Today March 7 is national cereal day. When General Mills sent me a box of honey nut cheerios to create a recipe along with a fun box of a goodies I was thrilled. The fact that it was a gluten-free cereal that I could actually eat was perfect. I knew immediately what I wanted to make with it – a pie. My sister was coming for a visit and she had recently celebrated a birthday. Growing up we had a lot of ice cream pies for our birthdays, I rarely remember eating a normal cake on birthdays in our house. I knew that I would be making her an ice cream pie. We just needed to decide on a flavor. That isn’t easy when you have a book filled with amazing ice cream recipes that need to be made. I finally decided on butter pecan ice cream. The pairing between the nutty crust and pecan studded ice cream was a great match. I hope that you enjoy it as much as we did!
Butter Pecan Ice Cream Pie
Serves 8-10
Crust
4 Cups Honey Nut Cheerios
1/4 teaspoon sea salt, omit if using salted almond butter
4 Tablespoons Maple Syrup
1/3 cup + 1 Tablespoon Almond Butter, more as needed
Ice Cream
1 1/2 Cup Pecan Pieces
1/4 Cup + 2 Tablespoons Earth Balance Butter
1/4 teaspoon Sea Salt
1 (13.5 oz) Full Fat Coconut Milk
1/2 Cup (about 8) Pitted Medjool Dates*
1 1/4 Cups Plant Based Milk, Almond or Cashew
2 teaspoons Vanilla Extract
1/2 teaspoon Guar Gum, Optional it helps prevent ice crystals from forming
1. In a blender or food processor blend the cheerios until you have a fine crumb. Transfer to a bowl and stir in salt, maple syrup and almond butter. Stir until well blended. It should stick together when you press it between two fingers. If it doesn’t stick together add a little extra almond butter until it sticks together. Since almond butter can vary with the amount of oil you might need a little extra. Press the crust mixture into the bottom of a standard 9 inch springform pan. Place the prepared crust into the freezer.
2. Preheat the oven to 350*. Chop the pecans and place on a baking sheet. Bake for 10 minutes lightly toasting the nuts. Transfer the pecans to a bowl and top with 2 tablespoons of butter and salt. Stir until the butter has melted from the hot pecans. Place the bowl in the refrigerator.
3. In a blender combine 1/4 cup butter, coconut milk, dates, almond milk, vanilla extract and guar gum. Blend until completely smooth. Chill mixture completely. Churn the mixture in your ice cream maker per the manufacturer’s instructions.
4. Stir the pecan mixture into your prepared ice cream, saving some for garnish if desired. Transfer the prepared ice cream into the springform pan, spread in an even layer. Top with reserved pecan mixture. Freeze until set at least 4 hours.
*If you are not using a high powered blender soak the pitted dates in warm water for 30 minutes prior to blending. Drain and use as directed in the recipe.
Ice cream adapted from Dairy-Free Ice Cream
Thanks to General Mills for sponsoring this post!
Disclaimer: This post contains Amazon Affiliate links.
