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Scoops of homemade butter pecan ice cream.

Brown Butter Pecan Ice Cream

Heather Smoke
Rich and creamy, homemade butter pecan ice cream made with brown butter, bourbon and toasted pecans.

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5 from 1 vote
Prep Time 25 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Freeze Time 8 hours
Total Time 8 hours 40 minutes
Course Dessert
Cuisine American
Servings1 1/2 quarts

Equipment

  • Ice Cream Maker
  • Electric Mixer (Stand or Hand-Held)

Ingredients
 

  • 4 tbsp unsalted butter
  • 5 large egg yolks
  • ½ cup granulated sugar
  • ¼ cup dark brown sugar, lightly packed
  • 1 cup whole milk
  • 1 ½ cups cold heavy whipping cream, divided
  • ¾ tsp coarse Kosher salt (if using table salt, use half the amount)
  • 2 tsp vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste
  • 1 tbsp good-quality bourbon
  • 1 cup raw pecans, toasted and roughly chopped

Instructions
 

Brown the Butter

  • In a saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat. Continue to cook the butter for several minutes, swirling the pan occasionally, until it's very fragrant, and nutty golden brown solids form at the bottom of the pan.
  • Set aside to cool for 5 minutes.

Cook the Custard

  • To the browned butter, whisk in the egg yolks, sugar, brown sugar, milk, 1 cup of the cream, salt and vanilla. Whisking constantly, cook the custard over medium heat, just until it's steaming hot, and beginning to simmer around the edges, but don't let it come to a boil.
  • Remove from the heat and pour through a fine mesh strainer to strain out any bits of cooked egg. Cover the custard and refrigerate until well chilled, preferably overnight.

Churn the Ice Cream

  • When the custard is chilled, you may notice that the butter has floated to the top and formed a solid layer. If this happens, just blend it in a blender or with an immersion blender for 10-15 seconds to ensure your ice cream is smooth.
  • Whip the remaining 1/2 cup of cream until soft peaks form, and gently whisk the whipped cream into the chilled custard.
  • Churn the ice cream in your ice cream maker according to the manufacturer's instructions, adding the bourbon during the last minute of churning.
  • While the ice cream is churning, spread the pecans out onto a baking sheet and toast in a 300-degree oven for 5-7 minutes, until fragrant. Roughly chop the pecans, then set in the refrigerator to cool.
  • When the ice cream is finished churning, fold in the toasted pecans, and transfer the ice cream to a lidded ice cream container. Freeze until firm enough to scoop, about 8 hours.
Keyword Brown Butter, Butter Pecan, Frozen Custard, Ice Cream
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