Pralines and Cream Ice Cream
If you love Pralines & Cream Ice Cream, you’re gonna love this rich creamy recipe. Made with a rich cooked custard, lots of cream, caramel and praline pecans, this ice cream is to die for!
I used to go to Baskin Robbins in our local mall, just to get a double scoop of their amazing pralines & cream ice cream. Between those candy-like praline pecans, the yummy caramel and the pure vanilla ice cream, I couldn’t believe any ice cream flavor could be better.
Unfortunately, our local Baskin Robbins closed a few years back, and I’ve been missing my favorite flavor SO MUCH! Those grocery store brands just don’t taste the same. I knew there was only one way to satisfy my craving…make my own.
Okay, the question here is how bad do you want some really good pralines & cream ice cream? The reason I ask is because it does take a wee bit of time to make this, if you make everything from scratch. Yes, you can buy a jar of caramel…if you insist… and yes you can probably find praline pecans at the grocery store, but why take short cuts? As a matter of fact, you can make the caramel, pecans and custard all the day before. Oh…and let me tell ya, you’ll be wanting to eat every single one of those praline pecans as soon as they come out of the oven. I know…trust me!
Okay, here’s what I did. The day before I planned on eating this yummy ice cream, I did three things,
- I cooked my homemade custard and placed it in the fridge to chill.
- I made my homemade caramel and placed it in the fridge to chill.
- I prepped and baked my praline pecans, placed them in a container and hid them from myself!
The next day, all I did was finish by adding more half and half, churning the ice cream and adding the praline pecans and caramel. Once it’s churned it’s soft serve, which by the way, is insanely delicious. However, I placed it in the freezer for about 2 hours, until I couldn’t wait any longer, my sister dropped by, and the rest is history! 🙂
Okay, shall we get started? You’re gonna love this ice cream!
How to make the praline pecans
You only need 6 easy ingredients and these take no time to make. The important thing is to use fresh pecans, and pure ingredients like real butter and vanilla. I used my favorite vanilla bean paste from Taylor & Colledge. I’m not collaborating with them…I just love their product. You can use paste or liquid extract.
- In a large bowl, whisk the egg whites and vanilla together until the egg whites are frothy. Whisk in the salt and sugar. Add the pecans and mix to until all the pecans are thoroughly covered in the egg white sugar mixture.
Prep: Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Place the butter on a baking sheet and melt it in the oven.
- Spread the pecans on the buttered baking sheet. Bake for 30 minutes, turning the nuts every 10 minutes with a metal spatula.
- Remove from oven and allow them to completely cool. Transfer to a container with a lid until ready to use. If not using right away, store in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks. WARNING: These won’t last that long, and they might disappear before making it into the ice cream!! 🙂
How to make homemade caramel (optional)
- Dissolve the sugar in a small saucepan over low heat. Don’t stir. Once it starts to melt, you can gently stir the undissolved sugar into the wet. Make sure the burner is on low heat. This might take about 5 minutes.
- As soon as the sugar turns a caramel color, remove it from the heat.
- Quickly whisk in the butter, followed by the cream. It might turn into a big lump, but just keep whisking vigorously until it melts down and smooths out again. Place back over the low heat and whisk until the mixture comes to a boil and immediately remove.
- Allow the caramel to cool to room temperature. Pour into a small jar with a lid and place in the refrigerator until ready to use.
- This caramel makes about 3/4 of a cup, which is the perfect amount for this ice cream.
How to make the ice cream
Making the Vanilla custard
Prep: Whisk the cornstarch into 1 cup of the half & half and se aside. Add the egg yolks to a large measuring cup or medium bowl and lightly whisk. Set aside.
- Add the sugar, salt, heavy whipping cream, one cup of half and half and vanilla to a medium saucepan. Cook over medium heat while whisking constantly, until the mixture comes to a boil and begins to slightly thicken.
- Remove the pan from the heat and pour about half of the mixture into the eggs and whisk vigorously. Then pour the mixture back into the pan. This is called tempering the eggs, so they don’t cook up into scrambled eggs in your custard.
- Place the pan back on the burner. Bring back to a boil over medium heat, while whisking constantly, and cook for about 1 minute until it starts to thicken and remove from heat.
- Transfer the custard to a bowl and allow to cool completely. Place a piece of plastic wrap over the surface and refrigerate for at least 2 hours or overnight until very chilled before proceeding with the ice cream.
Churning the ice cream
- Remove the custard from the refrigerator. Add the remaining 3 cups of half & half to the custard and whisk until thoroughly combined.
- Add the mixture to a 2-quart ice cream maker. Run the ice cream maker as directed, or until the ice cream is thick and creamy. (I have a Cuisinart and it automatically runs for 25 minutes).
- Once the ice cream is churned, transfer about 1/3 of it to a loaf pan. Spoon some of the caramel over it, followed by some of the pecans. Layer it…ice cream, toppings, ice cream toppings, etc. Then run a knife through it if you want to swirl the caramel around some.
- You can serve it as soft serve, or cover it securely with plastic wrap or foil, and freeze for about 2 hours until thick, yet still creamy.
Do I have to churn this ice cream?
Yes. This recipe starts with a custard base, therefore it need to be churned in an ice cream maker. Ice cream recipes with a custard base have a richer flavor, since they contain eggs. I don’t mind the extra few minutes it takes to make a custard base. Churning ice cream results in a creamier ice cream, since your incorporating air into it as it churns.
