Classic Butter Pecan Ice Cream

Bravo Breville!

Another knock-out product. We’re so thrilled to be working with our friends at Breville Canada again. Breville has sponsored this post with the Smart Scoop™.

Although February seems like an odd time for ice cream, as we’re still midway through a harsh Canadian winter, we beg to differ. While it may be cold outside (sometimes super cold) and the snow is piled high, we’re nice and warm indoors with central heating… so there’s never a wrong time of year for ice cream. It’s truly a year-round favourite dessert for us!

They weren’t kidding when they called it Smart!

Before we received the ice cream maker, we did lots of research on this unit. We watched videos and read many reviews. the Smart Scoop™ makes the top of the home ice cream maker list, year after year. The reviews weren’t wrong. Now we know first-hand. This is a fantastic machine!

This unit makes sorbet, frozen yogurt, gelato, and ice cream; with three ‘hardness’ settings each. The machine can pre-cool the bowl and can also hold the ice cream cold and ready to serve for up to three hours after it’s done churning. We love the iconic ice cream truck tune it plays to indicate when the ice cream’s ready. I swear it’s made us smile every time we’ve heard its familiar chime!

Our little guy was so excited!

We’ve partnered with a few great companies over the past couple of years, and we’ve received quite a few small kitchen appliances, tools and gadgets that I absolutely love. The kids are usually happy to see my new “kitchen toys”, but I’d never seen our little guy quite as excited as he was when the Smart Scoop™ arrived! Every day after school, his first question was if the ice cream maker had arrived. When it did, he asked to take part in the unboxing process. He even helped me make our first batch of ice cream. How cute is that? Since I’ve mentioned a few times how picky he is, can you guess what flavour he asked for first? Yup… good’ol vanilla. Nothing wrong with that; though we’ll be doing so much more than vanilla.

Why butter pecan ice cream?

Should I say, why not?! I chose to make butter pecan ice cream for the blog first because I love the flavour and because, according to my research on the web, it’s been a top-pick flavour for years now. I guessed that our readers would enjoy it as well. It was a sure winner in our home. The favours are spot on and the pecans add a nice texture and crunch.

Until now, we’ve always kept a tub of store-bought ice cream in our freezer. From this point on, that tub of ice cream will be home made. It’s so easy to make, and we are happy knowing it’s homemade and knowing all the ingredients we put into it. Sure, it’s a sweet treat, but everything in moderation…right.

We can’t wait to share some new ice cream recipes with you. If you enjoy ice cream and fresh home-made real-deal food, you’re going to appreciate the Smart Scoop™. We are honestly thrilled with our machine and the delicious real-deal ice cream we’ve enjoyed from it already.

Give our recipe a try, we’re confident you’ll love it! Eat fresh (no matter the season)… and eat well, friends!

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Classic Butter Pecan Ice Cream

Prep Time

5 mins

Cook Time

45 mins

Total Time

50 mins

 

This ice cream flavour has been around for years and it’s still one of the most popular flavours around. Sweet, creamy and delicious with a little crunch!

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American, Canadian, North American

Servings: 4 1/2 cups

Ingredients

• 4 large egg yolks
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 2 cups whipping cream (35% fat)
• 1 cup milk (2% fat)
• 1 vanilla bean, split lengthwise, seeds scraped and set aside
• 1/2 cup pecans, chopped
• 1 tbsp unsalted butter
• 1 pinch fine salt

Instructions

1. Using a stand or hand mixer, beat the yolks and both sugars until ribbon stage (mixture looks light and airy, and sugars are dissolved) is reached. Set aside.

2. Pour the cream, milk and vanilla into a medium pot and heat between medium and medium high.

3. Once tiny bubbles start to form (don't let it boil), reduce the heat to just under medium.

4. Pour a ladle of the cream mixture over the egg yolks and whisk vigorously.

5. Pour another ladle of the cream on the egg yolks and whisk again.

6. Pour the yolk mixture into the pot and whisk until the ingredients are well combined. Raise the heat to medium.

7. The mixture should start to thicken a bit (don't let it boil). To test, dip a wooden spoon into the cream and lift it. The cream mixture should coat the back of the spoon. Run a finger over the back of the spoon. This should leave a line through the cream.

8. Turn off the heat.

9. Pour the mixture into a bowl, cover and place the bowl in the fridge for about 3 hours to cool.

10. Pour the ice cream mixture into your ice cream maker as per the unit’s instructions and churn.

11. While the ice cream is churning, heat the butter, salt and chopped pecans on medium heat in a saucepan for about 4 to 5 minutes (careful not to burn them), constantly stirring. The pecans will soak up the butter. Set aside (or refrigerate) to cool.

12. Once the churning process is almost complete, add the pecans and continue to churn.

13. Once churning is complete, serve immediately for a softer consistency or freeze (covered) for at least 2 hours for harder consistency. Enjoy!

Recipe Notes

• Cooking time includes the time it takes to churn the ice cream.
• Total cooking time does not include refrigeration time.
• Follow your ice cream making unit's instructions. In some cases, the bowl needs to be in the freezer for a few hours or over night. We used Breville's "the Smart Scoop™", which doesn't require any preparation before pouring in the ice cream mixture. This unit freezes and churns until the desired consistency is reached.

Nelson Cardoso