Honey and Cornbread Ice Cream

I've been wanting to make a batch of honey ice cream for a while now, but I kept thinking it needed a little something extra going on, and then some southern revelation fell upon me. I remembered how much I love cornbread with honey butter, so I thought an ice cream interpretation was worth a shot. I did a little recipe combining, used my favorite Savannah Bee Tupelo honey, and if it makes you feel better, mixed in bits of cornmeal cookies rather than actual cornbread. I know, I know, it sounds a little out there, but trust me, it works.

Honey and Cornbread Ice Cream

Italian Cornmeal Cookies
Adapted from The Italian Baker and Once Upon a Chef

6 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
1 large egg, at room temperature
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup fine yellow cornmeal
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat together the butter and sugar until smooth and creamy, about one minute. Add the egg and beat well. Beat in the vanilla extract. In a separate medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cornmeal, baking powder and salt. Add the dry ingredients to the butter mixture and beat on low speed until just combined.

Cover the dough with plastic wrap and refrigerate until chilled, about one hour. Pinch off dough by the tablespoon and roll into balls. Place balls on prepared baking sheets and flatten into discs with your hand. Bake for 13-16 minutes. They should still be pale on top and lightly golden on the bottom. Transfer cookies to a wire rack to cool. Makes approximately 20 cookies. Break cookies into 1/2-inch pieces until you have a cup and a half of cookie bits. You'll have leftover cookies, which you can eat.

Honey Ice Cream
Adapted from Pure Dessert via Orangette

1/2 cup whole milk
1/3 cup of honey (I used Tupelo honey but feel free to use your favorite)
1/8 teaspoon of salt
2 1/4 cups heavy cream

In a small saucepan, warm the milk over medium heat until it begins to simmer gently around the edges. Pour it into a medium bowl and allow to cool completely. (This prevents curdling when the honey is added.) Add the honey and salt, and whisk well until the honey dissolves. Whisk in the cream. Cover and chill in the refrigerator for several hours or overnight. Freeze according to the instructions for your ice cream maker. During the last minute in the ice cream maker, add cornmeal cookie pieces and make sure they're incorporated throughout. Store the ice cream in the freezer until hard enough to scoop, at least 3 to 4 hours. Makes about 1 quart.