valentine's day vegan ice-cream sandwiches.

It's that time of year again, Valentine's Day, either a day to spend watching a movie by yourself on the couch with a tub of ice-cream or with a loved one all loved up. No matter your plans for this Valentine's Day this recipe is for you! It's so delicious and satisfies all of your childhood memories and what is even better it's gluten and dairy free and vegan!

I made this recipe for Valentine's Day but if you are anything like me you won't need an excuse to make these ice-cream sandwich! If so, make sure you use a cookie cutter of approximately the same size (8cm) and then you will still get the same amount of ice cream sandwiches. If you are making this as part of the Valentines Menu (coming soon!)

Makes 6

Ingredients

Raspberry Sauce

1 ½ cups of frozen raspberries (I used organic ones)

¾ cups of water

2 tbsp coconut sugar

¼ tsp arrowroot powder

Ice-cream

3 cans of coconut cream, refrigerated overnight, do not shake

¾ cups dairy free white chocolate, melted

2 tsp vanilla bean paste

½ cups rice malt syrup

⅓ cup coconut flakes (shredded)

Cookies

1 small lemon, juice and rind

1 tsp flaxseed

1/6 cup almond milk (or any dairy-free milk)

1½ tbsp rice malt syrup

1/6 cup of raw or coconut sugar

¼ cup of dairy free, vegan butter

1/4 cup coconut flakes (shredded)

1/8 tsp Xanthum gum

1/8 tsp baking soda

1 ¼ cups of all purpose flour (I used Bob's Red Mill All purpose flour), plus extra for rolling

1/8 cup coconut flour

Raw Sugar, optional

White chocolate to decorate

Freeze dried raspberry powder, to decorate

Method

Raspberry Sauce

Over a medium heat in a saucepan, place all the ingredients except the arrowroot powder. Stirring the mix regularly for about 10 minutes until the raspberries break down.
After the 10 minutes add in the arrowroot powder and stir in well.
Leave on the stove for around 5 minutes more making sure you stir regularly.
Once the 5 minutes are up then take it off the heat and place in a separate dish in the fridge to cool (this will need to be cool before you add it to the ice-cream.

Ice-Cream

Remove the solidified top from the coconut cream and place in a bowl.You can save the remaining liquid for cooking or even freeze it to put in a smoothie.
Start by whipping the coconut cream with an electric mixer for about 10 minutes (try placing tea towel over the bowl and mixer to help keep the mess to a minimum and avoid the coconut cream splattering everywhere).
After about 10 minutes of whipping add in the vanilla bean and rice malt syrup and whip for another 5 minutes.
Once the mixture is fluffy looking and everything is combined you can stir through your flavours. To get that rippled effect place the raspberry sauce and white chocolate in 4 dollops around the bowl and sprinkle the coconut flakes on top. Very gently stir this through until just combined with that ripple effect. If you aren't too bothered about the ripple effect you can of course just mix it together, still being gentle though so you keep that nice fluffiness you jut created.
Once everything is combined, line a tray with baking paper which is going to make removing the ice-cream later much easier. You will need a baking tray that fits 6 ice-cream sandwiches with the cookie-cutter you use, I used a tray that was approx. 20 x 30cm.
Leave this over night to freeze.

Cookies

Preheat oven to 180°.
Combine the flaxseeds and milk in a medium sized bowl. Add in the rice malt and lemon juice and stir to combine.
In a separate bowl cream the butter and sugar together. Once combined add into the previous bowl with the flaxseeds and milk, again stir to combine.
In a large bowl sift together the coconut flour, all-purpose flour, baking soda and xanthum gum.
Make a well in the middle of the flour mix and add in the wet mixture. Stir with a wooden spoon until the mixture is combined. This should be a dough consistency, if it's still a bit too wet/runny add some extra flour until it holds together.
Once combined wrap the dough in plastic wrap and then place in the fridge for approx. 60 minutes.
After the cookie dough has been in the fridge you can start rolling out the dough. I have made this at approx. 4mm thickness so if you want it thicker or thinner just keep an eye on them when cooking so you don't over or under cook them.
Roll out your dough to approx. 4mm thick (you can do this in two lots). You will need to use flour on your rolling surface and rolling-pin so the dough doesn't stick. Using your heart shaped cookie cutter (or other shape) start cutting out your cookies. Place these on a lined tray and into the oven. You may get a few extra biscuit depending on how you cut out the biscuits.
If you are adding the raw sugar, sprinkle it over the top of the biscuits.
Place the biscuits in the oven for around 22 minutes. Keep an eye on them to make sure they don't overcook.
Once done take them out to cool on a wire rack. Set aside or store in an airtight container until you are assembling the sandwiches.

Assembly

Take the ice-cream out of the fridge and leave for about 5 mins to soften slightly.
Match up 12 cookies in pairs, you want them to be the same shape (if they have changed a bit in the cooking process) and similar colour.
Have a bowl with boiling water in it handy before you start to cut out the ice-cream in the heart shapes. Keeping the ice-cream in the tray that you froze it in, dip in the cookie cutter in the boiling water and then press down in the ice-cream (making sure you keep the shape close together so as you can get enough hearts made), you may need to dip the cookie cutter in the hot water again to help cut through.
Repeat for the next 5, after you have cut out all of your ice-cream hearts then remove the ice-cream from the tray. This is going to make removing the hearts a bit easier and help to keep them in the right shape.
Gently remove the ice-cream that you aren't using for the sandwiches from around all of the hearts. This can be put in a freezer safe container and saved for another day!
Place each ice-cream hearts in between the 2 cookies (if they are sticking then just add a tiny bit of melted white chocolate in between then) and then back in the freezer for 5-10 minutes to make sure they are solid enough for decorating.
Now for the fun decorating part! There are heaps of way you can decorate these but I have done a few of my favourite if you can't find any inspiration. You can either pour melted white chocolate over half of the icecream sandwich and then sprinkle over some of the freeze dried raspberry powder, drizzle over the melted white chocolate and then sprinkle over the freeze dried raspberry powder or you can just leave them as they are!

Enjoy and happy chomping! If you make these we would love to know so leave us a comment!