1. To make the caramel sauce, add sugar to a small saucepan. Heat pan on medium-low, picking it up to swirl sugar every 30 seconds or so. No need to stir. Keep a close eye so the sugar doesn’t burn and be patient. Once sugar in completely melted and brownish in color, remove pan from heat. Drop in vegan butter and whisk vigorously. Mixture will bubble and hiss but keep going! Whisk in coconut milk and sea salt. Allow caramel to cool slightly in pan before transferring to an airtight jar. Place jar in refrigerator. Caramel will thicken as it cools.

2. To make the ice cream base, combine all ingredients in a blender and blend until well-combined. This should take about 1-2 minutes. Pour mixture into an airtight container and place in refrigerator. The caramel and ice cream base should chill for at least 4 hours prior to being run through ice cream maker but 6-8 works best.

3. Once ice cream base have been thoroughly chilled, run it through your ice cream maker according to manufacturer instructions. Many ice cream makers come with a bucket/container that should be left in the freezer for 8 hours prior to use so be sure to read the instructions for your machine. Once ice cream base has been run through ice cream maker, fold in chopped dark chocolate and pretzels.

4. Pour 1/2 of ice cream into an airtight container. Drizzle 1/2 of the prepared caramel sauce over the top. Top caramel with other half of the ice cream and drizzle with remaining caramel. Place a sheet of plastic wrap directly on top of ice cream to maintain freshness. Seal container and place in the freezer to firm up for 6-8 hours.