Warm weather is just around the corner–can you feel it?
Okay, it might be wishful thinking–after all, here in Toronto there was snow just a few short weeks ago–but there’s only so many rainy days a girl can take when she’s being told to stay inside, day in, day out. I need some sun, I need some fun… Anyone else feeling that?
Hopefully by now, you have a solid self-care routine in place during this period of social distancing (and if not, check out this post to get on it, stat). Personally, my days of self-isolation look a lot like face masks, colouring my own hair, calling everyone I know (wanted or not) and having a casual glass of wine at uh, 3 pm.
In my defence, this is the time of year that patios start to open up, and people start heading up to their cottages for the weekend. After all, May 24 is coming up (or Memorial Day weekend for my American friends), and the long weekend is usually an open arms welcome to summer. At the cottage, it’s perfectly acceptable to have a midday drink. But try to do that in the city, on a Tuesday morning, during a work zoom call, and everyone’s suddenly all judgemental. (Totally kidding–this is why we have Friday night zoom calls.)
Jokes aside, this year is definitely not going the way any of us planned. And I don’t know about you, but I’m antsy for the summer season. I’m craving warm weather and celebrations. These uncertain times have been pretty stressful: not knowing what’s going to happen next; the monotony of quarantine.
I need some fun in my life.
Which is exactly what led me to create this vegan and gluten-free Cookie Dough Ice Cream Cake. It’s got all the excitement of a weekend getaway, so you can really make the most of your time indoors–and you don’t have to sit two hours crammed in the car with all your friends and all their stuff (and someone rolling their eyes when you request yet another Taylor Swift song).
Honestly, I don’t why I didn’t start making elaborate Quarantine Cakes sooner–this may not be our most favourite of times, but that doesn’t mean we can’t make the most of it.
So about this Cookie Dough Ice Cream Cake. First things first: it’s made with Coconut Bliss–which, if you’ve ever had a conversation with me, you probably already know my obsession runs deep. (Check out this PB + J Milkshake I made with Coconut Bliss last year). Seriously, my entire freezer for the last 5 years has been 50% Coconut Bliss, 40% frozen fruits and vegetables and 10% mystery items I froze in to-go containers and can no longer decipher what’s inside.
I was first introduced to this brand a few years ago, as I was looking for a gluten-free and dairy-free ice cream option (since my stomach doesn’t handle either of these well). I’m a big ice cream lover, and always have a few pints in the fridge. And as an avid ice cream eater, let me tell you: I’m super judge-y about what qualifies as “good ice cream”. As it turns out, finding a dairy-free ice cream that doesn’t taste sickly sweet or weirdly coat your tongue is actually next to impossible.
And then I bought a pint of Coconut Bliss a few years back, preparing mentally not to like it, and guys–I was floored. Blown away. Not only is it good as far as dairy-free options go, it’s great as far as regular ice cream goes. Bold statement, I know, but I mean it. It tastes like ice cream: it’s creamy, it’s perfectly sweet, it’s delicious.
And bonus points: it doesn’t make me bloat.
I’ve tried almost all the flavours I can get my hands on here in Canada (my favourites being Chocolate Walnut Brownie, Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough + Chocolate Peanut Butter). Also, important question: does anyone else just dig around their pint of ice cream picking out the chunks of goodness like a fun treasure hunt? No? Just me?
So when I saw they came out with ice cream sandwiches–I was beyond thrilled to try them.
And they did not disappoint. They have two flavours: Vanilla Cookie Sandwich and Dark Chocolate Cookie Sandwich–both are creamy and amazing and taste like the real deal. How they have a gluten-free cookie that tastes delicious and stays chewy when frozen is a wonderful mystery to me.
So obviously, me being me, I can’t just simply eat an ice cream sandwich (heaven forbid!). Nope, I’ve got to turn it into something grander than myself.
Enter the Cookie Dough Ice Cream Cake.
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HOW TO MAKE IT
Thankfully, despite how elaborate the cake looks, it’s actually crazy simple to make.
Start by mixing together all the cookie dough ingredients–the cookie dough is of course vegan and gluten-free. Divide it in half.
Line the bottom of an 9-inch round pan with parchment paper. Press half the cookie dough mixture into the bottom of the pan. Next, cut all 4 of your Coconut Bliss ice cream sandwiches into quarters. Place half of them around the border of the pan, flat edge down, alternating between chocolate and vanilla. (Place the remaining pieces in the freezer until you need them.)
Next fill the centre with Coconut Bliss Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough ice cream. This works best if the ice cream has had a chance to thaw for about 15 minutes. I left mine out while I made my cookie dough.
Now, top it with the remaining sandwich pieces. With whatever cookie dough batter you have left, roll into little balls and decorate your cake. And if you’re feeling fancy in quarantine (good on you) drizzle the whole thing in chocolate.
KEY INGREDIENTS
So there you have it! An easy vegan + gluten-free cookie dough ice cream. If you’re lucky enough to be living with other humans, this will be a hit, I promise. And if you’re spending quarantine solo, there’s something oddly exciting about the promise of an entire ice cream cake just for you. (It turns out I actually don’t want to share it?) Of course, you can always just eat the ice cream sandwiches like a normal person would do–but who wants to be normal anyway?
Let me know if you make the cake by tagging me (@thenourishedmind) and Coconut Bliss (@coconutbliss) on Instagram! And tell me how are you spending Victoria Day or Memorial Day weekend this year? Send me your social distancing ideas!
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With love,
Vegan Cookie Dough Ice Cream Cake
Ingredients
For the raw cookie dough:
- 2 cups almond flour
- 3 tbsp coconut flour
- 6 tbsp coconut sugar
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 6 tbsp almond milk
- 1/2 tsp sea salt
- 1 cup dark chocolate (vegan) chopped
For the cake:
- 1 recipe raw cookie dough
- 1 pint Coconut Bliss Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Ice Cream thawed (about 15 minutes)
- 2 boxes Coconut Bliss Vanilla Cookie Sandwich
- 2 boxes Coconut Bliss Dark Chocolate Cookie Sandwich
- 2 tbsp melted dark chocolate optional
Instructions
For the raw cookie dough:
- In a large bowl, mix together all ingredients except the chocolate, until evenly combined. Stir in the chocolate to mix. Chill in the fridge for 30 min-1 hour.
For the ice cream cake:
- Line the base of a 9-inch spring form round baking pan with parchment paper.
- Divide the raw cookie dough mixture in half. Take half the dough and press evenly into the bottom of the 9-inch pan with an offset spatula.
- Take the ice cream sandwiches and cut into quarters. Gently place the cookie sandwich quarters around the border of the cake, flat side down, alternating between the two flavours. It should fit 12 pieces. Place the remaining quartered sandwiches in the freezer until needed.
- Scoop the softened cookie dough ice cream into the centre of the cake, and spread out evenly with an offset spatula. (This works best with softened ice cream, so if you forgot to thaw your ice cream, just place your cake base in the freezer to prevent from melting while you let your pint of ice cream thaw at room temperature for 15 minutes.)
- Place the remaining quartered sandwiches in the centre of the cake, as pictured.
- Place your cake in the freezer while you roll out the remaining raw cookie dough. Roll the dough into small balls--about 1 tbsp or less. I found the smaller they were the better, because they thawed quicker.
- Decorate the cake with the remaining raw cookie dough. If you want to be fancy, drizzle the whole cake with melted dark chocolate.
- Keep frozen. Allow to sit for 10 minutes before serving!
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