I’ve talked about my love for perfumes before and the connection that my late grandmother and I had when it came to sharing fragrances. One of our favorite things was always how a scent can inspire you and bring up memories just from the smell. When trying Paco Rabanne’s Olympéa, the salty vanilla notes instantly reminded me of salted caramel cookies and being in the kitchen since that’s often how I show my love. It’s a yummy, strong, floral scent and the feminine vibes got me in the mood to create something tasty for my husband.

Since I’m a little bit over cookies at the moment thanks to holiday parties, I whipped up a vegan ice cream recipe instead. There’s something sensual about the fragrance, and eating chilled dessert while sitting in front of a warm fire with my husband seemed like the perfect way to spend an evening.

Here’s how to make it: Vegan Salted Caramel Ice Cream

You will need:

For ice cream:
1 1/2 cups raw cashews, soaked overnight and drained
1 15-ounce can full fat coconut milk
2 tbsp. coconut butter
2 tbsp. arrowroot powder
1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
1/2 cup maple syrup
pinch sea salt

For caramel sauce:
8 dates pitted
2 tbsp. coconut oil
1/4 cup water
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
pinch of sea salt
1 tbsp. bourbon

1. Soak cashews overnight (4 hours will do if you’re in a rush), drain and rinse.
2. Add all ice cream ingredients to a blender and blend until smooth, refrigerate for 4-6 hours.
3. Meanwhile, combine all the caramel sauce ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth (I like using the mini-Cuisinart for this part).
4. Pour ice cream mixture into an ice cream machine and churn until nice and frosty.
5. With a spoon, mix in caramel sauce. Serve & enjoy!

Thanks to Paco Rabanne for sponsoring this post. All thoughts are truthfully my own!