Vegan Chunky Monkey ice-cream

This Vegan Chunky Monkey ice-cream is a deliciously smooth banana ice cream that contains half of the carbs of the original. Filled with chocolate chunks and toasted nuts it’s sure to curb those naughty cravings. Dairy, egg, gelatine, gluten and refined sugar-free! 

Vegan Chunky Monkey ice-cream

By Georgina Young (www.greensofthestoneage.com)    

Serves 6-8 | Prep 30 mins plus freezing | Cook 5 mins | Calories 519 (per serving)

GF DF EF V MF

Ingredients

For the ice cream:

• 400ml (14fl oz) full-fat coconut milk
• 50g (1¾oz) cacao butter
• 60ml (2fl oz) maple syrup
• ¼ tsp vanilla powder
• 1 large banana, peeled
• juice of ½ a lemon
• ¼ tsp fine Himalayan pink salt
• ¼ tsp ground turmeric
• ¼ tsp xanthan gum
• 70g (2¾oz) toasted pecans or walnuts
• 60g (2oz) vegan dark chocolate

For the Sugar-Free Hot Fudge Sauce:

• 160ml (5½fl oz) coconut cream
• 100g (3½oz) cacao powder
• 100g (3½oz) xylitol
• 60g (2oz) df, gf dark chocolate
• ¼ tsp fine Himalayan pink salt
• 1 tbsp vanilla extract
• 30g (1¼oz) coconut oil
• 30g (1½oz) cacao butter

Method

1. Place the coconut milk, cacao butter, maple syrup and vanilla powder into a heavy bottomed pan. Gently whisk the ingredients and place onto a medium heat until almost at boiling point. Reduce to a low heat and simmer gently for 30 minutes, until the mixture has thickened enough to evenly coat the back of a spoon. Leave the mixture to cool for 5 minutes, before placing into the freezer for a further 10-15 minutes to cool completely.
2. In the bowl of a food processor, combine the banana and lemon juice. Process until smooth. Remove the cooled ice cream base from the freezer and begin to pour down your feed tube while the processor is running. Add the salt, turmeric and xanthan gum. Process until all of the ingredients have fully combined. You may want to periodically scrape down the sides with a silicone spatula.
3. Place the mixture into the freezer. Stir every 15 minutes, until it has cooled completely.
4. While you are waiting, cut the chocolate into chips and chop the toasted nuts. Remove the mixture and stir in the chocolate chips and nuts.
5. Cover the bowl with clingfilm to prevent ice crystals from forming, then place the mixture back into the freezer. Stir every 15 minutes for 1 hour, until the ice cream becomes slightly more firm than the texture of soft scoop.
6. For the hot fudge sauce, in a heavy bottomed saucepan bring the cream, cacao powder, xylitol granules, salt,and half of the chocolate to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium-low, being sure to maintain a low simmer, and cook for 5 minutes, stirring.
7. Remove from the heat and stir in the remaining chocolate, coconut oil, cacao butter and vanilla extract. Stir until smooth and glossy. Leave to cool for 20-30 minutes before serving. It needs to cool a little first in order to thicken. Store in an airtight jar in the fridge for up to 2 weeks. To reheat simply place your jar in a bowl of boiling hot water for 3-5 minutes until it is just pourable – you still want it to be thick!

Notes