Why did my custard base curdle?
If you do not properly temper the eggs, the custard will curdle, and you will end up with little chunks of cooked egg in the custard. It’s important to follow the steps above on making the custard, and temper the eggs correctly, making sure to add some of the hot liquid into the eggs and immediately vigorously whisk them to cool the mixture and blend it without cooking the eggs. Then you’ll add the mixture back to the pan. It’s important to constantly stir the mixture as well, cooking on no more than medium heat. If you do curdle the mixture, run it through a stainer.
Pro tips for this recipe
- Make sure you allow time to thoroughly chill the custard base. I like to make the base, the caramel and the pecans the day prior to serving the ice cream. Then on the day of, all I do is add some half and half and churn the ice cream.
- Make sure to use an ice cream maker that will hold 2 quarts of ice cream for this recipe. The standard electric ones like Cuisinart should all be 2 quart ice cream makers. The ones that attach to your mixer aren’t as big.
- For a firm but scoopable ice cream, once you churn it, place it in the freezer for a couple of hours. It will be a soft serve ice cream as soon as it’s churned…still great!
More ice cream recipes you might like…
No Churn Cookies & Cream Ice Cream
Maple Cinnamon Crunch Ice Cream
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Pralines and Cream Ice Cream
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 1 hour
- Total Time: 1 hour 20 minutes
- Yield: 2 quarts 1x
- Category: Frozen Desserts/Ice Cream
- Method: Cook
- Cuisine: American
Description
This delicious ice cream is so creamy and flavorful, and it’s marbled with homemade caramel and studded with praline pecans. You can do most of the prepping the day before churning the ice cream. It’s so worth it.
Ingredients
PRALINE PECANS
- 1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter
- 2 cups pecan halves or large broken pieces
- 2 egg whites
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
HOMEMADE CARAMEL (OPTIONAL…you can use store bought if you prefer)
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
VANILLA CUSTARD
- 4 large egg yolks, lightly whisked
- 1 1/4 cups granulated sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup heavy whipping cream
- 4 cups half & half, divided
- 3 tablespoons cornstarch
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Instructions
PRALINE PECANS
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place the butter on a baking sheet and melt it in the oven, then set aside. In a large bowl, whisk the egg whites and vanilla together until the egg whites are frothy. Whisk in the salt and sugar. Add the pecans and mix to until all the pecans are thoroughly covered in the egg white sugar mixture.
- Spread the pecans on the buttered baking sheet. Bake for 30 minutes, turning the nuts every 10 minutes with a metal spatula.
- Remove from oven and allow them to completely cool. Transfer to a container with a lid until ready to use. If not using right away, store in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.
HOMEMADE CARAMEL
- Dissolve the sugar in a small saucepan over low heat. Don’t stir. Once it starts to melt, you can gently stir the undissolved sugar into the wet. Make sure the burner is on low heat. This might take about 5 minutes. As soon as the sugar turns a caramel color, remove it from the heat.
- Quickly whisk in the butter, followed by the cream. It might turn into a big lump, but just keep whisking until it melts down and smooths out again. Place back over the low heat and whisk until the mixture comes to a boil and remove.
- Allow the caramel to cool to room temperature. Pour into a small jar with a lid and place in the refrigerator until ready to use. This caramel will keep for about 2 weeks in the refrigerator, depending on how fresh the cream was. If the caramel has thickened when you’re ready to use, whether it be in the ice cream or on something else, microwave for about 10 seconds to make it pourable again.
VANILLA CUSTARD
- Whisk the cornstarch into 1 cup of the half & half and se aside. Add the egg yolks to a large measuring cup or medium bowl and lightly whisk. Set aside.
- Add the sugar, salt, heavy whipping cream, the one cup of half and half and vanilla to a medium saucepan. Cook over medium heat while whisking constantly, until the mixture comes to a boil and begins to slightly thicken. Remove the pan from the heat and pour about half of the mixture into the eggs and whisk vigorously. Then pour the mixture back into the pan. This is called tempering the eggs, so they don’t cook up into scrambled eggs in your custard. Place the pan back on the burner. Bring back to a boil over medium heat, while whisking constantly, and cook for about 1 minute until it starts to thicken and remove from heat.
- Allow the custard to cool completely. Place a piece of plastic wrap over the surface and refrigerate for at least 2 hours or overnight until very chilled before proceeding with the ice cream.
TO MAKE THE ICE CREAM
- Remove the custard from the refrigerator. Add the remaining 3 cups of half & half to the custard and whisk until thoroughly combined. Add the mixture to a 2-quart ice cream maker. Run the ice cream maker as directed, or until the ice cream is thick and creamy. (I have a Cuisinart and it automatically runs for 25 minutes).
- Once the ice cream is churned, transfer about 1/3 of it to a loaf pan. Spoon some of the caramel over it, followed by some of the pecans. Layer it…ice cream, toppings, ice cream toppings, etc. Then run a knife through it if you want to swirl the caramel around some. You can serve it as soft serve, or cover it securely with plastic wrap or foil, and freeze for about 2 hours until thick, yet still creamy.
- If freezing for more than 2 to 3 days, you might consider transferring the ice cream to a freezer safe container with a lid, to ensure that no ice crystals form on the ice cream. I suggest eating it within 2 to 3 weeks for best flavor.