This one lives in the freezer and comes out looking like it shouldn't exist. A fudgy, date-sweetened cacao brownie on the bottom, an indigo-turned-lavender no-churn ice cream in the middle, and another brownie on top — cut into squares and eaten straight from frozen. It's the kind of thing that gets photographed before anyone takes a bite.
The ice cream layer is where the real magic happens. Butterfly Pea Flower Powder whisked into a homemade sweetened condensed milk turns the whole mixture a deep, inky blue before the whipped cream folds in and softens it to something closer to a stormy lilac. Four dropperfuls of Relax Tonic go in with the cream — Lemon Balm, Passionflower, Chamomile, and Ashwagandha quietly present in every slice.* The brownie layers, meanwhile, get their depth from Heirloom Cacao Powder — single-origin, Denominación de Origen Ecuador — and Chocolate Protein Powder that adds body and a little extra nutrition to what is otherwise a very good excuse to eat brownie for breakfast.
A note on timing: the condensed milk needs a couple of hours to cool completely before it goes into the whipped cream, and the whole sandwich needs at least an overnight freeze to set cleanly. Build it the night before, pull it out the next day, and slice it cold.
What's In the Sandwich
Heirloom Cacao Powder is the backbone of the brownie layers. Sourced from a single-origin farm in Ecuador and certified with Denominación de Origen — a designation that confirms ancestral genetics, no foreign pollination, and ethical cultivation practices — it's a cacao that tastes like it has a story. Rich, complex, and naturally high in magnesium and antioxidants, it's traditionally used to support heart health and elevate mood.*
Chocolate Protein Powder gets folded into the brownie alongside the cacao, adding 15g of plant-based protein per serving across a base of pea, pumpkin seed, sacha inchi, and brown rice.* You won't taste it as a supplement — just as something that makes the brownie layer a little more substantial than a date-and-nut bar.
Butterfly Pea Flower Powder is what turns the ice cream layer that otherworldly blue-lilac. pH-reactive and anthocyanin-rich, it's been used in Ayurvedic and Southeast Asian traditions for centuries as a calming, clarity-supporting botanical.* Here it does double duty: functional and purely, joyfully visual.
Relax Tonic is folded into the whipped cream — a nervine blend of Lemon Balm, Passionflower, Chamomile, Ashwagandha, and Lavender traditionally used to support the nervous system and ease into calm.* It makes this the rare dessert that actively encourages you to slow down while you eat it.
RECIPE
Freeze time: Overnight (or minimum 4 hours)
Prep time: 45 minutes, plus cooling
Makes: One 8x8 pan, about 9–12 squares
Recipe by: Christina Bass Rossetti
Ingredients
Cacao Brownie Layers (makes two layers):
- 20 Medjool dates, pitted
- 3 cups almond flour
- ½ cup Anima Mundi Heirloom Cacao Powder
- 4 Tbsp Anima Mundi Chocolate Protein Powder
- ½ cup almond butter
- 4 Tbsp pure maple syrup
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- ½ tsp fine sea salt
- 2 Tbsp coconut oil, melted
Butterfly Pea Ice Cream Layer:
- 1 cup whole milk
- ⅓ cup honey
- ⅛ tsp fine sea salt
- 2 tsp Anima Mundi Butterfly Pea Flower Powder
- 2 cups heavy whipping cream, cold
- 1 tsp vanilla bean paste
- 4 dropperfuls Anima Mundi Relax Tonic
Method
Brownie Layers:
- Soak the dates in warm water for about 10 minutes until soft. Drain.
- Add the dates and all remaining brownie ingredients to a food processor. Process for about 3 minutes until a thick, fudgy paste forms.
- Divide the mixture evenly between two parchment-lined 8x8 pans (or press one layer, remove it, then press the second). Pat each down into an even layer and place both in the freezer for 30 minutes to 1 hour to set.
Ice Cream Layer:
- In a small saucepan, combine the whole milk, honey, and salt. Bring to a gentle simmer over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally. Continue simmering and stirring until reduced by about half and thickened to a condensed milk consistency, about 30 minutes.
- Whisk in the Butterfly Pea Flower Powder until fully dissolved and evenly colored. Remove from heat and let cool completely — the fridge works well, allow a couple of hours.
- In a large bowl, whip the heavy cream, vanilla bean paste, and Relax Tonic to stiff peaks.
- Gently fold the chilled condensed milk into the whipped cream in two additions until fully combined with no streaks remaining.
- Pour the ice cream mixture over one frozen brownie layer and smooth flat. Place the second brownie layer on top, press gently, cover, and freeze overnight until fully set.
- To serve, slice into squares with a sharp knife and eat straight from frozen.
Shop The Ingredients
Heirloom Cacao Powder: single-origin Ecuadorian cacao, antioxidant-rich and traditionally used to support heart health and mood*
Chocolate Protein Powder: plant-based protein with adaptogenic botanicals for stamina and recovery*
Butterfly Pea Flower Powder: pH-reactive botanical used for calm and clarity — and the reason the ice cream is that color*
Relax Tonic: nervine blend of Lemon Balm, Passionflower, Chamomile, and Ashwagandha for calm and nervous system support*
Browse more recipes made with our botanicals on the Blog.
