You won't believe this maple whiskey ice cream is dairy free and vegan! Every creamy scoop is studded with crunchy roasted hazelnuts. No ice cream maker required.
Toast hazelnuts: Scatter hazelnuts on a baking sheet. Bake until nuts are fragrant and golden brown, about 10 minutes, shaking the pan halfway. Transfer nuts to a clean kitchen towel, cover, and set aside to fully cool (see note 3).
Blend ice cream base: Meanwhile, add cashews, coconut cream, maple syrup, whiskey, vanilla, and salt to a blender. Blend on high speed until smooth and airy. Pour into a freezer-safe container and place in freezer to start cooling (see note 4).
Skin hazelnuts: Rub the cooled nuts in the kitchen towel to remove as much of the skin as possible (don't worry if there's still some left).
Combine, freeze, stir: Roughly chop nuts and stir into the ice cream. Cover or wrap the container. Freeze until the mixture is firm, about 6 hours, giving the mixture a quick stir every hour or so. Once the ice cream has been in the freezer overnight, let soften on the counter for 10 to 15 minutes before scooping.
Notes
How to soak cashews: Cashews should be soaked until soft when squeezed between your fingertips. To soak cashews, either cover them with boiling water (soak for about 30 minutes) or cover them with room temperature water (soak for 6 to 8 hours).
Coconut cream: Either from a can of coconut cream, or the solids scooped from a can of full fat coconut milk. If using cans of coconut milk, you'll likely need 2 cans to get 1.5 cups coconut cream. For some brands, the coconut solids may have already started to separate in the can at room temperature. But to maximize separation, place cans in the back of the fridge overnight (or ideally 24 hours) before using. Do not substitute with boxed nut milk (it doesn't have enough fat).
Toasting hazelnuts: The step of wrapping the hazelnuts in a tea towel after roasting helps to steam them. This will make it easier to remove the skins.
Container: I love to use freezer-safe glass containers with lids (like Pyrex) for homemade ice cream. Alternatively, you could use a loaf pan (just make sure to wrap it tightly to keep the ice cream fresh).
To use an ice cream maker, adjust method as follows: After blending the ice cream base, refrigerate it until cold. Pour chilled base into ice cream maker. Churn to a soft-serve consistency, then sprinkle in cooled nuts. Transfer mixture to a freezer-safe container and freeze until firm. If you have an ice cream maker, you don't need to stir the ice cream every hour.