Between these vegan snickers ice cream bars, the Mars ice cream bars, and strawberry vanilla magnums from the last couple of weeks. I'm on a journey of nostalgic ice cream making and there's no going back. There's plenty to choose from when it comes to getting your freezer stocked up in time for these warmer days. It actually makes me so excited to try and recreate treats that used to be your old favorites.
I feel like there aren't words to describe how mouthwateringly tasty these ice cream bars are. Just like my Twix ice cream bars, these are way nicer than what I remember the original snickers ice cream bars being (back in the day).
WHAT’S IN THESE ICE CREAM BARS
CREAMY VANILLA PEANUT ICE CREAM
The ice cream in these bars is incredibly creamy and airy thanks to a few key ingredients; cashews, coconut milk, and soy yogurt. The cashews and coconut milk give a rich creaminess whilst the yogurt adds a slightly tangy flavor as well as incorporating some lightness into the mixture. You can use any plant-based yogurt of your choice for this recipe. Coconut yogurt would work nicely as well.
The ice cream layer also contains a little bit of peanut butter, to keep the theme going! It also adds to the overall intense peanut flavor of the ice cream bars.
I use vanilla bean paste for this recipe, as it has specs of real vanilla which are wonderful for ice cream bases. However, you can also use half of a vanilla pod, just scrape out and use the seeds. A full teaspoon of the vanilla extract also works well if you don't have any other options available.
SALTY PEANUT CARAMEL
This layer is incredibly easy to make and doesn't require any blenders or special equipment. It's simply a mixture of peanut butter, maple syrup, maca powder, plant-based milk, and salt.
I love adding maca powder to caramel as it deeply intensifies the flavor, as well as adding in some additional nutrients. Win-win!
For plant-based milk, you can use whatever you have to hand. Just be mindful that certain varieties aren't suitable if you want to keep the recipe gluten-free.
THE OTHER STUFF
These wouldn't be snickers ice cream bars without a thick layer of roasted peanuts. I like to buy them ready roasted and salted, out of laziness! But you can roast them yourself or even use raw peanuts if you'd like to cut back on the salt and oil content.
For the coating, I use vegan-friendly milk chocolate. You could also go for dark chocolate or my homemade chocolate recipe if you prefer.
Now this recipe makes a big batch of snickers, about 12 good-sized bars. So you'll have plenty to keep you going for a little bit. But that also makes them great for handing around to your neighbors and friends.
You can also half the recipe and use a smaller tray if you'd like to make less!
HOW TO MAKE THIS RECIPE
ICE CREAM BASE
First, you'll want to soak your cashews in advance of making this recipe. The cashews make up the creamy base for the ice cream, so it's important to soak them to make them easier on your blender. Cover the cashews in distilled water for 4 hours and then rinse clean and drain. Alternatively, you can quick soak them in boiled water for an hour, to speed up the process.
For the ice cream, add the soaked cashews, chilled coconut milk, maple syrup, peanut butter, vanilla bean paste, and yogurt to a high-speed blender and blitz until smooth and creamy. Have patience with this part. The last thing you want is to stop blending too early and end up with a chunky ice cream base. Blend the mixture until it's smooth, creamy, and silky.
Line an 11"x7" or 8"x8" baking tin (with a height of at least 2 inches) with parchment paper.
Pour the ice cream mixture into the tin and gently tap the tin on your work surface to knock out any air bubbles. Place in the freezer to set for two hours, some freezers may take less time. You want the ice cream to firm up enough for you to be able to spread the caramel on top without it collapsing.
CARAMEL
Meanwhile prepare the caramel by adding the peanut butter, maple syrup, maca powder, plant-based milk, and salt to a bowl. Whisk well until the mixture is smooth without any lumps. Set aside in the fridge until the ice cream layer has firmed up.
Remove the ice cream from the freezer and carefully spread the caramel on top in an even layer using a spatula. Top with the roasted peanuts. Then place it back in the freezer to set for at least two hours (or overnight). I usually make my recipes the day before I want to eat/photograph them, so I find that they set better if left to freeze overnight.
