Vegan Magnums

It has been hot hot weather lately and the kids have been asking for ice lollies to cool them off. I have been making fruity popsicles for them and lots of vegan ice cream (‘nice cream’). But today I had these vegan magnums for them.

One day, when scooping a bowl full of ice cream, Magnums popped in my head; creamy vanilla ice lollies covered with a thick layer of chocolate. Yummy! I thought that if I could make vegan ice cream I could also make vegan Magnums. And so I began to look for the exact same ice lolly mold online. While waiting for the silicon mold to arrive I started thinking about how to make the chocolate layer for these Magnums. Ready for some chocolate covered frozen deliciousness?

These ice cream bars consist of 3 layers: ice cream – caramel – chocolate coating.

So when I was doing my research for this I realized there are 2 ways to go for the ice cream:

• ‘nice cream’; a base of blended frozen bananas. This way is quick, easy and delicious. It is how I make my vegan ice cream.
• cashew base; cashews soaked overnight blended until silky smooth. This way takes a little longer, because blending the cashews will take quite some time. But all in all it is a fairly easy process. Cashews make your ice cream creamier and there will be less cristalization than with a banana base ice cream. Best results are reached by using a high speed food processor which will be able to finely grind the cashews.

Go for whatever suits you best. I have tried both. They are both delicious.

To make vegan ‘caramel’ I blend dates, nut butter and a bit of salt into a smooth consistency. That is it. It really resembles caramel! And the good think is, it is so much healthier. By the way, this layer is optional. My kids for example don’t like it, so for them I leave it out and fill the entire mold with just ice cream. Or use strawberry chia jam as a filling!

For the chocolate layer there are also 2 ways to go. You either use cacao butter or coconut oil. They both work very well. Just keep in mind that using coconut oil will make your chocolate melt faster. I have never really noticed this, because none of us take long to devour these ice lollies. Melting a (dark) chocolate bar in a double broiler work just as well. So now, you have 3 ways to make the chocolate layer!

So these are the 3 steps to create the best ice cream ever! I usually add a 4th step: I dip the ice cream in crushed almonds or for the kids in sprinkles right after I have dipped it first in chocolate.

So here is how I make them:

1. I first make the ice cream. I either make the banana or the cashew base. Then I pour the mixture in the mold. I fill them 3/4 to leave some space for the caramel layer. If you are making yours without caramel than you can fill the mold completely. Now the mold can be placed in the freezer to harden.
2. I prepare the caramel by blending all the ingredients for it into a smooth consistency. When the ice cream is semi hard (after a couple of hours) I pour/scoop the caramel on top of the ice cream and place it back into the freezer.
3. Once the ice lollies are hard I take them out of the mold and place them on a cutting board or a baking sheet and place them back into the freezer until the chocolate is prepared and ready to be dipped in.
4. I make the chocolate by mixing all the ingredients for it in a narrow tall container so the ice lollies can be dipped in completely (you do have to make enough chocolate for this). Or you can also just dip it half way and pour chocolate on the other half with a spoon. Both work. I place the chocolate covered ice lollies back on the cutting board/ baking sheet and slide them back into the freezer for 10-15 minutes to harden.
5. They are ready to be eaten now, but usually I dip them in chocolate once more to get an extra thick chocolate layer. If you want to use a dip for yours this is what you do: after dipping the lolly in the chocolate dip (for the second time) immediately dip it in sprinkles or almonds. Place them back into the freezer for another 10-15 minutes.

Ice cream flavors options are endless, but here are our favorites for Magnums:

• CLASSIC VANILLA; make the base banana or cashew recipe (optional: add an extra 1/2 tsp of vanilla extract);
• COFFEE INFUSED; add 1-2 tbsp of espresso to the base (banana or cashew) ingredients;
• STRAWBERRY; add 6-8 frozen strawberry to the base ingredients.

My kids help me out making these deliciousness frozen treats. They love picking their own flavor ice cream and dip. How cool is it that you can create your own personal ice lolly, right? Tell me about your favorite flavor!

Everyone in this household loves these. And I really hope you do too. They are

super crunchy on the outside – creamy on the inside – totally adjustable – finger licking good

The ultimate summer treat, just like this vegan ice cream, these ice cream sandwiches and my fruity popsicles that will be on the blog very soon!

DID YOU MAKE THIS RECIPE?

I would love to see pictures and hear about your creations! Did you use different flavors or dips? Tag @familicious.kitchen on Instagram and hashtag it #familicious.kitchen.