Forget what you think vegan dessert is. Usually dry. Boring. Sad. Not this. This is actually good. Maybe better than the regular kind? The original recipe admits it’s “kind of perfect,” and honestly? I believe them.
Start with the nuts. Heat does magic.
Hazelnuts are sleeping. Woke them up.
The recipe from Minimalist Baker calls for six ingredients. That’s it. No hidden secrets, just heat and friction. First step: roast them. Oven at 350°F. Ten to twelve minutes if raw, eight if they’re already roasted. Why? To loosen the skins. To wake up the oils. To make them taste like actual nuts and not wood chips.
Once cool, rub them in a kitchen towel. Get the skins off. Most of them. Not every last speck. The recipe says perfection isn’t required, which is a relief. Fewer skins mean a creamier blend later. Who doesn’t want cream?
Make the chocolate base
Melt semi-sweet chocolate. Microwave works, sure. Or use a pan. Stir. Half a minute in the microwave per increment, or gentle heat on the stove until the chips surrender.
Throw the hazelnuts into a blender. Go slow at first, then hard. Break them down to crumbs. Then hit the melted chocolate in. Blend. And blend. Three minutes of pure force.
You now have homemade Nutella.
Actually, wait.
Stop before you eat the whole thing straight from the jar (though I don’t blame you). Scoop out three tablespoons. Save those. You’ll need them later for the swirls. Swirls are visual food. Eyes eat first, right?
The churn
Back to the blender. Add the rest of that nutty-chocolate butter. Then pour in light coconut milk. Two 14-oz cans.
Is your brand smooth? Does it have emulsifiers? Whole Foods 365 is the suggestion, but really, just pick something that isn’t separated water at the top of the can. Guai gum is your friend here. It stops ice crystals. Nobody wants gritty ice.
Add a quarter cup of cane sugar. Organic, preferably, if you care about that. Vanilla. Salt. Just an eighth teaspoon, but salt is the secret weapon for flavor.
Blend until it’s a single, uniform liquid. Put it in a container. Hide it in the fridge for an hour. Let it get cold. Cold base means smoother churn. If you can pre-chill your ice cream maker bowl too? Even better. Physics wins again.
Spin it for about 30 minutes? Or follow the machine. It should look like thick soft-serve.
Here is where the saved tablespoons come in. Pour that reserved chocolate-hazelnut mixture over the spinning ice cream. Fold it in. Don’t mix it out. Create ribbons of darker color. Visual depth. Hubba hubba, the blog says. I don’t say hubba hubba. I say delicious.
Firm or soft? You choose.
You can eat it right then. Gelato texture. Soft. Immediate gratification. Or, put it in a freezer-safe tub. Cover with parchment. Freeze for another hour or until it fights back against your spoon.
Take it out 10 minutes before serving? Otherwise, it’s a hockey puck. Store it for up to a month? Sure. Will you wait a month? Maybe. Maybe not.
Why go vegan?
Some people have to. Some people choose to. Some people just hate dairy ice cream’s tendency to split or turn icy. This holds up. It stays fluffy.
277 calories a serving? Fine. For a dessert? Totally reasonable.
Go make it. You only need hazelnuts and chocolate, mostly. The rest is just ice.
