Butter Pecan Ice Cream
Ingredients
- 2 cups heavy cream
- 1 cup whole milk
- 3/4 cup brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- 4 egg yolks
- 1/4 cup butter
- 1 cup pecans, roughly chopped
Instructions
Make the ice cream base:
- In a small saucepan, over medium-low heat, stir together the heavy cream, milk, brown sugar, vanilla extract and salt. Heat the mixture over medium-low heat until the sugar has dissolved and the mixture is hot, but not bubbling. Don’t let it boil. As soon as you see small bubbles around the perimeter of the saucepan, the milk is warm enough and ready.
- In a medium bowl, whisk the egg yolks until they lighten in color, about 2 minutes. While stirring, slowly add a cup of the hot cream mixture into the yolks making sure you keep whisking vigorously to prevent the yolks from curdling.
- Next, stir in the yolk mixture into the saucepan. Cook over medium-low heat, stirring often, until the mixture reaches 170º F when checked with a candy thermometer or when the mixture is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon, about 10 minutes.
- Pour custard through a fine mesh strainer into an airtight container and cool in an ice bath, then cover and refrigerate for about 3-4 hours or overnight.
Make the brown butter and toast the pecans:
- In a light-colored skillet over medium heat, melt the butter. Once melted, the butter will begin to foam and sizzle around the edges. Swirl the pan so the butter browns evenly. When the butter is golden brown (like honey), about 4 minutes, stir in the pecans. Cook, stirring often, until the pecans are toasted and the mixture becomes aromatic, about 1-2 minutes. Remove from the heat and transfer the buttered pecans and any bits of brown butter to a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or to a plate to cool.
Churn:
- Pour the custard into an ice cream maker and churn according to manufacturer’s instructions until it reaches the consistency of soft-serve ice cream. During the last 2-3 minutes of churning, add the cooled buttered pecans and any browned butter bits to the ice cream machine. Transfer the ice cream to a freezer-safe container
- Once the nuts are mixed in, transfer to a freezer-safe container and freeze for about 4 hours before serving.
Notes
- Don’t forget to freeze your ice cream machine canister or bowl before making your ice cream. Most manufacturers recommend freezing the bowl for 24 hours before churning ice cream.
- Using high fat content dairy is a must and makes ice cream creamy and rich. Stay away from fat free or low fat dairy.
- Chill the ice cream base thoroughly before churning it.
- Make sure you don’t burn the butter or the pecans as they will make the ice cream bitter.
Nutrition
Calories: 373 kcal, Carbohydrates: 20 g, Protein: 4 g, Fat: 32 g, Saturated Fat: 16 g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 3 g, Monounsaturated Fat: 11 g, Trans Fat: 1 g, Cholesterol: 147 mg, Sodium: 96 mg, Potassium: 154 mg, Fiber: 1 g, Sugar: 19 g, Vitamin A: 990 IU, Vitamin C: 1 mg, Calcium: 93 mg, Iron: 1 mg
