Vegan Fool'S Chocolate Gelato

1. 1

   Place maca, nutritional yeast, salt, xanthan gum and cinnamon in small bowl; set aside. Line a fine-mesh strainer with cheesecloth and place over a blender jar.

2. 2

   In a small skillet, simmer juice over medium heat until bottom of pan is a foaming layer of bubbles and it just begins to smoke, 4 to 6 minutes; swirl pan and remove from heat immediately. (You will have 2 tablespoons of thick syrup that smells a little like a golden brown cherry pie.) Add cocoa butter and molasses to pan and swirl until cocoa butter is melted. (They will not combine.)

3. 3

   In a medium saucepan, combine coconut milk (not cream), water and chicory. Bring to a boil; boil 5 minutes. (It will be the color of gingerbread and smell strongly of chicory.) Strain brewed chicory through prepared strainer into blender jar, gently scraping bottom of strainer with a spoon to allow liquid to pass; discard chicory granules. Add cherry juice syrup mixture, coconut cream, dates, carob chips, vanilla and reserved dry ingredients to blender.

4. 4

   Blend, with lid cracked and covered with a kitchen towel to allow steam to escape, until smooth. Transfer to a bowl and cover surface with plastic wrap; place in refrigerator until thickened and chilled, about 3 hours or up to overnight. (If you stop here, this makes a delicious vegan chocolate-alternative pudding.)

5. 5

   Pour custard mixture into ice cream maker and churn until the consistency of a thick milkshake, 10 to 20 minutes depending on your machine. Transfer to a resealable container (about 2-cup capacity) and place a piece of waxed paper or parchment directly on surface before sealing. Place in back of freezer (the coldest part) and freeze until solid, about 3 hours. For easy scooping, temper ice cream by placing on the counter or refrigerator for 20 minutes.

6. 6

   Variation: Stir in 1 cup chopped toasted pecans to ice cream at the beginning of step 5 (my favorite!).

* Per serving · 4 servings · Values may vary.