Chocolate-Dipped Cashew Caramel Ice Cream Bars

There are some recipes that just need to be made: this is one of them. These homemade vegan ice cream bars, rich with cashews, date caramel, and sweet chocolate are fun to make and even more fun to eat!

For the Ice Cream
 ½ cup raw or roasted cashews, soaked in water for 15 minutes and drained
 ½ cup canned coconut milk
 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
 3 tablespoons maple syrup
 Good pinch of salt
For the Caramel
 6 dates, pitted and roughly chopped(or substitute sunflower seed butter for nut-free option)
 2 tablespoons salted nut butter
 ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
 Water, to thin
For the Chocolate Coating
 ¾ cup vegan semi-sweet chocolate chips
 1 tablespoon coconut oil
For Decorating
 Colored jimmies/sprinkles
 Chopped nuts
 Shredded coconut
 Cookie crumbs (Oreo or graham cracker work well)

1

To make the ice cream, blend all the ingredients together until creamy and smooth.

To make the caramel, place the dates, nut butter, and vanilla in a food processor and process until smooth. If necessary, add a little water, one teaspoon at a time, to help blend until smooth and spreadable.

Use a small spoon to spread the caramel in each of the ice cream molds. Pour the ice cream mixture over the caramel and fill to the top. Depending on your ice cream molds, insert a popsicle stick into the slot. Carefully place molds on a small tray and freeze for about an hour or more.

Before removing the molds from the freezer, melt the chocolate together with the coconut oil in the microwave or in a small pot over low heat, being careful not to overheat the chocolate. Stop the melting before all the chips are melted and let the heat of the melted chips do the rest of the work.

2

Place your decorations on plates. Pour the melted chocolate into a big mug or tall glass wide enough for the ice cream bars. One at a time, lift the bars out of the molds and dip in the melted chocolate. Sprinkle decorations over the melted chocolate on both sides and set on the prepared