One of the very first cookbooks I got (for Sinterklaas I believe) was the Ben & Jerry’s Ice Cream & Desserts book. It is fun to read and it inspired a really delicious variation on the New York Chocolate Fudge Chunk years later, based on the date-chocolate ice cream base. We all thought it was way tastier than the store bought version, although my sister wasn’t a fan of the chunks. And I don’t want to sound like a complete health-nut, because the main point is that it tastes quite similar yet better and is free of cow-torture, but it is so much healthier it’s not even funny anymore. It’s also relatively easy to make if you have a blender and an ice cream maker or one of these, so no-one has an excuse to buy Ben & Jerry’s ever again. They are not the ethical lovely hippy company the omnipresent ads want you to believe (case in point: omnipresent ads). The Ben & Jerry’s book is not vegan at all (they insist on extra milk and egg in everything, even sorbets), and it’s very very American, so I’d only buy it if you desperately want to recreate the Ben & Jerry’s originals and are game for some serious recipe alterations. Google might help you out quicker though, without you having to veganize anything.
I also got two new ice cream books this summer. And one e-book about popsicles. So far, they have all been a hit. Especially Vegan Ice Cream Sandwiches, that one is amazing. I have to admit to tweaking the recipes quite a bit, using different sweeteners, and a lot less sugar in the cookies. I find the original terribly sweet, but that might be a personal thing. They are addictive though. The absolute favorite? Chai spiced ice cream (with or without sandwiches). I made the chai with some earl grey and classic yogi tea (it was the closest thing to chai we had around the house), and may have replaced the soy milk with coconut. I used Vegan Secret Supper‘s method of sweetening the ice cream with rice syrup and agave (and I added a bit of maple just because). They were so good that I ate 4 sandwiches in one day. And then I regretted it, but only a little bit. The next week we made the ice cream again for a BBQ, where it was a huge hit. I am still working on a neapolitan brownie sandwich, but we will get there.
Vegan Ice Cream is a delightful book, lots of different and varying recipes, three including durian. I have tried durian once, and I find it revolting, like garlic-poop-pineapple with a very persistent aftertaste and horrific smell. I never was one for smelly cheeses and the like, not before going vegan, not now. Don’t get me started on pied de mouton. But the book is really nice. It has sauces, it has popsicles, different ice cream bases, some raw ice creams for those of you who care about that, and ice cream with hot pepper! <3 Oh, and I got a popsicle e-book called Purely Pops that’s really nice. I didn’t have a popsicle book yet, although Smitten Kitchen always has great ones, and it’s not that difficult to pour ice cream bases into moulds, or to just use sweetened smoothies or juices. Nothing could be easier. I know it’s a bit late, but if you have a hot autumn where you are (or your hemisphere is slowly starting spring or you are somewhere where there is no four seasons but there is warmth), I’d definitely recommend Vegan Ice Cream Sandwiches. And the popsicle book is affordable and has really nice cream bases so go for it if you want to make new, different, inventive popsicles.
The sandwiches pictured are the chai-spiced, a raspberry-lemon shortbred-combo, and tiramisu. The raspberry ice cream was bad. As you can see from the picture, the structure was very grainy, but that’s because I used “instant” almond milk and did not use enough almond butter. To be on the safe side, I’d suggest using the regular method of almond milk: 1 cup almonds to 3 water. I sometimes use 2 cups water if I want really rich ice cream. It’s really worth it for the taste. When you need some 1/4th cup of milk for a cookie recipe in a pinch, sure, use “instant”. But don’t when your nut-milk is the base of the entire recipe. I made the same stupid mistake with yoghurt once. It was horrible. Oh, and there was the tiramisu ice cream sandwich. That recipe needed some tweaking as well, the soaking of the top cookie didn’t do the texture any favours (blechch), so I suggest adding some espresso powder or yannoh-powder to the tofu-based ice cream instead. That ice cream is delicious! I made it with almond milk instead of hemp, and it worked really well. And do dust the cookies with the cocoa-powder, that gives them a really lovely taste and makes it surprisingly tiramisu-y. Now all you need is a tiny glass of liqueur to go with it.
I should probably mention that my mum has The Vegan Scoop and it’s not a big hit. I am not a huge soy milk fan. It could also be because I prefer the Italian gelato to the American “ice cream” (according to a few of the ice cream books, there is a distinct difference). The Ciao Bella Gelato & Sorbeto book is also non-vegan, but very easily veganized with a rudimentary understanding of ice cream bases. And the sorbeto part is already vegan of course. Hanna Kaminsky recommended it years ago, that’s how I found it, so you can read her review. I completely agree, although be warned that chocolate sorbet is so intensely chocolate-y that you may make a face. I did. It was one of those things where you don’t know if you absolutely love it, or that you find it too overwhelming to enjoy. Their granita-recipes and tips on flavour-combinations are great as well.