If you don’t already own an ice cream maker…I think it is worth it to go out and buy one (could be a good father’s day gift!). The difference between store-bought and homemade ice cream is unbelievable. And with the machines for sale these days there is no ice, rock salt, or cranking necessary. You can spend between $30 and $40, push one button, and within 15 – 20 minutes enjoy the best ice cream you will ever have. Not to mention that when you make it yourself you can also control the ingredients.
I recently bought the pictured Cuisnart Automatic Ice Cream Maker for a little more than $40 on Amazon. The first batch I made (before our 100-day pledge) included only half as much sugar as they called for and it still tasted fabulous. While on our 100-day pledge I make this recipe below (which uses maple syrup instead of sugar) and we do not feel like we are missing a thing. Actually we are probably better off than those still eating ice cream out of a box – please trust me when I tell you this is SOOO good!
Homemade Maple Pecan Ice Cream
Nuts:
- ¾ cup chopped pecan nuts
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 1 tablespoon honey
Ice Cream:
- ¾ cup whole milk
- ¾ cup heavy cream
- 2 tablespoons maple syrup
Using a frying pan, melt the butter on medium-low heat and then add the chopped pecans. Add the honey and cook until the nuts are very slightly browned, 3 – 5 minutes. Be very careful not to overcook the nuts because they can go from perfect to burnt in less than a minute. (Note: these nuts are also a delicious replacement for the plain pecans used in this chocolate Powerball recipe…just add two teaspoons of water instead of using the peanut butter.)
While the nuts are cooking stir together all three ingredients for the ice cream. Turn on your ice cream maker and then pour the milk mixture into the machine. When the ice cream is almost all the way thickened add the nuts…serve immediately and enjoy!
SO TRUE!! I’d really like to know if this would work to make “soy ice cream”. We don’t/ can’t do milk.
I haven’t tried it myself, but I don’t see why it wouldn’t work? It would be worth a shot. Let me know how it turns out!
Hey Lisa,
I am going to make your recipe as soon as I get back to the store (ugh) but in the interim, I have found a recipe online for “honey ice cream”. Have you ever made it? Here’s the run down:
1 c milk
1/2 c honey
2 c heavy whipping cream
1 t vanilla
I don’t know what to use instead of the vanilla… Thought about putting in a dash of ground cinnamon. I’ll prob make a “variation” tomorrow. Your thoughts?
Kristi
I did try some honey ice cream (which turned out fine) I just prefer the flavor of the maple one. I would modify any recipe to half cream half milk (so 1.5 cups whole milk and 1.5 cups cream for the this one you found). And vanilla is okay as long as it is pure vanilla extract. I actually make my own vanilla extract which is super easy. Just slice two vanilla beans long ways and stick them in a 375ml bottle of vodka. It will take a few days before it starts to infuse and turn brown in color. I get my vanilla beans from this website b/c they are much cheaper than our grocery store and the shipping is free: http://www.jcrowsmarketplace.com/vanillabean-freeshippingthisitem.aspx Good luck!
Just got the ice cream out of the maker and it is so good! Took your advice and split the milk/cream. Added some cinnamon & some chopped almonds (abt 1/4 cup almonds). Very delish! I will look for 100% pure maple syrup on my next trip and we’ll have MORE ice cream! hahaha!
Another great “ice-cream” recipe you can try is banana ice cream. All you need to do is freeze the bananas, once they are frozen blend them in a blender with some coconut milk/cream. Freeze for a few hours and then blend again (repeat a few times if you want). The more times you blend, the creamier it becomes. It doesn’t need any sugar, the bananas are sweet enough and the coconut cream makes it nice and creamy. You have to be patient with the blender, at first it might sound like your blender is having a hard time, and then all of a sudden the bananas become creamy and soft.. yummm…. Another tip is to make sure the bananas are very ripe when you freeze them. The more ripe they are the more flavour in the ice cream. Enjoy!!
I love that idea! I just printed this out and will definitely try it…thank you!
Is using half and half the same as combining whole milk with heavy cream?
I think it should be fairly similar (depending on the proportions). I have played around with how much milk I use vs. cream and it all still turns into ice cream it just has a slightly different consistency…so I am sure half and half would work. You just have to decide if you like the outcome!
I’ve been using organic half and half; it works great. It reduces on measuring and mixingl I just have to add flavor. My favorite so far has been honey and cinnamon ice cream. yum!
Good idea with using half and half…I am all about doing anything I can to save time or skip steps when cooking! Thanks for the comment.