Butter-Pecan Ice Cream
Butter-Pecan Ice Cream is rated
out of
5 by
8.
Prep Time:
30 minutes
Cook Time:
20 minutes
Servings:
8
Makes about 1 quart.
Coarsely chopped pecans are allowed to steep in the custard, infusing it with their nutty flavor. Then they are strained out to ensure the ice cream has a smooth consistency. At the end of the freezing stage, pecans glazed with brown sugar are swirled into the ice cream, adding a crunchy texture and sweet taste.
Ingredients:
- 1 1/2 cups pecans
- 2 Tbs. unsalted butter
- 2 Tbs. plus 2/3 cup firmly packed dark brown
sugar - 1 1/2 cups heavy cream
- 1 1/2 cups milk
- 4 egg yolks
- Pinch of salt
- 1 tsp. vanilla extract
Directions:
Place the pecans in a food processor and pulse 6 to 8 times, just until they are coarsely chopped.
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. In a fry pan over medium heat, melt the butter. Add half of the pecans and toast them, stirring constantly, until fragrant, 2 to 3 minutes. Sprinkle the 2 Tbs. brown sugar over the pecans and cook, stirring constantly, until the sugar melts and forms a glaze. Scrape the pecans and all of the glaze onto the parchment-lined baking sheet and spread them out in a single layer. Let cool to room temperature.
Place the remaining pecans in a dry saucepan over medium-low heat and toast them, stirring constantly, until golden and fragrant, 3 to 4 minutes. Add the cream, milk and the 2/3 cup brown sugar. Warm the mixture, stirring occasionally, until the sugar is dissolved and steam begins to rise from the surface, 3 to 4 minutes. Remove from the heat and let the mixture steep for 10 to 15 minutes.
In a bowl, whisk together the egg yolks and salt until blended. Form a kitchen towel into a ring and place the bowl on top to prevent it from moving. Whisk in 1/2 cup of the pecan cream until smooth and blended, then pour the egg mixture back into the pan. Cook over medium-low heat, stirring slowly and continuously with a wooden spoon or spatula, until the custard thickens and a finger drawn across the back of the spoon leaves a path, 8 to 10 minutes; do not allow the custard to boil.
Pour the custard through a fine-mesh sieve set over a clean bowl; discard the pecans. Nestle the bowl in a larger one filled halfway with ice and water and cool the custard to room temperature, stirring occasionally. Refrigerate until chilled, at least 1 hour.
Stir the vanilla into the custard. Transfer the custard to an ice cream maker and freeze according to the manufacturer's instructions. At the end of the freezing stage, add the buttered pecans and continue processing just until they are blended into the ice cream. Transfer the ice cream to a chilled container, cover and freeze until firm, at least 3 hours or up to 3 days, before serving.
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. In a fry pan over medium heat, melt the butter. Add half of the pecans and toast them, stirring constantly, until fragrant, 2 to 3 minutes. Sprinkle the 2 Tbs. brown sugar over the pecans and cook, stirring constantly, until the sugar melts and forms a glaze. Scrape the pecans and all of the glaze onto the parchment-lined baking sheet and spread them out in a single layer. Let cool to room temperature.
Place the remaining pecans in a dry saucepan over medium-low heat and toast them, stirring constantly, until golden and fragrant, 3 to 4 minutes. Add the cream, milk and the 2/3 cup brown sugar. Warm the mixture, stirring occasionally, until the sugar is dissolved and steam begins to rise from the surface, 3 to 4 minutes. Remove from the heat and let the mixture steep for 10 to 15 minutes.
In a bowl, whisk together the egg yolks and salt until blended. Form a kitchen towel into a ring and place the bowl on top to prevent it from moving. Whisk in 1/2 cup of the pecan cream until smooth and blended, then pour the egg mixture back into the pan. Cook over medium-low heat, stirring slowly and continuously with a wooden spoon or spatula, until the custard thickens and a finger drawn across the back of the spoon leaves a path, 8 to 10 minutes; do not allow the custard to boil.
Pour the custard through a fine-mesh sieve set over a clean bowl; discard the pecans. Nestle the bowl in a larger one filled halfway with ice and water and cool the custard to room temperature, stirring occasionally. Refrigerate until chilled, at least 1 hour.
