Vegan Vanilla Ice Cream with Peanut Butter Cinnamon Caramel and Roasted Almonds

Is caramel one of the most heavenly tasting treats? Yes! Caramel is creamy, sweet, and rich. It totally reminds me of childhood. Traditional caramel is made with dairy and sugar. After giving up dairy and limiting my sugar intake, I never thought I would have caramel in my life. After doing some research, I realized that you can totally make a healthier style of caramel. So I made this recipe to celebrate caramel. And to put childhood treats back into adulthood. 

Ingredients:

Vanilla Ice Cream:
1 cup cashews, soaked overnight
1 can full fat coconut milk, 13 oz.
1/2 cup maple syrup
1/4 tsp pure vanilla powder
1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Peanut Butter Cinnamon Caramel:
1 can full fat coconut milk, 13 oz.
2/3 cup maple syrup
1 tbsp peanut butter
1 tbsp vegan butter
3/4 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/8 tsp sea salt

Roasted Almonds

Directions:

Vanilla Ice Cream: 
Combine soaked cashews, coconut milk, maple syrup, vanilla powder, and vanilla extract in a blender. Blend until smooth. Then pour into an ice cream maker and process. When it is finished, pour mixture into a freezer safe container and freeze for 2 hours. 

Peanut Butter Cinnamon Caramel:
Mix coconut milk, maple syrup, vegan butter, vanilla, and sea salt in a medium saucepan. Cook on high until it boils. Reduce heat to med-low and simmer for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat. Stir in peanut butter and cinnamon. Let cool for 10 minutes and then transfer to a small mason jar. Refrigerate until ready to serve. You can choose to serve this warm or cold. 

Roasted Almonds:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spread raw almonds out on a cookie sheet and bake for 10 minutes. Remove almonds from the oven and allow to cool before serving.