I’ve always found it a bit funny that some people consider Memorial Day as the unofficial start of summer.  Perhaps it’s because I’ve spent most of my life in colder climates, and Memorial Day can be incredibly chilly, even winter-like, some years.  But this year, summer does seem to have come to my neck of the woods very early.  Memorial Day is going to seem almost like mid-summer at the rate we are going in New England.  So when the good folks at FaveHealthyRecipesasked me to do a guest post in honor of Memorial Day, my mind drifted instantly to ice cream as a way to kick of the warm weather season.   I love making my own ice cream, and it’s even more important to me now that I am a diabetic.  This way, I can control the amount of carbs and still enjoy the best treat of the summer.  I’ve made a lot of varieties of low carb ice cream for my blog All Day I Dream About Food, and I’ve learned a lot along the way.  I thought I would share some low carb ice cream making tips with you, as well as a new recipe for Peanut Butter Ice Cream.

 Peanut Butter Ice Cream

1 cup creamy peanut butter
1/3 cup powdered erythritol (I used Swerve)
1 cup almond milk
2 cups heavy cream
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
20 drops stevia extract
1 tsp xanthan gum

In a large bowl, beat peanut butter and powdered erythritol together until smooth.  Beat in almond milk until fully combined.  Using a spoon or hand whisk, stir in heavy cream until fully combined (beaters make it too frothy!).  Stir in vanilla and stevia extracts.

Cover bowl with plastic wrap and chill in refrigerator for at least 2 hours.

Just prior to churning, sprinkle mixture with xanthan gum and whisk vigorously to combine.

Pour mixture into ice cream maker and churn according to manufacturer’s directions.  When ice cream is of soft-serve consistency, transfer to an air-tight container and press plastic wrap flush to the surface.  Freeze until firm, at least one hour.

Quick Chocolate Sauce:

1/4 cup butter
1 1/2 oz unsweetened chocolate
2 tbsp powdered erythritol (I used Swerve)
2 tbsp cocoa powder
1/4 tsp vanilla
10 drops stevia extract
1 tbsp water
1 tbsp vegetable oil

In small saucepan over low heat, melt butter, chocolate and erythritol together and stir until smooth.  Whisk in cocoa powder, vanilla and stevia.  Stir in water.  At this point, your sauce will thicken up considerably, so add the vegetable oil and stir until it smooths out.

Drizzle over ice cream.

Serves 8.  Each serving of ice cream has 7.3 g of carbs and 2.1 g of fiber.  Total NET CARBS for ice cream = 5.2 g.  Each serving of chocolate sauce has 1.9 g of carbs and .9 g of fiber.  Total NET CARBS for chocolate sauce = 1 g.

Other Low Carb Ice Cream Recipes:

Lemon Curd Ice Cream Recipe
Chocolate Chocolate Chip Kahlua Ice Cream Recipe
Chocolate Peanut Butter Ice Cream Recipe
Basil Ice Cream Recipe
Rum and Toasted Coconut Ice Cream Recipe