Homemade Ice Cream Experiments: Butter Pecan

This week, I tried out butter pecan in the ice cream maker. The sweet milk-based vanilla with slightly salty pecans tossed in was a perfect treat. And if you're into the homemade ice cream sandwiches, try butter pecan on a pecan sandie.


Butter Pecan Ice Cream
Recipe courtesy of Cuisinart

1 stick unsalted butter
1 cup pecans, chopped
1 teaspoon kosher salt

1 cup whole milk, well chilled
3/4 cup granulated sugar
2 cups heavy cream, well chilled
1-2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract, to taste

Melt 1 stick unsalted butter in a 10-inch skillet. Add 1 cup roughly chopped pecans and 1 teaspoon kosher salt. Cook over medium-low heat, stirring frequently until the pecans are lightly browned. Remove from the heat, strain (the butter will have a pecan flavor and may be reserved for another use). Allow the pecans to cool completely.

In a medium bowl, use a hand mixer or a whisk to combine the milk and granulated sugar until the sugar is dissolved, about 1-2 minutes on low speed. Stir in the heavy cream and vanilla to taste. Pour chilled mixture into your ice cream maker and let mix until thickened. Add the toasted, buttered pecans during the last 5 minutes of mixing. Recipe yields ten 1/2 cup servings. Put the ice cream in a plastic container and keep it in the freezer overnight if you want a firmer consistency.