After 3 years of horrible, heart breaking deprivation I can enjoy one of my very favorite treats again: vegan ice cream!

My beautiful and oh so easy to use Cuisinart ICE-30BC finally arrived in the mail a few days ago (they don’t sell ice cream makers here!) and I have been falling in love with it ever since. Ever since we moved back to the Middle East the one vegan treat that we haven’t been able to find that we love dearly is vegan ice cream! I’ve searched every where and it just doesn’t exist, and unlike products like nutritional yeast, it is not something you can order online. So, I’ve done without. Until now!

You are probably shocked that my first batch of ice cream wasn’t chocolate with chocolate ripples with chocolate fudge with chocolate sprinkles. You know how crazy I am about all things chocolate. But, I had a can of candied chestnut puree sitting around that I was desperate to use. When I tasted it and realized it had the same rich, dark flavor as brown sugar and toffee, I knew it would make the perfect ice cream flavor. So, Chestnut Brown Sugar Ice-Cream was born!

You will notice that I use coconut milk in this recipe, and you might be surprised because if there is one thing I loathe it is coconut. But I knew that the best ice cream has a high fat content, and soy creamer is hard to come by in this part of the world, so I figured coconut milk would be a good stand in. And oh was I right. It gives the ice cream a depth of richness that really makes this treat indulgent, and shockingly I actually, dare I say it, liked the mild hint of coconut sweetness. I know, I’m as surprised as you are.

I hope you give this recipe a try, it is SO easy and incredibly delicious!

Chestnut Brown Sugar Vegan Ice-Cream – makes 2 quarts
2  14oz cans of full fat coconut milk
2 cups of soymilk
1 cup of brown sugar
1 cup of candied chestnut puree
1 tsp vanilla essence
1 tsp cinnamon
1 generous pinch of nutmeg

Combine all of the ingredients in a large mixing bowl and pour into your ice-cream maker. Follow the instructions specific to your ice-cream maker and enjoy! (Mine required that I let it spin in the machine for 25 minutes and then it was done, but still very soft and creamy, like frozen yogurt. I let it sit in the freezer for a few hours to firm up to the consistency I desired.)

*Volvo Update*

Thank you so much for all of your support and kindness, everyone. Volvo is still doing the same, he seems happy and pain free and he is eating and enjoys hanging out with our other dogs. Unfortunately, it seems like he is developing a cough which isn’t a good sign and is common when dogs lose their ability to move around on their own. We are enjoying the last bit of time we have left with him and keeping him comfortable and very well fed. He is loving all the extra attention, but mostly the extra treats!