Stir the vanilla into the custard. Transfer the custard to an ice cream maker and freeze according to the manufacturer's instructions. At the end of the freezing stage, add the buttered pecans and continue processing just until they are blended into the ice cream. Transfer the ice cream to a chilled container, cover and freeze until firm, at least 3 hours or up to 3 days, before serving.
Makes about 1 quart.
Williams-Sonoma Kitchen.
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$47.95
Rated 5 out of
5
by
Carol from
Amazing!!
I never tried to make ice cream before but since my dad wanted a treat I’d thought I would give it a try. Let’s just say I’m making this recipe throughout the whole year for a delicious dessert!
If I had to do something different next time I’d double the recipe since I have a big family. I also didn’t throw away the other pecans that was in the cream mixture, I toasted them and put them in the cream mixture along with the brown sugar coated pecans. So they were all toasty and crunchy at the end. I didn’t have a ice cream machine so I just covered it and put in my freezer and still came out as perfect!
Date published: 2020-04-30
Rated 5 out of
5
by
Meggy from
The best ice cream I’ve made or tried
I checked out other butter pecan ice cream recipes, but this is the only one that steeps pecans in the milk, on top of adding the glazed pecans at the end.
Really great nutty flavor. The glazed pecans retain their crunchiness even in the ice cream. I get rave reviews for this every time. It comes out super smooth.
I add more pecans than required, I make it 2 cups and it still works fine. I also add about 4 tablespoons of Maker’s Mark before churning in the ice cream maker. The bourbon adds a wonderful depth of flavor. It may affect emulsification in the ice cream maker, it happened to me when I added too much, but after freezing, it’s still perfect!
Date published: 2019-01-28
Rated 5 out of
5
by
bigdee from
The BEST Butter Pecan Ice Cream
I've only made ice cream in my ice cream maker using the starters found on the WS site and they are delicious every time. For a change, I decided to find a recipe I could make from scratch. After reading through the steps, I felt it sounded simple enough. Long story short, I got rave reviews from everyone who tried it and I loved it as well. Everyone should try it.
Date published: 2017-12-04
Rated 5 out of
5
by
randy33594 from
Fantastic!
I'm fairly new to ice cream making and this is the best, creamiest, most delicious I've made yet. I think that steeping the pecans and cream mixture made a huge difference in the flavor, and will definitely be making this again.
Date published: 2016-02-05
Rated 5 out of
5
by
sas05 from
Great butter pecan recipe
Family loves it. House smells awesome! I love butter pecan ice cream and now the family does , too! I'll be making again this summer!
Date published: 2014-07-05
Rated 5 out of
5
by
ReneH from
Fantastic!
This was THE BEST ice cream! I'm used to making fussy desserts so the instructions were quite easy and very similar to making French custard. My family just went on and on about how great this ice cream was... and the toasted, caramelized pecans just brought it over the top! I can't wait to make some other Williams-Sonoma ice cream flavors! I'm doing the Coconut next (using toasted coconut in the ice cream it self, as suggested! Also going to add some salted, dark chocolate shaving as well.) Excited!
Date published: 2014-06-02
Rated 4 out of
5
by
msmarguet from
Big Pecan Flavor in this Custard Ice Cream
This recipe makes the best butter-pecan ice cream I have ever made. The toasted pecans cooked into the custard before straining makes a rich, thick custard base . . . thick enough to hold the chopped pecans coated with brown sugar, and creamy enough to freeze well and serve with an ice cream scoop.
This is also my husbands favorite ice cream, so I will be making it all summer!
Date published: 2014-06-01
Rated 2 out of
5
by
shar1 from
complicated
far too complicated...making ice cream should be easy. As a foodie (and all foodies know this) I enjoy cooking fresh and wonderful meals/dishes. However, when you talk about forming rings out of a towel - really??? Far too many steps. W&S over-complicated what should be a simple and easy dish - butter pecan ice cream. I do like the idea of toasting the pecans first in the butter and brown sugar - will likely 'steal' that bit... but the rest of the recipe...well, let's just say it'll not be done.
Date published: 2014-02-08