So in honor of National Ice Cream Day I’m sharing our current favorite ice cream recipe. You need 1 1/2 quarts of a combination of cream/half & half/ whole milk. With more milk than cream the ice cream freeze harder. With more cream the softer the ice cream will be. I typically use a combination of what I have on hand. For this recipe I used buttermilk, cream, with half & half and we loved it. This recipe is a twist on Butter Pecan. Because we love crunchy add-in we tried the recipe several times with different options. You can choose your own liquid/ nuts/ and add-ins. For this version we used a mix of candied pecans and raw pecans with carmel and dark chocolate chips. It is so rich and delicious. I love that I know all of the ingredients and there are no fillers or preservative!

Butter Pecan Ice Cream

Ingredients

• 16 oz cream

• 16 oz cold buttermilk (or milk)

• 16 oz half and half

• ½ teaspoon kosher salt

• 7 oz monkfruit brown sugar

• 7 oz coconut sugar

• 1 teaspoon real maple syrup

• 5 egg yolks

• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract

• 1 cup dark chocolate chips to add at the very end ( I used Lily’s)

For the Nuts

• 6 oz pecans chopped

• 1/2 cup real maple syrup

• 1 Tablespoon unsalted butter

• ¼ teaspoon kosher salt

• 1 teaspoon cinnamon

• ¼ teaspoon smoked paprika

For the Maple Caramel ( or use a store bought version like Trader Joe’s)

• 6 oz maple syrup (about 2/3 cup)

• 3 oz heavy cream plus 1 more oz heavy cream for later if necessary

• pinch of salt

• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla

• 1 teaspoon of butter

Instructions

For the Ice Cream

• Combine the cream/half & half, salt, brown sugar, in a large pot.

• Warm on medium heat, whisking frequently for the sugar to dissolve. Then turn the heat off.

• In a separate bowl whisk the egg yokes. I save the egg whites for almond cakes- I will share that soon.

• Slowly add one tablespoon of the warmed cream/half & half/sugar mixture to the egg yokes. Do this slowly one teaspoon at a time to keep the yokes from cooking too fast. Continue stirring. Once the yolks are tempered you can add them to your cream/half & half sugar mixture.

• If the eggs are not smooth you can strain through a fine mesh strainer into your high speed blender.

• Add the cold buttermilk, maple syrup, and vanilla to your blender.

• Blend until smooth.

• Chill in the fridge for an hour or so.

• Remove from the fridge and blend again before adding it to your ice cream maker.

• Churn according to the manufacturer’s instructions.

For the Nuts

• Combine all the ingredients in a heavy skillet and cook over medium heat until the maple syrup is very thick and gets stringy when you stir. The nuts should be sticking together, and when you smear a bit of the syrup onto a silicone baking mat, it should harden up and be crunchy.

For the Caramel

• In a large heavy saucepan add the maple syrup.

• Let boil over medium heat until the temperature reaches 310F. The syrup will be very thick and will have reduced by half or so.

• Carefully pour in the heavy cream. It will bubble up again. Stir it over low heat until any caramel that may have hardened is dissolved and the sauce is smooth.

• Add the salt and butter and then cook until the sauce reaches about 225F.

• Pour the sauce into a heatproof Pyrex measuring container with a spout and stir in the vanilla. Cool to room temperature and refrigerate if not using immediately.

• Once the ice cream is at soft serve consistency, evenly fold in the nuts.

• Next spoon the cameral sauce as the machine continues churning.

• Lastly, sprinkle in the dark chocolate chips.

• Churn to desired consistency.

So friends, let me know if you try this and how you like it. Also, what is your favorite ice cream?

Enjoy,

Julie