Drain the soaked cashews and give them a good rinse. Transfer the cashews to a blender along with the coconut milk, maple syrup, vanilla extract, black food coloring, and sea salt.

Pour in the melted black licorice and blend until completely smooth and creamy. This may take several minutes depending on the power of your blender.

Add more sweetener or salt, depending on your flavor preference.

Pour the mixture into a large bowl and refrigerate until completely chilled, at least four hours. When you’re ready to make ice cream, turn on your ice cream maker so the bowl is spinning as you pour in the black licorice mixture.

Allow the ice cream to churn for 10 minutes, until the texture is similar to thick soft serve. Meanwhile, chop the remaining black licorice into tiny pieces, no bigger than the size of chocolate chips. In the last minute of churning, add half of the black licorice pieces. 

Transfer the ice cream to a freezer-safe container, cover with plastic, and freeze until solid, at least six hours (overnight preferred).

Before serving, let the ice cream soften on the counter for 30 minutes—waiting to dig in will give it a scoopable texture. Scoop into cones or bowls and garnish with remaining black licorice pieces.

Leftover ice cream will keep in the freezer for up to a week.