Best Maple Whiskey Pecan Ice Cream Recipes

MAPLE BOURBON PECAN ICE CREAM

Steps:

• In a medium, heavy-bottomed saucepan, combine the maple syrup, half and half and fine salt. Heat over a medium flame, stirring occasionally, until the mixture starts to steam and small bubbles form around the edges. (If the mixture begins to look curdled, take it off the heat and don't worry; it will smooth out in the next step. It's just the acidity of the maple syrup having its way with the milk solids.)
• Place the egg yolks in a medium bowl and place the bowl on a damp kitchen towel to anchor it. Place the cold, heavy cream in a heat-proof bowl and set a mesh sieve over the bowl.
• Slowly dribble the hot milk mixture into the yolks, whisking constantly. Return the mixture to the pot, place over a low flame, and cook, stirring constantly with a heat-proof silicone spatula, until the mixture begins to "stick" or form a film on the bottom of the pan, or reaches 170º. Immediately remove the pan from the heat, and pour the mixture through the strainer and into the cold cream. Stir to combine, then cover and chill until very cold, at least 4 hours and up to 2 days.
• In a small, heavy-bottomed saucepan, add enough water to barely cover the bottom of the pan. Add the sugar to the center of the pot, moisten it evenly with the water, and wash any crystals that get on the sides of the pan down into the water. Add the corn syrup and cover the pot with a lid. Place the pot over medium-high heat and bring to a boil until the sugar has dissolved.
• Have the butter, salt and nuts measured and at the ready, and have a sheet of parchment paper or a baking sheet ready on which to dump the candied nuts.
• Remove the lid from the pot, and, without stirring, boil the syrup until it reaches an amber caramel. (If the mixture begins to crystallize, you can save it by adding more water and beginning the caramelization process again.) Remove the pot from the heat and immediately swirl in the butter and salt, then add the nuts and stir quickly to coat with a heat-proof silicone spatula.
• Dump and scrape the nuts out onto the parchment, and quickly separate the pieces with the spatula as much as possible. You can use your fingers when the mixture cools a little more, stretching it into fun shapes. Let the nuts cool, break or chop up any large clumps, then freeze the nuts while you...
• Stir the bourbon and vanilla into the chilled ice cream base. Place the ice cream base in the freezer for half an hour to get it really cold, stirring it every 10 minutes to prevent ice crystals from forming.
• Churn in an ice cream maker according to the manufacturer's instructions. When the ice cream is the consistency of a thick milkshake, stir in the candied pecan pieces. Scrape the ice cream into a container, and freeze until scoopable, at least 4 hours.
• The ice cream is best within a week of churning, but will keep for several months. Store with a piece of parchment paper pressed to the surface to prevent ice crystals from forming.

SALTED PECAN-MAPLE ICE CREAM

Steps:

• Place pecans into a heavy saucepan over medium heat and toast the nuts, stirring constantly, until fragrant, 1 to 2 minutes.
• Sprinkle 2 tablespoons sugar over pecans and stir constantly until the sugar melts to a light brown syrup and coats the pecans. Immediately pull the pan off the heat; sprinkle with 1/2 teaspoon sea salt.
• Turn hot pecans out onto a piece of parchment paper and cool thoroughly; break apart any large clumps. Set candied pecans aside.
• Whisk 3/4 cup sugar, maple syrup, eggs, vanilla extract, and maple flavoring in a large bowl until smooth. Slowly whisk in half-and-half.
• Pour mixture into an ice cream maker and freeze according to manufacturer's instructions. Mix the candied pecans into the softly-frozen ice cream. Sprinkle servings with a pinch of coarsely ground sea salt.

MAPLE ICE CREAM

Steps:

• Whisk 1/2 cup maple syrup and egg yolks together in a medium bowl. Set aside.
• Stir remaining maple syrup, half-and-half, cream, and salt together in a medium saucepan. Heat over medium-high heat, stirring often, until simmering. Reduce heat to medium.
• Add about 1/2 cup of the hot cream mixture to the egg mixture. Whisk constantly to prevent the eggs from cooking. Repeat with another 1/2 cup of the cream mixture. Pour egg mixture into the saucepan, stirring constantly with a heatproof spatula. Cook, stirring constantly, until custard thickens and coats the back of the spatula, 1 to 2 minutes longer. Remove from heat.
• Strain custard through a fine-mesh sieve set over a clean bowl. Whisk in vanilla extract. Set the bowl in an ice bath and stir the custard occasionally until cooled to room temperature, 15 to 30 minutes.
• Remove the bowl from the ice bath, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for 2 to 4 hours, or overnight.
• Churn cold custard in an ice cream maker, according to manufacturer's instructions, until it reaches the consistency of soft serve. Serve right away or cover tightly with plastic wrap and freeze until firm.

