Maple Walnut Ice Cream

Try these other awesome ice cream recipes:

• Gingerbread ice cream
• Tiramisu ice cream
• Mint Chocolate Chip ice cream
• Strawberry ice cream

Ingredients needed

You only need a few simple ingredients to make this amazing ice cream!

• Dark Maple Syrup – You want to use real syrup from trees here, not pancake syrup. A dark grade A will give you the best flavor.
• Heavy Cream – Helps to create a rich flavor and creamy texture. Use a good quality with high fat content.
• Whole Milk – Helps to create the creamy texture and rich flavor. Use great quality, fresh milk!
• Egg Yolks – Definitely needed to create that creamy rich taste and texture!
• Chopped Walnuts – Use whole halves that you chop yourself for nice big pieces. Toasting them brings out an extra awesome flavor, so don’t skip this step!
• Salt – Salt helps to balance the sweetness of the ice cream and bring out the flavors better.

Toast the walnuts.

Toasting the walnuts helps bring out the amazing walnut flavor you want in every bite!

1. Preheat the oven to 350 F.
2. Spread the walnut halves evenly on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
3. Roast for 7-10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until fragrant and slightly more brown. Don’t let them burn! 
4. Remove from the oven and allow them to cool. 
5. Roughly chop into big bite sized pieces for your ice cream.

Reduce the syrup.

Reducing the syrup will help thicken the syrup and intensify the flavor of it.

1. Place the syrup in a medium sized saucepan. Use a larger sized saucepan than you think you need, because the syrup will get bigger and bubble as it cooks, and you are going to use this same pan to create the custard in.
2. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat.
3. Reduce the temperature to medium and simmer for 8-10 minutes. You want it to reduce to about a ½ cup. 

Create the custard.

Creating the custard ensures the ice cream is smooth, rich, and creamy!

1. In a medium sized mixing bowl, whisk the eggs together.
2. Reduce the temperature of the syrup to medium-low heat.
3. Whisk in the cream, milk, and salt.
4. Remove 1 cup of this warmed mixture from the saucepan.
5. Slowly, slowly, slowly, whisk in a small thin drizzle of this warmed milk into the eggs to temper them. This will help bring the temperature of the eggs up without cooking them. Whisk continually, while slowly drizzling in all the warmed milk mixture.
6. When all the warmed milk has been whisked into the eggs, slowly pour the tempered eggs into the saucepan with the remaining warmed milk.
7. Heat the mixture, whisking occasionally, until it reaches a temperature of 170-175 F on a candy thermometer. It should coat the back of a spoon.
8. Pour the mixture into a container with a lid and allow to cool for a while.
9. Place in the fridge overnight and chill (or at least four hours.

Churn

10. When cool, use your ice cream maker to churn according to manufacturer’s instructions. During the last 10 minutes, add the chopped toasted walnuts. The ice cream will be at a “soft serve” thickness.
11. Place into a freezer safe container with a lid and freeze for at least four hours, or overnight. This will allow it to freeze and harden the rest of the way.

Try these other great desserts for fall:

• Maple Fudge
• Pumpkin Cinnamon Bread Pudding
• Soft Sourdough Molasses Cookies