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There is absolutely nothing like this black walnut ice cream.
Black walnuts are so much more flavorful than regular walnuts that you will be blown away by this recipe. I harvest my own black walnuts, but you can buy black walnuts online as well.
The reason this ice cream is so good is because black walnuts lend their flavor to fatty things, like cream, much better than regular walnuts. I am not sure why, but it seems to be the case in my experience. Can you use regular walnuts to make this ice cream? Yes, but it will not be the same. Nothing beats wild walnuts.
For my recipe, I do a black walnut double-dip: First I infuse the cream with the nuts, which gives it flavor and a little color, and then I add those walnuts back in the final ice cream, which is itself enriched by several egg yolks. It’s roll-your-eyes-back-in-your-head good.
You can use this recipe as a template for any similar nut, so regular walnuts, pecans, hickory nuts and butternuts.
Another thing that makes my black walnut ice cream better than most others is that I use real vanilla, as in a pod, not extract. This makes a difference, but the ice cream will still be fine if you use an extract — just use a decent extract, not the imitation crap.
If you want something over your ice cream, the obvious choice is a chocolate drizzle. I prefer to add chocolate chips in the ice cream itself as a variation; add them in halfway through the churn.
Black Walnut Ice Cream
Ingredients
- 2 cups cream
- 2 cups milk
- 2/3 cup black walnuts, roughly chopped
- 2/3 cup sugar
- 1/2 vanilla bean, scraped
- 4 or 5 egg yolks
Instructions
- Heat the cream, milk, sugar and walnut pieces in a heavy-bottomed pot to 170 degrees, or to the point at which it steams but does not simmer. Turn off the heat, add the vanilla bean and the scraped insides of the bean, stir well and cover. Let this cool for 1 hour.
- Move the mixture to a container and refrigerate for at least 4 hours, or up to overnight.
- Strain the mixture to remove the vanilla bean and the walnut pieces. Reserve the walnut pieces and set them in the fridge.
- Heat the strained mixture to 160°F. As it is heating, beat the egg yolks to combine. When the cream has hit its temperature, you will need to temper your eggs so they don’t scramble. One hand holds a ladle, the other whisks the egg yolks: Pour in a little hot cream with one hand, whisking vigorously with the other. Pour in 2 ladles full, then pour the egg-cream mixture into the pot and stir well. Cook this gently, stirring often, for 5 minutes. Do not let it simmer.
- Strain this one more time and chill the mixture down at least to room temperature before putting into the ice cream maker. Churn it until it has the consistency of soft-serve ice cream, then remove to a large bowl and gently fold in the reserved black walnut pieces. Freeze and eat!
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
I just finished with black walnut ice cream from baskin and robbbins for $5.99 a pint. I finished black walnut pieces which I ordered on line. I buy ice cream and press the nuts in; and it is certainly not the same. I have searched for a recipe for sometime and could not find one. Finally, I love this recipe because you infused the cream to thoroughly get the flavor of the walnut. When I finish this comment, I will go on NUTS ONLINE and order a couple of bags. NO SHELLS. I remember plenty of hair pin bruises to my lips when I was a young teenager from trying to pop the nut into my mouth; after taking for ever to get a good nut and getting it cracked. It’s a flavor you don’t forget. Love them!!!
I collect the nuts after the husks have started to disintegrate–you can typically roll them under your boot to remove most of the husk (there will be husk maggots–don’t let that bother you–they aren’t in the nut itself, just the in the husk). I wash the black mush, husk remnants and mud off by putting the nuts in a 5-gallon bucket and agitating them with a potato fork–it takes 4 or 5 changes of water to get them clean. Don’t pour the water out near any delicate plants–the juglone in them is somewhat toxic to plants. I then dry the nuts in the sun for a day or two and hang them in the basement in net bags with a dehumidifier going for the first few days. I usually get back to them in 6 weeks or so, although I have had some for two years that, when opened, seemed as good as ever. I crack them in a heavy bench vise and use a pair of heavy wire cutters cut the internal partitions to help get the meat out. About 1/3 of my nuts are either spoiled (black, shriveled and bitter) or wormy when cracked open. Black walnut cookies and cake are also wonderful.
QUESTION: What is the best way to make homemade Ice Cream without an ice cream machine? Thanks
No idea. I am pretty sure you need to buy one.
I have a Kitchenaid ice cream attachment and it just melted the liquid inside of it. 🙁 The Kitchenaid, it would seem, requires the mixture to be completely chilled prior to churning.
Yep. I will adjust the recipe instructions to make that clear. My “Ferrari” ice cream maker is an anomaly, methinks…
The flavor of the un-churned ice cream is very good. However, you must chill it after the second heating and before putting it in the ice cream maker or it will just melt the ice in your ice cream maker and you will end up with chilled liquid.
Yes, if you have an old style ice cream maker. I can go right from the pot to my ice cream maker with no problem, but I have a restaurant-grade maker.
Until I made this ice cream I thought black walnut pie was the best dessert I ever put in my mouth. It’s absolutely delicious, and this recipe has changed th way I will make all flavors of ice cream
Thanks!
Great recipe!
I have collected black walnuts (or Mexican walnuts, not sure, here we call them jailed nuts, while pecans we call them just nuts) before, but never tried something with them. Will try to find some and do this.
Thanks!
Butter: Porcini powder in walnut ice cream? Intriguing…
Peter: You do need to be pretty careful about shells. I get about 99% of them, but yeah, a stray bit will show up now and again.
We let ours dry for 3 weeks after husking, seems to work very well! The nut should break with a bit of a snap, that’s how you know they’re done. Trying out this ice cream today or tomorrow, looking forward to our first taste! 🙂
I cracked one of my black walnuts and the nut meat seemed very wet, so I’m hoping for a tip on how long to dry these in the shell once they’ve been husked. Thank you!
I must make this because I have black walnuts and don’t know what to do with them! It sounds delicious.
That sounds so good… I wonder if there are still any black walnuts on the trees. Somehow I never find any if I’m looking for them. If I go out hunting mushrooms, I’ll find a bunch of walnuts instead!
We go foraging for black walnuts in October when they fall from the trees. Usually let them dry outside, then long about January when the snow begins to fly we spend evenings banging them open as a family project. Nothing better for baked goods!
So excited to see this recipe! Just finished husking a huge load of foraged black walnuts (table vise, rubber gloves) and wondering how long they need to dry in the shell…? Thanks, Hank!
Oh yum! My mouth is watering! That icecream sounds drooling good! Can just taste it! Wish I was there to share some with you!
I so miss my black walnut trees! They were a pain in the patootie (especially for my husband when he mowed), but so worth it. I need to find someone who has a tree. The ice cream looks absolutely amazing, definitely eye-roll back in the head level.
I just harvested my own black walnuts also. Agreed that is one tough nut to crack! My grandfathers favorite ice cream was black walnut!
E.A.T.
P S Welcome Home, I hope!
Dentist’s delight, black walnuts! No matter how hard I try to keep pieces of shell out of the meats I always seem to chomp down on one in Sarah’s ice box cookies. I have learned to chomp gingerly. How do you manage to stay shell fragment-free, especially since the meat is such a small part of the whole nut?
Reminds me of when steel shot became mandatory for widlfowl,and soft lead shot was outlawed. My brother said to his dentist, “I bet you get a lot of new work out of people breaking teeth on steel,” to which the dentist said “Naw, I doubt it.” Fast forward a year, and the dentist tells tony, “You know, you were right! I am getting a lot of new trade from broken teeth!”
My favorite ice cream, too. But lately, I’ve been adding porcini powder to the mix.