I always get a bit sad when summer winds to a close. Not that I don't love fall but summer is perhaps my favorite season. It's true that I live in Arizona now, but I grew up in Michigan so to me summer will always mean sunshine, carefree days and summer vacations...And there's only one thing that can take me back to summertime any time of the year- ice cream of course! I don't care if it's the dead of winter, eating ice cream always puts a smile on my face and makes me feel like it's summertime all over again. So in the spirit of extending summer for just a little bit longer, I decided to make some Butter Pecan Ice Cream (raw of course). And boy am I glad that I did!...Not to mention that this would make the perfect dessert for any Labor Day gathering. I hope you enjoy it as much as we did.
Endless Summer Butter Pecan Ice Cream (makes approximately 1 qt, serves 4-8) 2 c pecan milk (see below) 1 c pecans, soaked 4 hours 1 c cahew butter 1 tsp vanilla powder 1/2 c coconut palm syrup or coconut nectar (can substitute yacon syrup) 3-4 T raw honey (I usecd 4 but you can use less) 2 T coconut oil 1/2 tsp sea salt 1 c pecans, plus additional for topping For Pecan Milk: Soak 1/2 c pecans for 4 hours in filtered water. Rinse well in strainer with filtered water... 
Add pecans to blender with 2 c filtered water and blend well. Pour milk through a nut milk bag, squeezing gently and thoroughly to extract all of the milk from the pulp. Rinse blender and pour milk back into the blender to make the ice cream, measuring to make sure you have 2 c (could have slightly more). Note: I like to save all of my nut milk pulp to make raw cookies or bread....hmmm, I feel another recipe coming on ;) For Ice Cream: Blend pecan milk, soaked pecans and cashew butter in high speed blender until pecans are completely broken down. Add remaining ingredients and blend again until smooth. Taste test for smoothness and sweetness (should taste very sweet as the sweetness mellows slightly when freezing)....try not to guzzle all of it, it's that good! Pour mixture into a large bowl or quart container and chill in fridge for 30 mins or longer or the freezer for 15-30 mins (this is optional but helps with chilling time in the ice cream maker). Pour into ice cream maker and process according to manufacturer's directions.
Add remaining pecans towards the end so they don't settle to the bottom. Alternatively, pour into ice cube trays and blend once frozen, stirring in the pecans after blending. Top with additional pecans and enjoy with your family and friends :) Options: dust with cinnamon or top with raw chocolate sauce or cacao nibs. 