Really Nice Cream with Added Raw Brownie Bits

By the Gracious Vegan

This dessert isn’t too time-consuming to make, and the payoff is high. Those few tablespoons of almond butter make the nice cream taste indulgent, and the healthy raw brownie bits, studded with roasted pecans, are addictive. I could easily eat a whole batch myself.

Makes about 2.5 cups

Make the raw brownies. Note that this recipe makes more than you will need for the dessert. You’ll just have to eat the rest (!). You can cut this in half and make just enough for the dessert, but I recommend making all of it.

Line a loaf pan with parchment or wax paper. Add the dates to the food processor and blend them until you see a smooth paste (it may form into a ball).

• 3/4 cup pitted Medjool dates

Add the following ingredients and blend until well combined.

• 1/4 cup almond flour

• 1/4 cup cocoa powder

• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Add in the pecans and maple syrup until the mixture is combined and you can still see tiny pieces of pecans.

• 3/4 cup roasted pecans

• 1.5 Tablespoons maple syrup

Transfer the mixture to the pan and press down well. Refrigerate at least an hour, but preferably two.

Make the nice cream. Blend the following ingredients together in a food processor or blender until the mixture resembles soft-serve ice cream.

• 3 ripe bananas (sliced and frozen well beforehand) 

• 3 Tablespoons non-dairy milk

• 3 Tablespoons almond butter

• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 

By hand, stir in small cubes of raw brownies. Serve the nice cream immediately or freeze it like regular ice cream. If you hard-freeze it, take out of the freezer 45-60 minutes before serving or soften in the microwave (20-30 seconds, then in 15-second increments between stirrings as needed).

Timing: 10 minutes (if the bananas are frozen and the brownies are made); over an hour if the brownies are not made

Gluten-free