Butter Pecan Ice Cream Recipe
Here's how to really be sweet to the Dads in your life. Treat Dad this Father's Day to something sweet! Decadent Homemade Butter Pecan Ice Cream. Use only the best Georgia pecans from Watanut.
Homemade ice cream takes a little preparation in that custard is best made not in a hurry and it needs to chill for several hours before you churn. But it's so worth the small amount of effort! We use our KitchenAid ice cream bowl attachment to make churning super fast and easy.
Ingredients
Ice cream base:
- 6 large egg yolks
- 6 Tbsp unsalted butter
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 2 cups heavy cream
- 2 cups whole milk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup pecans
- 1 Tbsp unsalted butter
- Pinch of salt
Preparation
1 Whisk egg yolks: In a medium sized heat-safe bowl (metal, ceramic, or glass), whisk together the egg yolks until well blended. Set aside.
2 Set cream in bowl over ice, with a sieve on top: Pour the cream into a metal bowl set in a larger bowl of ice and set a medium-mesh sieve on top. Set aside.
3 Brown the butter, add brown sugar and salt: In a medium thick-bottomed saucepan on medium heat, melt the butter cook it, stirring constantly, until it just begins to brown. Add the brown sugar and salt. Stir until the sugar completely melts.
4 Add milk slowly, dissolve sugar: Slowly add the milk, stirring to incorporate. It will foam up initially, so make sure you are using a pan with high enough sides. Heat until all of the sugar is completely dissolved. Do not let boil or the mixture may curdle.
5 Temper the eggs: Whisk in hand, slowly pour half of the milk and sugar mixture into the eggs, whisking constantly to incorporate. Then add the warmed egg mixture back into the saucepan with the remaining milk sugar mixture.
6 Stir until custard base thickens: Stir the mixture constantly over medium heat with a wooden or heatproof rubber spatula, scraping the bottom as you stir, until the mixture thickens and coats the spatula, about 5-7 minutes.
7 Pour the custard through the sieve and stir it into the cream. Add vanilla and stir until cool over the ice bath.
8 Chill mixture thoroughly in the refrigerator.
9 Toast the pecans: While the mixture is chilling, preheat the oven to 350°F. Melt 1 Tbsp of butter. Toss with pecans and a pinch of salt.
Spread pecans out on a rimmed baking sheet and bake at 350°F for 10 minutes, until the pecans are lightly toasted. Set aside to cool.
Once cool, roughly chop the pecans and set aside.
10 Process in your ice cream maker: Once the ice cream mixture is thoroughly chilled, process in your ice cream maker according to the manufacturer's instructions.
11 Fold in chopped toasted pecans: Once the ice cream has been formed in the ice cream maker, it will be fairly soft. Fold in the chopped pecans.
12 Freeze: Put in an airtight plastic container and place in the freezer for at least an hour, preferably several hours.
Shop Watanut for Fresh Georgia Pecans to make this recipe. Or if you are in a hurry, shop Watanut Father's Day gifts for the perfect treat Dad will love.
Yields 1.5 Quarts
We love this recipe from Simply Recipes.
Photography Credit: Elise Bauer
