Snickerdoodles make me think of the winter. I can remember the first time I ever ate one. I was in highschool and I was on a ski trip with a good friend. We were in the lodge coffee shop, deciding what to buy and being the sugar addicts that we were it was going to be some sort of cookie with our coffee. I would normally go for the chocolate, but for some reason I chose a snickerdoodle. It was sweet and it reminded me of my Grandmother's sugar cookies but dusted with aromatic cinnamon.
I decided that I liked them and the next time I decided to bake cookies after that, I made snickerdoodles, using my Grandmother's recipe for sugar cookies, with cinnamon along with the traditional plain sugar. They were even better than the ones at the coffee shop because my Grandma had the best recipe as far as I was concerned partly because she always added a little almond extract to her cookies along with the vanilla. That was over ten years ago, and although I no longer bake cookies since I am raw and I prefer to unbake, I have enjoyed some raw snickerdoodles. 
I was craving some last week and I decided that they would be a fabulous mix in for ice cream...well, at least the dough. I love my cookie dough ice cream, but I thought the snickerdoodles would be a nice switch up from chocolate chip. I so it happened, and not only did I mix in snickerdoodle cookie dough, I scented the creamy vanilla base with cinnamon as well and stirred in a raw caramel swirl. This ice cream was pure heaven. And, I know it is winter, but I am a Minnesota girl and it is NEVER too cold for ice cream!
Raw Snickerdoodle Cookie Dough Ice Cream with Caramel Swirl
Makes about 6 cups
Cake Pieces:
1 cup finely shredded dried coconut
1/3 cup ground flaxseed
1/3 cup raw sprouted buckwheat flour or sprouted oat flour
1/2 cup soft medjool dates, pitted (if not soft, soak them for 30 minutes in filtered water and drain well)
1/4 tsp sea salt
1/2 tsp almond extract
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
1/2 tsp cinnamon
Raw Caramel Swirl:
1 cup medjool dates, pitted (soaked in filtered water for 30 minutes if not soft, then drained)
2 Tbsp raw coconut butter
3 Tbsp raw coconut nectar, maple syrup or raw honey
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
1 tsp maple extract
1/4 tsp sea salt
2 Tbsp filtered water
Ice Cream:
1 cup coconut water
3 cups young coconut meat*
1 cup ripe bananas, sliced
1/2 cup raw agave nectar or raw honey or raw coconut nectar
seeds of one vanilla bean
1 tsp almond extract
a pinch of sea salt
2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 cup coconut oil, warmed to liquid
For the cookies, coconut, and flaxseed and buckwheat flour in the food processor and process until well blended and the consistency of flour. Add the dates, sea salt, and extracts and cinnamon and process until smooth and starting to hold together when squeezed (if it doesn't add a little more agave nectar). Roll into balls and place in the freezer to firm up (I also rolled some flat and cut out a couple cookies then sprinkled them with cinnamon to garnish the ice cream).
For the caramel, combine all ingredients in a food processor and process until smooth. Set aside.
To make ice cream base, to a high speed blender or food processor, add coconut water, coconut, bananas, agave nectar, vanilla, almond extract, sea salt, and cinnamon process until very smooth, about a minute or two. Add the coconut oil slowly so it gets incorporated and doesn't clump up. Process a minute more. Pour the mixture into an ice cream maker and process according to directions.
Set aside. When the ice cream is done churning, remove from ice cream maker, stir in cookie pieces (except the ones for topping if you made them), then pour 1/3 into a freezer safe container with a lid. drizzle 1/3 of the caramel over it, then pour half the remaining ice cream over that. Drizzle with half the remaining caramel, then top with the remaining ice cream then the remaining caramel. Place in the freezer and let sit for at least four hours or overnight to firm up to scoopable consistency. Serve topped with the reserved cookies if desired.