Once completely set, remove the ice cream from the freezer and lift it out of the baking tin. Place it on a chopping board and cut it into 12 servings. You can make more of them in a mini version if you prefer.
Place the ice cream bars back in the freezer at this point as you want them to be completely frozen before you dip them in chocolate.
COATING
Melt the chocolate over a double boiler. Don't overheat it, just allow the steam from the water underneath the bowl to gently melt the chocolate.
Remove the ice cream bars from the freezer and sit them on a sheet of parchment paper.
Gently lift them using a fork underneath them and dip them into the chocolate. Coat the tops and sides by spooning more chocolate on top of them.
Sprinkle with some sea salt and allow them to sit for 10 minutes before serving.
Store the ice cream bars in an airtight container in the freezer.
WHY MAKE THIS RECIPE?
- Plant-based and vegan-friendly
- Better than the original snickers
- Guaranteed crowd pleaser
- Perfect for summer
- A nostalgic remake of a classic candy bar
- Easy to make
- Minimal ingredients
- No-bake
- Egg-free
- Dairy-free
- Cashew-free
- Free from any animal-derived products
More Snickers inspired recipes
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Description
Ingredients
ICE CREAM
- 1 cup (130 g) cashews, soaked *see notes
- 1 400ml can chilled coconut milk, *see notes
- ½ cup (118 ml) pure maple syrup
- 2 tablespoons (30 g) peanut butter
- ½ teaspoon (2.5 g) vanilla bean paste
- ¼ cup (60 g) vanilla soy yogurt, sub with plain soy or coconut yogurt
PEANUT CARAMEL
- 1 cup (258 g) peanut butter
- ½ cup (118.29 ml) pure maple syrup
- 1 tablespoons (14 g) maca powder, optional
- 1 tablespoon (15 ml) plant-based milk of choice
- 1 teaspoon (5 g) sea salt
- 1 cup roasted peanuts
COATING
- 300 g vegan-friendly chocolate
Instructions
- Soak the cashews according to recipe notes.
- For the ice cream, add the soaked cashews, coconut milk, maple syrup, peanut butter, vanilla bean paste, and yogurt to a high-speed blender and blitz until smooth and creamy.
- Line a 11"x7" or 8"x8" baking tin (with height of at least 2 inches) with parchment paper.
- Pour the ice cream mixture into the tin and gently tap the tin on your work surface to knock out any air bubbles. Place in the freezer to set for 2 hours.
- Meanwhile prepare the caramel by adding the peanut butter, maple syrup, maca powder, plant-based milk, and salt to a bowl. Whisk well until the mixture is smooth without any lumps. Set aside in the fridge until the ice cream layer has firmed up.
- Remove the ice cream from the freezer and carefully spread the caramel on top in an even layer using a spatula.
- Add the roasted peanuts on top of the caramel and spread them out in an even layer. Use a spatula to gently press them into the caramel.
- Place back in the freezer to set for at least 2 hours (or overnight).
- Once completely set, remove the ice cream from the freezer and lift it out of the baking tin. Place it on a chopping board and cut it into 12 servings.
- Place the ice cream bars back in the freezer at this point as you want them to be completely frozen before you dip them in chocolate.
- Melt the chocolate over a double boiler. Don't overheat, just allow the steam from the water underneath the bowl to gently melt the chocolate.
- Remove the ice cream bars from the freezer and sit them on a sheet of parchment paper.
- Gently lift them using a fork underneath them and dip them into the chocolate, cover the tops and sides by spooning more chocolate on top of them.
- Sprinkle with some sea salt and allow them to set for 10 minutes before serving.
Notes
- Soaked cashews: Soak the cashews in water for 4 hours, rinse and drain.
- Chilled coconut milk: Refrigerate the tin of coconut milk overnight, then only use the thick cream from the top of the can
Nutrition
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