Bourbon Pecan Pie Ice Cream (No Churn)
Pecan Pie, with bourbon, in ice cream form! Need I say more?! This Bourbon Pecan Pie Ice Cream features an aromatic and warmly flavored pecan pie ‘filling’. This filling utilizes brown butter, brown sugar, and of course bourbon, to create flavor experience that is deeply satisfying and mouth-wateringly good! This pecan pie ‘filling’ is folded into the no-churn style ice cream batter, which I might say is exceptionally simple to make (say good-bye to ice cream makers forever!), and then frozen inside a loaf pan!
WHY BOURBON?
In making this Pecan Pie No Churn Ice Cream, I have made use of bourbon! Adding spirits, such as bourbon, to food adds a phenomenal amount of flavor and dimension to whatever you’re making. Bourbon, is a oak-aged spirit that is distinctively sweet in flavor, and has vanilla, oak, and caramel notes. These flavors lend themselves so beautifully to something like pecan pie, with its warm caramel, nutty flavors. By adding the bourbon we are further intensifying those already present flavors in the caramel (vanilla, caramel, and nuts). The bourbon is that final touch, that je ne sais quoi flavor that people just can’t seem to put their finger on. The bourbon really amps up the flavor profile in this Pecan Pie Ice Cream, without making it detectably boozy in any way.
My personal favorite Bourbon is Woodford Reserve Kentucky Straight Bourbon.
How to Make Bourbon Pecan Pie Filling
Creating the ‘filling’ for the Pecan Pie Ice Cream requires the use of a few flavor-packed ingredients to really bring that warm, fall-spiced flavor to the forefront. Start by browning some unsalted butter in a medium saucepan. After the butter has browned and is deeply aromatic with nutty, caramel flavors, add the brown sugar and dark corn syrup and bring it to a boil. After the mixture has come to a boil, remove it from the heat, then add in the bourbon, vanilla, and a little pinch of salt. Give it a good stir, then throw in the roughly chopped pecans and stir it once again. Allow this mixture to cool to room temperature, fold in the dulce de leche, then it is ready to be folded into the ice cream batter.
This bourbon pecan pie ‘filling’ uses brown butter – for it’s nutty, caramel notes, dark corn syrup & brown sugar – for the molasses flavor profile, bourbon & vanilla – which really amp up the flavor profile and further highlight the other ingredients beautifully.
How to Make No-Churn Ice Cream
Making no-churn style ice cream requires no special equipment (except maybe a hand mixer or stand mixer for ease), uses only a few ingredients, and is pretty easy to make! A basic no-churn ice cream starts with the whipping of heavy cream to stiff peaks, followed by the folding in of sweetened condensed milk, and whatever flavorings, and then of course a freezing period.
This Bourbon Pecan Pie Ice Cream involves these basic ingredients and steps, with the addition of ‘pecan pie filling’ and dulce de leche!
To make the Bourbon Pecan Pie Ice Cream start by whipping the heavy cream until stiff peaks have formed, then fold in the sweetened condensed milk and dulce de leche carefully. Next, grab the cooled pecan pie filling that was made previously and place it into a bowl, and scoop 1/3 of the ice cream batter into the bowl with it. Fold these together to combine them, then pour this mixture into the main batter in the stand mixer and very lightly fold them together. There should still be chunks and streaks of the pecan pie ‘filling’ evident. Now, grab a loaf pan and pour the mixture into the loaf pan. Cover the loaf pan with plastic wrap then place into the freezer to firm up, for at least 6 hours, then enjoy!
Get the Recipe: Bourbon Pecan Pie No Churn Ice Cream
Ingredients
Bourbon Pecan Pie ‘Filling’
- 2 tbsp Unsalted Butter,, at room temperature
- 1/3 cup Dark Brown Sugar
- 1/3 cup Golden Corn Syrup
- 1 cup Roughly Chopped Pecans
- 2 tbsp Bourbon
- 1 tsp Vanilla
- 1/4 tsp Salt
- 2 tbsp Dulce De Leche
Bourbon Pecan Pie No Churn Ice Cream
- 2 cups Heavy Cream,, chilled
- 5 oz Sweetened Condensed Milk
- 5 oz Dulce De Leche
- Pecan Pie Filling, (above)
Equipment
- Stand mixer
Instructions
Bourbon Pecan Pie ‘Filling’
- In a small sauce over medium heat, add butter and bring to a boil. Continue heating over medium heat, constantly stirring until the butter has turned a nutty brown color. It may be hard to see the color if your butter is foaming a lot, so periodically take it off the heat to check the color.
- Once the butter has browned, add in the brown sugar and corn syrup and bring to a boil. Once boiled, remove from heat and add in the bourbon, vanilla, salt, and chopped pecans. Stir to combine, then allow to cool to room temperature and add dulce de leche. Fold to combine.
Bourbon Pecan Pie No Churn Ice Cream
- Add heavy cream to a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Beat until stiff peaks have formed, then carefully fold in the sweetened condensed milk and dulce de leche until completely combined.
- In a separate bowl, add pecan pie ‘filling’, then scoop 1/3 of whipped cream/sweetened condensed milk/dulce de leche batter into bowl. Fold the pecan pie’ filling’ with the 1/3 of batter to combine. Then pour this into the main batter in the stand mixer. Lightly fold together. Streaks of ‘filling’ should be evident.
- Finally, pour into a loaf pan, cover and place into the freezer to firm up for at least 6 hours.
Related Recipes
Looking for other bourbon based desserts? Check out these below:
BOURBON SALTED CARAMEL SHORTBREAD BARS. These layered shortbread bars are made up of a buttery shortbread layer, bourbon caramel layer, and a dark chocolate layer that is sprinkled with salt.
BROWNED BUTTER BOURBON BANANA BREAD. This banana bread is incredibly moist and flavorful, and is infused with bourbon to enhance those caramel and vanilla flavors!
This ice cream is absolutely amazing. It has a lovely smooth texture with deep, rich, decadent flavours. I’ll be making this on repeat!
Thank you!!