Roasted Almond Ice Cream

I had a dream last weekend of making my first batch of sesame ice cream. It was a good dream, and one that I plan to follow up on just as soon as I can. I ran into a roadblock on this first go-round when I was unable to locate tahini in the vast cacophony of aisles at my local H.E.B. Sure, I could have run over to Central Market, or hit up the Indian grocery store on the way home, but sometimes it’s a good thing to know when you’re beat.

Lately every time I go grocery shopping I’m hit with a series of contractions. I take this to mean that Babeleo is determined to be birthed in the grocery store. Somehow, I don’t think the health department would be too wild about that, me either, so when I go shopping these days I am in and out as quickly as I can manage it. Gone are the days of leisurely perusing ingredients or making multiple stops.

So I found myself challenged to make a new ice cream flavor from what was already present in my cupboards. After making a batch of peanut butter ice cream last week, it didn’t take a far stretch of the imagination to put two and two together when my eyes landed on a jar of almond butter. “Well, hello there.”

I started out with the base from Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams , then added 1/2 cup of natural almond butter to get started. To intensify the flavor, I also added a little bit of natural almond and vanilla extracts. Honey was also included to bring it all together. At the last moment, I mixed in a blend of chopped roasted, salted nuts, giving the ice cream a satisfying crunch, and an extra punch of nutty flavor.

I shared the pilot batch of this ice cream at the Austin Food Blogger Alliance Potluck this weekend. I remembered to write down how I made it, but forgot completely to take any pictures. Luckily, Lisa from Full and Content snapped a great shot of the ice cream mid-scoop. Thanks, Lisa!

Roasted Almond Ice Cream
Makes about 1 pint

Ingredients

• 2 cups whole milk
• 1 tablespoon and 1 teaspoon cornstarch
• 1 1/2 ounces cream cheese
• 1/2 cup almond butter
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/4 cups heavy cream
• 2/3 cup sugar
• 2 tablespoons corn syrup
• 2 tablespoons honey
• 1/2 teaspoon almond extract
• 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/4 cup chopped roasted mixed nuts (salted)

Directions

1. Combine 2 tablespoons of milk in a small bowl with cornstarch. Set aside.
2. Combine the cream cheese, almond butter and salt in a large mixing bowl and set aside to soften.
3. Combine the remaining milk, cream, sugar, corn syrup, and honey in a saucepan. Bring to a boil, then reduce to low and simmer for four minutes.
4. Remove the pan from the heat, then whisk in the cornstarch mixture.
5. Bring back to a boil, then reduce to low and simmer for two minutes.
6. Add the almond and vanilla extract, then slowly whisk the mixture into the cream cheese and almond butter mixture. Blend until totally combined and smooth.
7. Chill the custard for several hours, or until super cold.
8. Churn the chilled custard in the ice cream machine for about 40 minutes. Add the chopped nuts during the last few minutes. Make sure the nuts mix well, then transfer the frozen custard to a freezer-safe container.
9. Freeze overnight, (or at least for a few hours) to harden the ice cream before serving. 
   

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