I’ve been dying to share this recipe with you all summer, but due to a hectic freelance schedule, obligatory summer events, book work and house stuff, I didn’t get around to final testing until now. But for this, the wait was worth it.

Ice cream season isn’t over just yet even though Toronto’s weather lately might say otherwise—we somehow went from 30+ C to low 20s in a matter of a week. Go figure. It might still be hot where you live though, so ice cream for everyone, I say!

It was a visit to Sweet Ritual back in May where I experienced my first taste of lemon poppy seed ice cream. It was a scorcher of a day and Lisa and I were enjoying our last day in Texas before jetting back home. We decided to make a quick stop for ice cream, and boy am I ever glad we did.

I have not stopped thinking about that ice cream since.

The bright, refreshing flavour of lemon is most definitely a summertime favourite so turning it into ice cream made perfect sense, but I had never even considered the idea until I saw it at Sweet Ritual. Fresh lemon, lemon zest and poppy seeds are used to make this ice cream taste just like a lemon poppy seed muffin. Seriously, it was like heaven—creamy and sweet with that signature citrus tang.

Of course, as any good food blogger would do when she experiences a food epiphany, I had to recreate it as soon as I got home. For this recipe, I used a blend of full-fat coconut milk and cashew milk, some lemon extract (Simply Organic brand of lemon extract is one of my new favourite discoveries; it should be fairly easy to find at Whole Foods or online) to allow the flavour to shine through the frozen blend and, rather than dumping in heaps of sugar, I decided to give xylitol a go. And guess what? It worked out fabulously. It’s light and luscious and totally satisfying.

Now I don’t have to travel to Texas to get my lemon ice cream fix.

Enjoy!

Lemon poppy seed ice cream

Yield: about 4 cups

Ingredients:

• 1 can (13.5 ounces) full-fat coconut milk
• 1 cup unsweetened nondairy milk (I like cashew)
• ½ cup xylitol (or use cane sugar, if desired)
• zest of 1 lemon
• 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
• 2 tablespoons melted coconut oil
• 2 teaspoons lemon extract (I used Simply Organic brand)
• ½ teaspoon xanthan gum (optional but recommended)
• 1 tablespoon poppy seeds

Directions:

1. Using a blender, blend together the coconut milk, nondairy milk, xylitol, lemon zest, lemon juice, coconut oil and lemon extract until smooth. Add the xanthan gum and blend briefly on low speed to incorporate.
2. Transfer the liquid mixture to a shallow bowl and stir in the poppy seeds. Refrigerate until thoroughly chilled, about 2 to 3 hours.
3. Once chilled, churn the mixture in your ice cream maker according to the manufacturer’s instructions. If you’re after a soft serve treat, serve as soon as the process is finished. Otherwise, transfer the ice cream to an airtight container, place a piece of parchment paper on the surface and press down lightly (this avoids ice crystals from forming on the surface) before sealing the lid. Store in the freezer. Allow to sit out at room temp for about 10 minutes before serving.

Outdoor entertaining season is here and I’m ready to rock it out at our next backyard party with this amazing vegan skillet s’mores dip, complete with homemade graham crackers!

I can’t take credit for the idea (thanks Food Network) but I did put my own spin on it by making it vegan. Think crunchy graham cracker crumbs topped with warm, melted chocolate and gooey toasted marshmallow. You use the graham crackers as a layer in the dip as well as a vehicle for scooping!

The marshmallow is made from the beloved chickpea water (aka aquafaba), the liquid drained from canned or cooked chickpeas which, when whisked with a little guar gum and sugar, creates a thick, fluffy and slightly sticky texture reminiscent of real marshmallows. When this dip is baked for a few minutes the marshmallow topping becomes a little crispy on top just like toasted marshmallows over an open fire. It’s magical.

Since vegan graham crackers are so hard to find, I went ahead and created a super easy oat-based version. The great part is that the dough is soft enough that it doesn’t require rolling out with a rolling pin—you just spread it out onto a cookie sheet, score it and bake! How awesome is that? Feel free to make a double batch so you can have them on hand when another s’mores dip craving hits (trust me, it’ll happen).

Once you have those components made, the assembly is very quick. Take a cast iron skillet (I used a 12-inch skillet), spread out a layer of crushed graham crackers, then a layer of chocolate chips, then a layer of marshmallow creme (you can pipe it like I did or just spread it with a spoon). Then put the whole thing in the oven for a few minutes, broil for a minute to brown the top, and then serve with the rest of the graham crackers for dipping!

This is genius and the absolute perfect party dip. Seriously. Make it now.

Vegan skillet s'mores dip with easy oat graham crackers

Yield: enough for a crowd

Ingredients:

For the oat graham crackers:

• 1 1/2 cups oat flour (use certified gluten-free if needed)
• 1/2 cup oat bran (use certified gluten-free if needed)
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/3 cup coconut sugar
• 1/4 cup melted coconut oil
• 1/4 cup pure maple syrup
• 3 tablespoons water
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1/2 teaspoon blackstrap molasses

For the marshmallow creme:

• 3/4 cup chickpea water (the liquid drained from one 19-ounce can of chickpeas)
• 11/2 teaspoons guar gum
• 2/3 cup cane sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
• 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

For the dip:

• 2 cups vegan dark chocolate chips

Directions:

To make the oat graham crackers:

1. In a large bowl, whisk together the oat flour, oat bran, cinnamon and baking soda.
2. In another bowl, whisk together the coconut sugar, coconut oil, maple syrup, water, vanilla and molasses. Add this mixture to the bowl with the dry ingredients and stir until a soft dough forms.
3. Pour the dough onto a cookie sheet lined with silpat baking mat or parchment paper. Use an offset spatula to spread into a thin, even 10x14 inch rectangle (it should spread out fairly easily).  Refrigerate for about 15 minutes. Preheat the oven to 350F.
4. Remove the cookie sheet from the fridge and score into 2x2 inch squares (I use a pizza cutter) by making vertical and then horizontal cuts all the way across the dough. Using a fork, poke holes in each scored cracker.
5. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes until dry to the touch and golden around the edges. Remove from the oven and score the dough again through the same score lines so it’s easier to separate them once cool. Allow to cool completely before breaking apart.

To make the marshmallow creme:

1. In the bowl of a stand mixer with the balloon whisk attachment, combine the chickpea brine and guar gum. Mix on high speed for 10 minutes (no less!), until the mixture is fluffy and pure white. It should increase in volume and climb up the whisk.
2. Add the cane sugar one tablespoon at a time, until each is fully incorporated. Add the lemon juice and vanilla extract and continue to process for 5 minutes more.

To assemble:

1. Preheat the oven to 350F.
2. Take 5 or 6 graham crackers and break them up into the bottom of a 12-inch cast iron skillet. Use the back of a spoon to press down on the crackers and crush them into crumbs. Spread them evenly over the bottom of the skillet. Sprinkle the chocolate chips evenly over top of the graham crackers crumbs. Then use a piping bag to pipe the marshmallow creme on top (or just spread it with a spoon).
3. Bake on the top rack of the oven for 5 to 10 minutes, until the top is a little crispy like toasted marshmallows and the chocolate chips are melted. Change oven temperature to broil (500F) and broil for 1 to 2 minutes, watching closely, until the top is browned. Serve immediately with remaining graham crackers for dipping.

Recipe inspired by the Food Network.