This post is also available in: Suomi (Finnish)
It’s been a while I’ve written anything here, but there’s a good reason behind it – ice cream! And not just any kind of ice cream, but a whole book full of recipes for homemade healthy ice creams, which I’ve been making with my gorgeous pal Virpi Mikkonen from Vanelja.
The last couple of months we’ve been creating, testing and shooting A LOT of ice creams and I can’t really believe that our book is going to be finished next week and you guys are able to get it!
Our book is called Kind Ice Cream for You and it offers over 60 recipes for homemade healthy ice creams. There’ll be recipes for Creamy Ice Creams, Instant Ice Creams, Sorbets, Ice pops and all kinds of Ice Cream Cakes and Goodies. So pretty much everything we’ve ever dreamed of – and hopefully you too! There’s also information about how to make healthy ice creams at home and a lot of tips for perfect ingredients. And you won’t need an ice cream machine, as a lot of the recipes can be made without it! All recipes are free from dairy, gluten and refined sugar. Most of them are raw and they can easily be done vegan, if desired. And if you’re intolerant to nuts, don’t worry – there’s plenty for you too!
We’re publishing our book as an e-book, so that it can easily be read with a laptop, e-reader, tablet or smartphone. That way you’ll pretty much always have the possibility of making ice cream, as the recipes travel wherever you go! Also, the book is written in English so that all ice cream enthusiasts from all over the world can read it. I’m so excited to be sharing these news with you!
But before we the book comes out next week, I want to share one recipe with you and also give you a possibility for a discount code. By signing up to my mailing list, you’ll receive a -20% discount code for the book, as soon as it arrives. The book is going to be priced at 11,90€ (about 13 USD) so with the discount code you’ll get it for only 9,50€! So if you’re not on my mailing list yet, hurry up, click the link and be the first one to get yourself a copy with a great price!
>> You can sign up to my mailing list HERE. <<
And all you existing subscribes, you’ll get the discount code automatically as well!
And now that my nerves have calmed down a bit, let’s move on to the actual ice cream.
To go along with all these exciting news, I wanted to share one recipe, that’s going to be the book as well. Last week we asked you guys on Facebook and Instagram to tell your favorite ice cream flavors that would deserve a healthier version, as we wanted to make two recipes based on your suggestions. We got so many delicious ideas that it was a really tough job for me to choose just one. But in the end I picked up Minna’s request for Mint Chocolate Ice Cream Sandwiches, because – how could I not? I love mint. And I love chocolate. And these ice cream sandwiches turned out so heavenly, that actually I’d like to stop writing now and run back to the kitchen to make them again. But to be fair, I’ll share the recipe for you too, so that you’ve got something to savor until our book comes out. And remember to check the delicious Snickers Cake based on Salla’s wish on Vanelja as well!
The mint ice cream is delicious just as it is, but when you make it into a sandwich….a total bliss.
Mint Chocolate Ice Cream Sandwiches (gluten & dairy free)
makes 6-8 ice cream sandwiches
notes: if you don’t have an ice cream maker, make the mint ice cream beforehand so that you don’t have wait for long after making the cookies. when you’ve got the ice cream ready, you can just fill the cookies after baking and savor them right away!
Chocolate Cookies:
1 ⅔ cups gluten free flour (for example 1:1:1 almond, oat & buckwheat flour)*
a pinch of sea salt
3 tbsp raw cacao powder (or unsweetened cocoa powder)
½ tsp baking soda
½ tsp vanilla extract
3 tbsp organic honey (or coconut palm syrup or other sweetener)
2 tbsp extra virgin coconut oil
1 organic egg
* hint: for a nut-free version, use for example only oat & buckwheat flour!
METHOD:
1. Preheat the oven to 175 C / 350 F. Put the flour, salt, cacao powder, vanilla and baking soda into a blender or a food processor and pulse until mixed. Add honey, coconut oil or butter and one egg and pulse until a sticky dough forms. If the dough becomes too runny, add a bit of flour.
2. Divide the dough in half and place the dough between two sheets of parchment paper, and roll it out until it’s about as thick as a coin. Cut into rectangles and and place on a baking sheet. Repeat for the remaining dough.
3. Bake in the oven for 6-8 minutes. The cookies can be a bit soft when you take them from the oven as they will get crispier when they cool down.
Assembling the cookies:
Scoop a spoonful of the ice cream and place it on the backside of one cookie. Place another cookie on top of the ice cream and press down gently. Repeat for the remaining cookies. Enjoy right away or put in the freezer to set for about an hour.
Dairy-free Mint Ice Cream:
2 (14 ounce / 400ml) cans full-fat coconut milk (refrigerated overnight)
2 ripe avocados
5-7 tbsp organic honey (or other sweetener)
1 tsp peppermint extract
a big handful of fresh mint leaves
METHOD:
1. Scoop out the white thick paste from the coconut cans into a blender. Add all the rest of the ingredients and blend until smooth.
2. Pour the mixture into a ice cream machine and make ice-cream according to the instructions of the machine. You can also pour the mixture into a bowl and freeze for about three hours mixing every 30 minutes. Enjoy as it is or use for these ice cream sandwiches!
Wow! These look and sound AMAZING!! You picked the perfect recipe to post! I love mint ice cream…and ice cream sandwiches! Thanks!
Thank you Nikki! And I think you can’t go wrong if you pair mint & chocolate in general.. :) But these were truly amazing, I know I’m making these again real soon!
Congratulations ladies! So happy for you! I really look forward to the recipes!
Thank you Ingrid! It’s been a great project – a big one I must admit, but it’s been so fun and delicious as well! And I can’t wait to share the book with you real soon!
Thank you for your support <3