You did hear me correctly. Today I’m sharing a recipe for dairy free white chocolate ice cream bon bons. I do love dark chocolate, but white chocolate has a special place in my palate. And this creamy, buttery treat isn’t as unattainable as you might think.
To create these dairy free white chocolate ice cream bon bons I sourced two of my recent dessert recipes: Cookies ‘n Ice Cream Bon Bons and White Chocolate Bars. Then, I picked up all of the key ingredients.
Ingredients for White Chocolate Ice Cream Bon Bons
Starting from the inside and moving out, you need a dreamy dairy free ice cream. I use So Delicious Cashew Milk Ice Cream in Vanilla or Creamy Cashew. Both are scrumptious in this recipe – the pure cashew version just offers slight caramel notes while the vanilla amps up the white chocolate punch.
For a delicious “protective” layer, crushed cookies are amazing. I use Enjoy Life Crunchy Sugar Cookies for their sweet vanilla taste, allergy-friendliness, and because they easily pulverize into the perfect little uniform crumbs.
And finally, to make the white chocolate, raw cashews and food-grade cocoa butter are key. However, I do have notes on swapping the cocoa butter below.
Tips for Making White Chocolate Ice Cream Bon Bons
- Food-grade cocoa butter isn’t as difficult to find as you might think. I used Navitas Naturals, but you may even find it in bulk at your local natural food store. You can substitute coconut oil or coconut butter in a pinch. However, this swap will produce a shell that melts more readily in your fingers. Furthermore, it will add hints of coconut to the flavor.
- For the white chocolate coating process, grease a fork with oil (not coconut!) and use a paper towel or tea towel to wipe any residue between each bon bon as you coat them. After making several, or when it starts to seem sticky, grease the fork again. This makes the process very quick, easy and clean.
- There is a method to my cookie coating madness. First of all, ice cream with white chocolate and cookies – who is going to argue with that? But also, it helps significantly in making and shaping these white chocolate ice cream bon bons. I’ve tried simply coating them with chocolate, but melting and oddly shaped blobs becomes a huge issue. The cookies provide a protective barrier that you can lightly shape. Plus, the extra layer allows you to thoroughly coat the bons bons even if the ice cream begins to soften.
- To keep the bon bons from melting during the cookie coating process, I scoop and coat just a few before placing them in the freezer. I repeat this batch coating until all are done. I follow the same process with the white chocolate coating, rotating a few at a time out of the freezer and back in.
This post is sponsored by the vegan frozen dessert experts, So Delicious Dairy Free. I’ve highlighted their Cashew Milk Frozen Dessert in these white chocolate ice cream bon bons because it is the best!
Special Diet Notes: White Chocolate Ice Cream Bon Bons
By ingredients, this recipe is dairy-free / non-dairy, egg-free, peanut-free, soy-free, vegan / plant-based, and vegetarian. Due to the allergy-friendly cookies I use, these white chocolate ice cream bon bons are also gluten-free.
- 1 pint dairy-free vanilla ice cream (I use So Delicious Cashew Milk Frozen Dessert)
- 1¼ cups crushed sugar cookies or vanilla wafers (I use about 12 Enjoy Life Crunchy Sugar Cookies)
- 4 ounces food-grade cocoa butter (see post above for options)
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- ½ cup + 1 tablespoon powdered sugar, or to taste
- ½ cup raw cashews
- Pinch salt
- Let the dairy-free ice cream soften on the counter for 10 minutes while you crush the cookies (I place them in a baggie and crush with a mallet). Place the crushed cookies in a bowl.
- Scoop the ice cream by the tablespoon. As you scoop, drop each into the crushed cookies and roll to coat, shaping if desired. Place the coated ice cream on a small baking sheet or plate lined with wax paper or parchment paper (something that will fit in your freezer). Let them chill for 1 hour or longer to refreeze.
- Melt the cocoa butter (I use this method) with the vanilla.
- Place the powdered sugar, cashews, and salt in a spice grinder or food processor and whiz until powdered, about 1 minute.
- Add the cashew mixture to the cocoa butter (I sift it in to remove any remaining nut chunks) and whisk thoroughly to combine.
- You can use your preferred method to coat the bon bons, but what I like to do is dip the bottoms in the white chocolate, then place them on a greased fork. Use a spoon to drizzle the chocolate over the top while holding over the chocolate bowl. Gently nudge the bon bon back onto the wax or parchment paper (I place them back in the freezer in batches). The chocolate will set up quickly.*
- Enjoy right away (the middles will be soft) or re-freeze for 1 hour or more.
14 Comments
This looks so good! We can’t do cashews but you have inspired me to make bonbons now. 🙂
What can your replace the cashews for, in order to make it nut free, I’m allergic to nuts…. thanks 🙂
It’s a recipe I’m working on Karla!
My mother in law loves bon bons! This is a perfect surprise treat for her!
Your mother in law knows good food 🙂
Wow, these look so good! Love the addition of the cashews!
No, I definitely won’t argue with your process! The cookie coating is a great idea! These look fabulous 🙂
I’ve learned it’s almost a must Patricia! Not that I’m complaining as cookies never make any recipe worse!
These ice cream bon bons look absolutely amazing! I can’t believe that white chocolate coating is dairy-free!
You certainly had me at white chocolate! Perfectly delicious nibbles for the whole family!
This is something my son could eat! Thank you for sharing. I am always on the look out for new treats for him. This looks like something he would really like. This is my first time stopping by and I’m glad I did!
That’s fantastic RaShell and I’m glad you stopped by, too 🙂
You have no idea how much I appreciate this recipe! I’m a white chocolate fanatic and ice cream fanatic 🙂 Thank you!
That’s great! I hope you enjoy it Liz!