No-Churn Butter Pecan Ice Cream
from https://www.orchidsandsweettea.com/

Making your own homemade ice cream is a pinch with this No-Churn Butter Pecan Ice Cream is the newest wave of indulge! Toasted pecans, unsalted butter, brown sugar, heavy cream, sweetened condensed milk, and a handful of other ingredients come together to create the easiest and most delicious ice cream that requires no special equipment and is the perfect balance of sweet + savory.

Basically, butter pecan is a flavor that merges the nutty notes of pecan with a bold, richness of butter and a hint of sweet vanilla. The distinctive flavor of the pecan is hard to pinpoint – even for experts – but it's best described as having sweet and roasted undertones.

BUTTERED' PECANS:
2 cups chopped pecans
1/4 cup organic brown sugar
1/4 cup unsalted butter

ICE CREAM:
2 cups organic heavy cream
1 (14 oz.) can sweetened condensed milk, low-fat
1/4 cup Almond milk (You can also sub with whole milk or your fave plant-based milk)
2-3 Tbsps pure maple syrup
2 tsps vanilla extract
Pinch of sea salt (don't leave out)
Pinch of ground cinnamon (skip)

TOPPINGS:
Toasted chopped pecans, cooled

TO MAKE THE 'BUTTERED' PECANS:
In a saucepan, add the butter over medium-high heat and let it melt. Add in the brown sugar, stirring until combined and the sugar has dissolved. Finally, add the chopped pecans and stir until coated and the nuts are toasted, about 1-2 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool completely.

TO MAKE THE ICE CREAM:
In a high-powered blender, add the heavy cream (whip separatelty), sweetened condensed milk, vanilla, salt, cinnamon (skip), maple syrup, and milk, blending everything together until smooth, about 2-3 minutes.

Note: Other recipes whip the heavy cream separately, then fold it in. This is to give the ice cream a smoother, creamier and airier texture. See No-Churn Ice Cream
I would also fold in the buttered pecans at this this point.

ASSEMBLE + FREEZE:
Immediately pour the ice cream "batter" into a 9x5 loaf pan (or small metal bowl or round cake pan), followed by the COOLED buttered pecans, slightly stirring everything around (best with a spatula or spoon) to incorporate them in the middle. Then top the batter with the cooled toasted pecans.

Tightly wrap the top of pan with foil paper or heavy duty plastic wrap and freeze for 6 hours or overnight.

To serve, remove from the freezer and let it sit at room temperature for a couple of minutes to help it soften slightly before scooping and adding it your fave bowl(s) or cone(s).

6 servings