Toffee Pecan Crunch Ice Cream (Dairy Free)

Who would believe a dairy-free ice cream could taste this good!

We love our Chocolate Banana Nut ice cream, but I felt like a change today, and I remembered I had some Rapadura toffee leftover in the fridge from when I made the croquembouche the other day... and some pecans in the freezer... so this is what I came up with.  Yum!

If you don't have any toffee lurking in the fridge, this is how you make it...

1. Stir together in a saucepan over medium high heat:

- 1 cup Rapadura

- 1/4 cup water

Stir until granules are dissolved, brushing down insides of pan with a pastry brush dipped in water. Allow syrup to simmer until it's a dark caramel colour and has the consistency of syrup.  Drip a bit into a cup of cool water now and then to check if it's ready - if it forms a crunchy ball of toffee, it's ready; if it spreads out, it's not. (When you lift the spoon out of the syrup and let it drip, you should see a flyaway thread.)  While it's simmering, watch it carefully, and when it's getting close to being ready, TURN DOWN THE HEAT!  Don't let it burn!!!

Pour the hot toffee onto a tray lined with baking paper and leave to cool.  (Just pop it in the freezer if you're in a hurry.)  Crack it into shards with the back of a spoon.

Okay.  Once you've got your toffee ready, you can make your ice cream.

1.  Blend in Thermomix on speed 9 for 30 seconds, or until ice cream comes together in a ball:
- 600g frozen bananas, cut into 1 inch chunks

2.  Throw in and mix for another 10 - 20 seconds on speed 8, depending on how chunky you want it:
- a good handful of toffee pieces
- a good handful of pecans
- a splash of vanilla extract
- a couple of splashes of pure maple syrup
- a pinch of sea salt (I know, sounds weird, but trust me!)

That's it!  Enjoy :)