Brown Sugar Ice Cream with Honeyed Grape Nut Crunch

This Brown Sugar Ice Cream with Honeyed Grape Nut Crunch is a sweet and exciting way to enjoy your favorite treat!

The sun is out, the birds are chirping, and even though summer isn’t technically here yet, let’s be real. Summer is here.

This weekend marks the official start of the summer season for many people, and after a polar vortex Wisconsin winter I feel like I’m seeing leaves and flowers for the first time. Some of the evergreen trees in our yard actually died because it was so cold. I didn’t even know that could happen. Someone get me an ice cream cone.

I had a major ice cream craving the other day but it was clear there was no way I was going to be able to get my hands on any. So what does a girl do when she can’t go to her favorite ice cream shop? She goes online and reads the list of flavors she could have chosen from had she gone. *facepalm*

So it wasn’t my proudest moment. But, I discovered a new flavor! Grape nut. As in the cereal for old people who don’t want their food to taste good any more. How did this work? Surely there just be a reason someone put this crunchy little cereal into ice cream. Did it do something interesting and unsuspected? I immediately did some research. Turns out grape nuts are made primarily from barley, which makes them a little malty. They’re also insanely crunchy, making each bite like having a waffle cone (you know I need a waffle cone).

I originally wanted to add a caramel swirl to the crunchy cereal, but then I remembered what I learned when I made goat cheese and honey ice cream – honey tastes and feels an awful lot like caramel when frozen. So. Why not skip the caramel and use the slightly healthier, more natural honey? It was an all around win.

This brown sugar ice cream with honeyed grape nut crunch turned out so good. It is thick and creamy. The honey melts quickly while the ice cream stays firm and the grape nuts add that perfect malty crunch. My kids also loved it. It was a fun way to sneak some extra iron into their little vegetarian tummies.

What are some other unusual ice cream flavors you’ve seen or tried? I’m all about the unusual.

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Brown Sugar Ice Cream with Honeyed Grape Nut Crunch

Sweet and creamy brown sugar ice cream with ripples of gooey honey and crunchy grape nuts cereal!

5 from 1 vote

Print Pin Rate

Prep Time: 45 minutes

Cook Time: 10 minutes

Total Time: 55 minutes

Servings: 8

Calories: 364kcal

Author: Lindsay Moe

Ingredients

• 5 large egg yolks
• 1/2 cup packed dark brown sugar, divided
• 1 3/4 cup heavy cream
• 3/4 cup whole milk
• 1/4 teaspoon coarse kosher salt
• 1/3 cup raw honey
• 3/4 cup grape nuts cereal

Instructions

• In a medium bowl, whisk the yolks and 1/4 cup brown sugar until combined.
• In a medium sized, heavy bottomed saucepan, stir together cream milk, salt, and remaining 1/4 cup brown sugar. Bring to a simmer over medium-high heat, then reduce the heat to medium.
• Carefully and slowly add a ladle-full of the hot cream mixture to the egg mixture, whisking the eggs constantly. Repeat with two more ladles of cream, adding slowly and whisking constantly. Using a heatproof rubber spatula, stir the cream mixture in the saucepan as you slowly add the egg mixture to the pan.
• Cook the mixture over medium heat, stirring constantly, until it is thick, coats the back of a spatula, and holds a clear path when you run your finger across the spatula, about 2 minutes.
• Pour the mixture through a fine mesh strainer into a clean container. Set the container in an ice-water bath, and use a clean spatula to stir the base occasionally until cooled. Remove the container from the ice water bath, cover tightly, and refrigerate for two hours or overnight.
• Once the base is chilled, freeze in an ice cream machine according to manufacturer’s instructions.
• While the ice cream is churning, make the mix-in. In a small bowl, combine honey and grape nuts. Once the ice cream is done in the ice cream machine, carefully fold in large chunks of the cereal mixture. Transfer the ice cream to a covered container and freeze for a minimum of two hours.
• Homemade ice cream will stay good for about 1 week but is best enjoyed within a few days.

Notes

Heavily adapted from Sweet Cream and Sugar Cones: 90 Recipes for Making Your Own Ice Cream and Frozen Treats from Bi-Rite Creamery

 

Nutrition

Calories: 364kcal | Carbohydrates: 36g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 23g | Saturated Fat: 13g | Cholesterol: 195mg | Sodium: 167mg | Potassium: 150mg | Sugar: 27g | Vitamin A: 23.1% | Vitamin C: 0.4% | Calcium: 9% | Iron: 25.6%

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