This recipe was made specially for my dad. This is his favorite all-time ice cream from a certain chain store and he asked me to try to duplicate it at home. I think it turned out to be a huge success! The praline pecans are wonderful by themselves and I had to mentally smack my hand to keep from eating too many. The recipe for them (which is a Paula Deen recipe) makes enough for two batches of ice cream.
I started with my basic dairy-free vanilla ice cream recipe and added in the praline pecans while it was processing. After that, it is so easy to layer the ice cream with caramel ice cream topping to make the final product. Yes, it would probably be even better with homemade caramel sauce, but I went the easier route and it was still yummy.
For the praline pecans:
2 cups whole pecans
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
4 tablespoons heavy cream
For the dairy free vanilla ice cream:
1 14oz. can full-fat coconut milk
1 1/4 cups soymilk or other nondairy milk
1/2 cup granulated sugar (or agave syrup-I just bought some and will try this, too. The agave syrup lowers the glycemic index which makes it better for diabetics.)
2 tbsp. real vanilla extract
1 jar of caramel ice cream topping
For the praline pecans:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
In a medium bowl combine pecans, brown sugar and heavy cream. Spread into a square baking pan, sprayed with cooking spray. Bake in the preheated oven for about 18 minutes, or until coating is dry, and slightly crystallized, stirring every 5-6 minutes. Remove from oven to cool and stir once more.
For the ice cream:
Place all of the ingredients in a medium bowl and whisk until well combined. Cover and chill in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours.
Turn on the ice cream maker and pour the vanilla base into it. Process for 20 minutes and add the praline pecans in the last 5 minutes. In a lidded freezer safe container, spread a layer of the ice cream. Next, pour a thin layer of the caramel topping over the ice cream and repeat, starting and ending with the ice cream. Freeze until hard, 2-3 hours. Enjoy!!!
Please join over at Miz Helen’s Country Cottage for Full Plate Thursday to see this and other delicious recipes.
Picture Perfect Cooking 