Browned Butter Bourbon Ice Cream

Get the Recipe: Browned Butter Bourbon Ice Cream

This is a French, custard-style ice cream with toasted milk powder and bourbon. It's rich and creamy and, I promise, once you've had it, you'll never go back!

5 from 1 rating

Yield6 cups (1.4L)

Prep5

Cook1 30

Chill/Freeze time6

Total7 39

Ingredients

1 cup whole milk
¾ cup unrefined, granulated sugar
¼ cup toasted whole milk powder, (if you don't have this, see instructions)
1 teaspoon Diamond Crystal kosher salt
½ tablespoon Neilsen-Massey Madagascar bourbon vanilla bean paste
2 cups heavy whipping cream or double cream, divided in half
6 large egg yolks, (roughly 90-95g)
1½ tablespoons 100 proof (50% ABV) bourbon

Equipment

measuring Cups
Measuring spoons
1 Small Sauce Pot
1 Whisk
1 spatula
1 medium bowl
1 Fine Mesh Strainer
1 ice cream maker
1 2-3 pt container

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Instructions

Toasted Milk Powder:

If you don't already have toasted milk powder in your pantry, don't worry. Just add 30-40 minutes to your timeline and make some using whole milk powder.
To toast the whole milk powder, add the desired amount (or more, if you want to make a bulk batch) to a pan over low to medium-low heat for about 30 minutes. Like making a roux, keep moving the whole milk powder around the pan so it doesn’t burn. Break up any clumps that form as best as you can. The powder will change from an ivory color to a deep golden or light brown color.
If too much milk powder sticks to the bottom of the pan and you have trouble scraping it up, turn the heat down or remove the pan from the burner to scrape it. Then, return it to the heat to continue. Once you achieve a warm light brown color, remove the pan from the burner and set it aside to cool.

Browned Butter Bourbon Ice Cream:

For the ice cream, mix and heat half the cream (1c or 240ml 0r 245g), the milk, sugar, toasted milk powder, and salt in a saucepan until all of the sugar has dissolved. Whisk in the vanilla bean paste, turn off the heat, and let the mixture sit until its temperature comes down to 140°F (60°C).
In a separate bowl, whisk the eggs yolks until they froth and lighten in color slightly. Then, slowly temper the cream mixture into the egg yolks by ladling a small stream of cream into the eggs while whisking constantly, until all of the cream mixture is combined.
Scrape the fully combined mixture back into the saucepan and stir it constantly over medium-low heat with a heatproof spatula until mixture thickens and coats the spatula. Make sure to check the temperature while you heat the custard. Do not go over 180°F (82°C) while thickening. I tend to keep mine between 170-175°F (76-79°C) to be on the safe side.
If you are really worried about overcooking your custard, you can always use a double boiler as a safety net. (See FAQs) You'll know the custard is done when you can run your finger across the coated spatula and the custard doesn't run back together.
Add the remaining cup of cream to a large bowl and set a fine mesh strainer on top. Then, pour the thickened custard into the strainer and use a spoon to stir and scrape it through the mesh and into the bowl below.
Next, add the bourbon to the custard mixture and stir everything together. Cover the container and chill the mixture completely in the refrigerator. It should take roughly 4-8 hours. (see notes for a chilling shortcut)
When the ice cream base is ready to churn, pour the mixture into an ice cream maker and freeze according to the manufacturer's instructions. Once the browned butter bourbon ice cream is partially frozen into a soft serve consistency, scrape it out of the mixer and into a freezer safe container. Freeze for at least another 4 hours or overnight for best results. Scoop and enjoy!

Video

Notes

DON'T FORGET to freeze your ice cream machine's bowl if you have a bowl style ice cream maker.
If you cannot find vanilla bean paste, you can substitute with a single vanilla bean pod or pure vanilla extract. It's a 1:1 ratio for extract. (See FAQs for more)
There is no real timeline for how quickly your custard will thicken. If it seems like it's staying runny, DO NOT turn up the heat, just have patience and keep stirring. (more in the FAQs for doneness cues)
A lot of ice cream recipes use ice baths after tempering. You don't need it for this recipe, because the custard is poured into the second cup of cold cream, which stops any carry over cooking.
But an ice bath will save on refrigeration time before churning. If you really want to, you can completely negate the need to chill before spinning the custard, as long as you get the ice cream base down to 43°F (6°C) before churning it. The trade-off is your flavors will be less complex without time to infuse.
The ice cream texture is its creamiest/freshest within 2 weeks of making it. However, it can last as long as 1 month in the freezer before developing freezer burn and/or a stale mouthfeel.
This recipe fills up a 9x5x2.5 (22.86×12.7×6.35cm) loaf pan about ¾ of the way. So, if you want to use a different vessel or insulated ice cream container, just make sure it can hold up to 8c or 1.9L of ice cream

Nutrition