Heavenly Butter Pecan Ice Cream
Submitted by happyzhangbo
Homemade butter pecan ice cream: a rich browned-butter and brown-sugar custard churned silky-smooth and folded with toasted pecans. The browned butter gives it a deep, nutty butterscotch flavor no store version matches.
YIELD
16 servingsPREP
8 minCOOK
22 minREADY
30 minStore-bought butter pecan can’t touch this homemade version, and the secret is right in the name: real browned butter. Cooking the butter until it turns golden and nutty before building the custard gives this ice cream a deep, toasty, butterscotch flavor that artificial versions only hint at.
It’s a proper French-style custard ice cream, which means a few careful steps for an ultra-smooth result. Brown sugar and salt dissolve into the browned butter and milk, then you temper the hot mixture into egg yolks (slowly, whisking, so they don’t scramble) and cook it gently until it coats the back of a spoon. Straining it and chilling over an ice bath stops the cooking and sets up the silkiest base.
The pecans get toasted until fragrant, and the recipe offers a brilliant upgrade: brush them with melted butter and a little salt before roasting for an extra savory-sweet punch. Fold them into the churned ice cream while it’s still soft, then freeze until firm. Chill the base thoroughly before churning, and let the finished ice cream sit a few minutes at room temperature before scooping if it’s been frozen hard.
Pro Tips
- Brown the butter until golden and nutty, watching closely so it doesn’t burn. That toasty flavor is the soul of butter pecan.
- Temper the hot mixture into the yolks slowly, whisking constantly, so they thicken the custard instead of scrambling.
- Chill the custard base thoroughly (ideally overnight) before churning. A cold base freezes smoother.
- Toast the pecans, and brush them with butter and salt first for an extra savory-sweet punch.
Variations
- Swirl in caramel or butterscotch sauce as you pack it into the container.
- Use walnuts or macadamias in place of pecans.
- Stir a pinch of cinnamon or a splash of bourbon into the base.
Ingredients
Directions
In a medium sized heat-safe bowl (metal, ceramic, or glass), whisk together the egg yolks until well blended.
Set aside.
Pour the cream into a metal bowl set in a larger bowl of ice and set a medium-mesh sieve on top.
Set aside.
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.
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.
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.
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 to 7 minutes.
Pour the custard through the sieve and stir it into the cream.
Add vanilla and stir until cool over the ice bath.
Chill mixture thoroughly in the refrigerator.
While the mixture is chilling, preheat the oven to 350°F.
Lay out the pecans on a roasting pan in a single layer.
Bake for 6 minutes, until lightly toasted.
Let cool.
Once cool, roughly chop the pecans and set aside.
Note, if you want an extra punch to this ice cream, brush the pecans with melted butter and sprinkle with salt before roasting.
Once the ice cream mixture is thoroughly chilled, freeze in your ice cream maker according to the manufacturer’s instructions.
Once the ice cream has been formed in the ice cream maker, it will be fairly soft.
Fold in the chopped pecans.
Put in an airtight plastic container and place in the freezer for at least an hour, preferably several hours.
If it has been frozen for more than a day, you may need to let it sit at room temperature for a few minutes to soften it before serving.
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