HOMEMADE MAPLE PECAN ICE CREAM

Steps:

• Using a frying pan, melt the butter on medium-low heat and then add the chopped pecans. Add the honey and cook until the nuts are very slightly browned, 3 - 5 minutes. Be very careful not to overcook the nuts because they can go from perfect to burnt in less than a minute. (Note: these nuts are also a delicious replacement for the plain pecans used in this chocolate Powerball recipe...just add two teaspoons of water instead of using the peanut butter.)
• While the nuts are cooking stir together all three ingredients for the ice cream. Turn on your ice cream maker and then pour the milk mixture into the machine.
• When the ice cream is almost all the way thickened add the nuts...serve immediately and enjoy!

PECAN PIE ICE CREAM

Steps:

• Place milk and cream in a heavy saucepan. Stir in the sugar. Heat on medium until scalded (about 180 degrees) - bubbles will form around the edges. Remove from heat.
• Beat eggs in a small bowl until well-blended. Gradually whisk several tablespoons of the hot milk mixture into the eggs, then slowly pour the egg mixture back into the pan, whisking all the while.
• Place over medium-low heat and cook, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon, until the mixture thickens enough to coat the spoon, 6 minutes or so. As soon as you see the first wisps of steam, remove the pan from the heat. Keep stirring another 5 minutes or so as the mixture cools down. Stir in the vanilla. Transfer the custard to a bowl, cover and refrigerate until very cold, about 6 hours or overnight.
• Place the pecans in a small, heavy skillet over medium-high heat. Toast them, stirring, until lightly browned. Remove from heat. Pour in the maple syrup and add the butter and salt. Stir to coat pecans completely. Transfer to a bowl and refrigerate.
• Add the cold custard to your ice cream maker and churn until the mixture reaches the consistency of soft ice cream, 40 to 50 minutes. Transfer it to a bowl. Fold in the cooled nuts and syrup, swirling them in so they are not thoroughly mixed in.
• Transfer the ice cream to one or more containers and freeze until firm, at least 2 hours. If necessary, let the ice cream soften a bit in the refrigerator or at room temperature before scooping.

MAPLE CRUNCH ICE CREAM

Steps:

• Stir the vanilla into the condensed milk in a large bowl. Lightly whip the cream until it just holds its shape, then fold into the condensed milk using a metal spoon. Spoon into a 1-litre freezer-proof container and freeze for about 3 hrs, until softly frozen. This mix won't crystallise at the edges like most ice creams.
• Working quickly, ruffle up the mix, pour over the syrup and the crushed caramels, then give another quick swirl. Freeze for another 4 hrs or ideally overnight until firm. Will freeze for up to 1 month.

MAPLE BUTTER-PECAN ICE CREAM

Steps:

• Coarsely chop pecans. In a skillet melt butter over moderate heat until foam subsides. Toast pecans in butter, stirring occasionally, until golden and fragrant, about 5 minutes, and sprinkle with salt to taste. Cool pecans and chill in a sealable plastic bag. Buttered pecans may be made 3 days ahead and chilled.
• In a heavy saucepan bring cream, milk, maple syrup, and salt just to a boil, stirring occasionally. In a bowl beat yolks until smooth. Add hot cream mixture to yolks in a slow stream, whisking, and pour into pan. Cook custard over moderately low heat, stirring constantly, until a thermometer registers 170° F. Pour custard through a sieve into a clean bowl and cool. Stir in extract. Chill custard, its surface covered with plastic wrap, at least 3 hours, or until cold, and up to 1 day.
• Freeze custard in an ice-cream maker. Transfer ice cream to a bowl and fold in chilled pecans. Transfer ice cream to an airtight container and put in freezer to harden. Ice cream may be made 1 week ahead.

PECAN PIE WITH MAPLE CREAM

Steps:

• To make the pastry, beat the butter and sugar together in a large bowl until light and fluffy, then beat in the egg yolks. Stir in the flour, then use your hands to bring the mixture together into a dough. Remove from the bowl, wrap and transfer to the fridge to chill for at least 1 hr.
• Roll the pastry out onto a lightly floured surface to the thickness of a £1 coin, then lift into a 23cm loose-bottomed tart tin. Press the pastry into the base and sides of the tin, allowing any excess to hang over the sides. Put the tin on a baking sheet and chill for 30 mins.
• Heat the oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4. Prick the base of the pastry case with a fork. Line with baking parchment and baking beans and bake for 20 mins, then remove the parchment and beans and bake for 10-15 mins more until golden. Remove from the oven and leave to cool in the tin before using a small serrated knife to trim away the excess pastry.
• To make the filling, roughly chop or bash half the pecans and set aside. Whisk the eggs and sugar together in a large bowl, then add the golden syrup, butter, salt, vanilla extract and bourbon, if using, and continue to whisk until everything is well combined. Add the pecans and mix again to thoroughly combine.
• Pour the pecan filling into the pastry case and arrange the remaining whole pecans on top. Bake for 20 mins until evenly coloured - it should be lightly golden brown and set with a slight wobble when you gently shake the tin. Remove from the oven and set aside to cool for at least 1 hr. Just before serving, whip the cream and maple syrup together to soft peaks and serve alongside the pie.