It’s a lot easier than you think. As long as you have a mixer, an ice cream freezer, and some time, you should be good to go. I wish I had pictures to show you how yummy it is but the last time I made it was for my dad’s birthday party and I was a little harried and trying to multi-task. So you’ll just have to take my word for it and make it for yourself. Your taste buds won’t regret it. (Your waistline might, tho!)
And this ice cream recipe I’m about to share with you isn’t just any ice cream. It’s creamy rich ice cream with toasted pecans swirled into its lusciousness.
Homemade Butter Pecan Ice Cream
Here’s a list of what you will need to make your family, friends, and anyone else you feed drool and rave over your dessert.
1 1/2 cups chopped pecans (You will want to leave them in large pieces as the ice cream freezer will continue to crush them as it does its thing.)
2 Tablespoons butter
2 1/4 cups sugar
9 eggs
1 (14-oz.) can sweetened condensed milk
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
1 1/2 teaspoons butter flavoring
1 1/4 to 1 1/2 teaspoons maple flavoring
1/2 teaspoon salt
4 cups cream
3 cups milk
rock salt
plenty of ice
Preheat oven to 300º F. Melt butter on a baking sheet in the oven. Add pecans to butter and swirl around until coated. Bake for 10-15 minutes or until well-toasted, stirring every 5 minutes of baking time. Then set aside to cool.
In a large stand mixer, beat sugar and eggs well (4-5 minutes). Add remaining ingredients and beat for another 4-5 minutes. Pour creamy frothy mixture into well-chilled ice cream freezer container.
Set up ice cream freezer as recommended for your specific brand with ice cream container, packing layers of ice and rock salt alternately around it. Turn on when ready and freeze until thick, creamy, and unforgettably wonderful.
This recipe fills my 6-quart ice cream freezer container to the brim!
If you need to make this ahead of time, here’s several suggestions of ways that I use.
Leave in ice cream freezer and cover with ice, clear over the lid. Make sure the lid stays sealed tightly though so salty ice doesn’t ruin your dessert!
Take ice cream container out of freezer and place in an empty 5-gallon water jug. Pack ice and salt around it. Screw the jug lid on and you now have a portable ice cream freezer. This works well if you are taking homemade ice cream to a picnic, church potluck, or similar event. When ready to serve, you can just open the lids and stick a long-handled spoon in. Your ice cream will stay firm for quite a while.
Enjoy and let me know in the comments if you try it!