I absolutely love ice cream. This is not a new fact. I talk about it any chance I can get. And I try to make ice cream any chance I get. This time around I had a request to make Black Walnut Ice Cream. This recipe is inspired by the same flavour at Marble Slab! I absolutely loved the flavour but sadly they do not make it anymore. At first, it seemed like such a travesty, but after making and eating this ice cream, I will never ever miss the one from Marble Slab again!
In fact, I have taken this recipe a step further and added candied walnuts to the mixture. Because obviously, regular walnuts aren’t enough. And even after all that, I turned my ice cream into an affogato by adding a shot of espresso to a scoop of the ice cream prior to gobbling it all up. Needless to say, this black walnut ice cream recipe is legit the bomb dot com. Yeah, I totally said that 😉
WHY IT’S WORTH IT
I know making homemade ice cream can be a pain. Not everyone has access to an ice cream churner and even then it is a hassle to make room in the freezer for the base. But trust me when I say making homemade ice cream is worth all the pain and hassle!
Nothing is better and more fulfilling than knowing you can make your own ice cream and it tastes better than store bought. Especially when you can make decadent flavours like black walnut ice cream with candied walnuts. Everything is better when it comes from your own hand.
Furthermore, you get to control what quality ingredients you put in your ice cream and you get to control the amount of sugar too. I think that makes making your own ice cream even more worth it. When there is less sugar you can have more scoops of ice cream. That’s sounds logic – right? 🙂
For those of you who are wondering, I use this ice cream churner from Cuisinart. It doesn’t cost an arm and a leg and it gets the job done. If you have a KitchenAid stand mixer you can buy ice cream attachments as well. I haven’t ever tried that so I am not sure how well they work.
I think that everyone should at least try and make homemade ice cream at least once. Since the holidays are coming up, now is the best time to dedicate a Saturday at trying your hand making ice cream. And since it is the winter time, we need the calories since we are obviously going into hibernation mode! LOL
Black Walnut Ice Cream
Black walnut ice cream is a rich, nutty and creamy ice cream that is perfect for fall dinners. Topped with candied walnuts, you will never buy store bought ice cream again!
Ingredients
- 1 cup whole milk
- 2 cups full cream (35% whipping cream)
- 2/3 cups sugar
- 2 tsp vanilla
- 1 tsp vanilla bean paste (optional)
- 1/4 tsp cinnamon
- 2 tbsp black walnut extract (may need 1 tbsp extra depending on taste)
- 4 egg yolks
Candied Walnuts
- 1/4 cup walnuts (crushed or whole)
- 2 tbsp butter
- 2 tbsp cane sugar
- 3 tbsp brown sugar
- pinch of cinnamon
Instructions
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In a heavy bottom saucepan, combine whole milk, 1 cup full cream, and sugar. Set over medium heat, stirring occasionally you want to bring the mixture to a boil. You will begin to see steam rising from the top of the milk mixture. Remove from heat and add the vanilla, vanilla paste (if using), cinnamon and black walnut extract. Cover and let the mixture rest for 15-20 minutes. Meanwhile, whisk together the 4 egg yolks and set aside.
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Place the mixture back on low heat and stir in the egg yolks. Continue to stir the custard until the mixture coats the back of your wooden spoon or spatula. About 10 minutes.
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In a medium-sized bowl pour in remaining 1 cup of full cream. Place a mesh strainer on top and pour the custard mixture through the sieve ensuring that no curdled pieces of egg go through. Stir the ice cream mixture and taste it to see if you need to add a few more drops of the black walnut mixture. Cover and place the ice cream mixture in the fridge overnight. Churn according to manufacturers instructions the next day. Transfer into a freezer safe container. Remove ice cream 10-15 minutes prior to serving to allow it to soften enough to scoop.
Candied Walnuts
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You can make the candied walnuts the night before or the day you churn the ice cream. Heat a medium non-stick skillet over medium heat, add the walnuts, butter, sugar, and cinnamon. Heat over medium heat for 5 minutes, stirring frequently so your mixture doesn't burn (especially towards the end).
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Remove off heat and transfer onto a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. Let the walnuts harden (about 1 hour). Break off into smaller pieces if need be. Add the walnuts to the ice cream mixture towards the last 10 minutes of churning time.
Isn’t the recipe super simple? And look how delicious the black walnut ice cream is! Trust me when I say not a single scoop went to waste. I absolutely love making ice cream. But I like eating ice cream even more. Let me know how this recipe turned out for you! If you want to try your hand at other ice cream recipes, check out my recipe for chocolate pistachio ice cream and cookies and cream ice cream.
