• 1 cup nectarines, pits removed and diced
• 1 cup cherries, pits removed, sliced in half
• 2 tbsp honey (or agave nectar to make vegan)
• 1 tbsp fresh lime juice
• 1 tbsp finely chopped jalapeno, optional
• 1 tbsp minced cilantro, optional

In a medium size bowl, combine blueberries, strawberries, plums, nectarines, cherries, honey, lime, jalapeno and cilantro. Mix together well.

Cover and refrigerate while making the Cinnamon Chips.

Cinnamon Chips

• 10 to 12 corn tortillas
• ⅓ cup coconut palm sugar (or regular sugar)
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• ½ tsp salt
• olive oil

Preheat oven to 350º F. Lightly coat a large baking sheet with olive oil and set aside.

Brush tortillas with olive oil and cut into 8 wedges. Arrange tortilla wedges, in a single layer, on the baking sheet. Combine sugar, cinnamon and salt, sprinkle mixture over tortillas.

Bake in the center of the oven until chips are lightly brown and crisp, about 10 minutes. Allow to cool for 5 minutes.

Serve immediately with Fruit Salsa. 


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