Making ice cream definitely takes some planning ahead and patience but the two main steps are very easy!

Be sure to place your ice cream churning bowl in the freezer the night before to properly freeze the liquid in the bowl.

Also, add the raw cashews into a container, add cool water and cover.

The cashews need to soak and soften for 4-8 hours. You can also soak them in hot water for only 1 hour.

First, melt your coconut oil in a sauce pan on the stove or in the microwave for 10-20 seconds then allow to cool a bit.

Next, to your blender add the pre soaked and drained cashews, one 13.5 ounce can of full fat coconut milk (15 ounce can works as well), the melted coconut oil, cane sugar (or any kind of sugar), salt, vanilla extract or paste and the seeds* of 1-2 vanilla pods.

Blend on high until smooth. Taste and adjust with more sugar if needed. Start by adding 1 tbsp of sugar, blend and taste again.

*To scrape out the seeds, use a pairing knife to cut the pods in half then lengthwise making sure to not cut all the way through.
Using hour fingers, open to the pod slightly to expose the seeds then using the dull side of your paring knife, scrape the vanilla beans from the pod.
Move from the tip of the pod and scrape down the entire length.

A quick note: I recommend chilling the ice cream base in your fridge for at least an hour, this will help the churning process but if you do not have the patience or time you can skip this step.

Add ice cream base to the chilled ice cream maker and churn according to manufacturer’s instructions.

I use the KitchenAid ice cream attachment and it takes about 20 minutes; it should look like soft serve ice cream.

Towards the last minute of churning, add the berries so they mix in well.

Transfer the ice cream into a freezer safe container using a rubber spatula and smooth out the top. I use a parchment lined loaf pan then wrap it securely in cling film (a lot of cling film).

Next, freeze the ice cream for a minimum of 3-4 hours or until firm.

Remove the ice cream from the freezer and allow to thaw for 10-15 minutes.

Use a hot ice cream scoop for easier scooping. Happy ice cream eating!