Every time I go to the beach, a tanned man pushing an ice cream cart walks by and offers me a sweet treat. Though I always decline (sorry milk!), I haven’t been able to shake the idea of making a raw vegan ice cream sandwich.
This recipe is easy to make and though you will need to plan it out ahead of time (to refrigerate and dehydrate the dough) the wait is well worth it! There are two parts — one for the almond cookie, and another for the banana ice cream.
Almond cookies
Ingredients:
1 1/2 C almonds, soaked overnight and dried in a dehydrator for 4 hours
1 Tbs. dried, shredded coconut
1/2 tsp. vanilla
6 medjool dates, soaked until soft, and drained
1/4 C sunflower seed butter
pinch of salt
Preparation:
Pulse almonds in a blender or food processor until they are ground into a fine meal. Then, place the rest of the ingredients in the food processor and process until smooth. You may need to scrape down the sides a few times.
The dough will be sticky and soft. Luckily for you, its a raw vegan recipe which means you can eat as much as the raw ‘batter’ as you’d like! Place the dough in a bowl and in the refrigerator to chill overnight.
When the dough is firm, place it on a chopping board. Roll out 1/2 – 1” thick using a rolling pin that has been dusted with almond flour. Cut cookies with a cookie cutter or knife. Place them on a mesh dehydrator tray and dehydrate for 10 hours at 118 degrees. When the cookies are done they should be crunchy on the outside and softer in the middle. Place the cookies aside so you can fill them with banana ice cream!
Banana Ice Cream
Ingredients:
4 bananas: peeled and chopped, then frozen
3 Tbs. coconut oil
2 tsp. vanilla
optional: maple syrup or honey for added sweetness; cacao for chocolate ice cream
Preparation:
Blend frozen bananas and vanilla in a food processor or blender until the consistency of soft serve ice cream. Scrap down sides as necessary and add the coconut oil last, blending until evenly dispersed. Pour the mixture into a container and put it in the freezer for half an hour so that it can firm up.
Now you’re ready to put the two together for a raw vegan dessert reminiscent of sunny, carefree days!
Ice Cream Sandwich
Place 1 cookie on a piece of plastic wrap. Mound banana ice cream onto the cookie and press another cookie on top. Smooth out the sides of the ice cream with a knife and wrap the sandwich in plastic wrap. Place the ice cream sandwiches in the freezer to harden up. When you’re ready to eat your ice cream sandwich, take it out of the freezer 10 minutes before serving.
Servings: 6-8 ice cream sandwiches
Enjoy your ice cream sandwich. Experiment with the flavors, adding spices to the cookies or fruit to the banana ice cream and let us know what your favorite combination is in the comments below!
