This recipe is something I wanted to make for a long time. This one has a back story. I started downhill skiing at 21 months and have been doing it most of my life. When I was a kid, my dad and I would take trips up north to ski together. We ended up eating at the local La Seniorita on Saturday night. I had their fried ice cream every time. I loved the creamy ice cream and the crunchy cinnamon topping. It’s not a light treat, nor is it dairy free. I figured there’s got to be a way to make this without killing my calories and carbs for the day. For the fried ice cream of my nutritional dreams, I am combining three recipes. The first recipe is from Taste of Home for Fried Ice Cream Dessert Bars. The second is from The Big Man’s World for No Churn Paleo Vegan Chocolate Ice Cream. Finally, the third is more of a technique from CNET on making ice cream in a food processor. I am making these in a food processor because I don’t have an ice cream maker and don’t plan to buy one anytime soon. Also, no churn is a pain to make and sometimes comes out icy. Now, I’ll work some magic to make these bars that’ll transport me back to those days as a kid eating fried ice cream with my dad. If my dad was still around (sadly, he passed away in 2013), I’d make these to share.

Here are the original stats:

Here’s what I changed:

• I am making this with a food processor to give a smoother texture to the ice cream.
• I am switching the ice cream from chocolate to vanilla to follow the recipe more closely for Fried Ice Cream.
• I am replacing the ice cream in the recipe with a vegan-keto version to lower the sugar and remove the dairy.
• I am replacing the corn flakes with a keto-friendly cereal to lower the carbs.

Here are the final stats:

Here is the final recipe:

Low Carb Fried Ice Cream Bars

Serves 16

• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
• 2 cups crushed keto cinnamon cereal (I used Catalina Cinnamon Toast)
• 1-1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 3 tablespoons sugar
• 1/8 tsp salt
• 2 13.66 oz cans canned coconut milk
• 2 scoops vegan vanilla protein powder 64 grams
• 2 tbsp granulated sweetener or to taste

1. In a large skillet, melt butter over medium heat. Add cereal and cinnamon; cook and stir until golden brown, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat; stir in sweetener. Cool completely.
2. In a high-speed blender or food processor, add your chilled coconut milk. Blend for 30 seconds before adding all your other ingredients. Blend until thick and creamy, but do not over-blend.
3. Place ice cream mixture in a zipper lock bag and press out as much air as possible before sealing.  Lay the bag flat and freeze.
4. Once frozen, take the ice cream out of the freezer and break it up into a food processor.  Process until smooth.
5. Sprinkle half the cereal onto bottom of a greased 8 or 9-in. square baking pan. Pour the ice cream over crust; sprinkle with remaining cereal. Cover and freeze overnight. Cut into bars and serve