Ingredients
Method
- Prepare the walnuts: Melt butter in a small saucepan over medium heat, then add the walnuts and toast for about 3 minutes until fragrant. Add the brown sugar, cinnamon, and salt, stirring to coat evenly. Pour in the whiskey — it will bubble vigorously. Cook for another 2-3 minutes until most of the liquid has evaporated and the walnuts are glazed and shiny. Spread on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and let cool completely (about 15 minutes).
- Make the custard base: In a medium saucepan, combine the heavy cream and milk over medium heat. Warm until you see small bubbles forming around the edges — not quite boiling. Remove from heat.
- Temper the eggs: Whisk together the sugar, egg yolks, and salt in a large bowl until pale yellow. Slowly pour about 1 cup of the warm cream mixture into the yolk mixture while whisking constantly (this prevents scrambling). Then pour everything back into the saucepan with the remaining cream.
- Cook to custard stage: Cook over medium-low heat, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon, until the mixture thickens enough to coat the back of the spoon and registers 170-175°F on an instant-read thermometer (about 8-10 minutes). Don't let it boil.
- Strain and chill: Strain through a fine-mesh sieve into a clean bowl. Stir in the vanilla extract. Cover with plastic wrap pressed directly against the surface to prevent a skin from forming. Refrigerate for at least 4 hours, ideally overnight.
- Churn: Pour the chilled custard into your ice cream maker and churn according to manufacturer's instructions (usually about 20-25 minutes) until it reaches a soft-serve consistency.
- Freeze with walnuts: Transfer the ice cream to an airtight container, folding in the cooled whiskey-spiced walnuts gently. Freeze for at least 4 hours before serving for best texture.
Nutrition
Notes
What keeps me coming back is how the bourbon mellowed into something almost caramel-like as it cooks down. The trick I learned after burning my first batch was to toast the walnuts in butter before adding the whiskey — the fat catches the alcohol and gives you time to stir without worrying about flames jumping up at you.
I make this when I want dessert that feels special but doesn't demand a lot of attention from me. The ice cream base is straightforward custard, nothing fancy, so my focus stays on getting those walnuts just right. Serve it with anything that has a bit of crunch — cookies, shortbread, even toasted brioche cubes — and you've got yourself something worth pulling out of the freezer.