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Crunchy Peanut Butter Cup Ice Cream

Homemade ice cream confounds me. The tempering of the eggs in a typical custard base (creme anglaise technically) trips me up every. single. time. I was thrilled to see America’s Test Kitchen did all the scientific research (I just love benefiting from their work) to figure out an egg-less ice cream that came together quickly and painlessly and produced a truly delicious end result. This flavor version was one of their suggestions and I followed it the letter (my past failures have crippled my ice cream confidence).

I was so excited about the end result that I walked around the island after dinner, putting just a taste of the not-quite-hardened ice cream into the mouths of my family members. Side note, I’m worried about their palates. Rich thought it was pecan ice cream. Nobody called the flavor right, but they all loved it.

Crunchy Peanut Butter Cup Ice Cream

America’s Test Kitchen

2 c. halved mini peanut butter cups

1/3 c. chunky natural peanut

1/2 c. plus 1/3 c. nonfat dry milk powder

1/3 c. sugar

1/4 tsp. kosher salt

1 1/2 c. whole milk, divided

1 1/2 c. heavy cream

1/4 c. corn syrup

5 tsp. cornstarch

  1. Place candy in a bowl in freezer.
  2. Place peanut butter in the bottom of a mixing bowl with a fine mesh strainer nearby on counter.
  3. Whisk milk powder, sugar, and salt together in a small bowl.
  4. Whisk 1 1/4 c. of the milk, cream, corn syrup and sugar mixture together in a large saucepan. Cook over medium-high heat, whisking frequently, until tiny bubbles form around edge of saucepan (about five minutes)
  5. Meanwhile, whisk cornstarch and remaining 1/4 c. milk together in a small bowl. Reduce heat to medium and whisk cornstarch mixture into pan.
  6. Cook, constantly scraping bottom of pan with spatula or whisk, until mixture thickens, about 30 seconds.
  7. Immediately pour through fine mesh strainer into bowl with peanut butter. Whisk well. Let cool 20 minutes, cover with plastic and refrigerate at least 6 hours.
  8. Churn base in ice cream maker until it resembles thick soft serve. Add frozen peanut butter cups and churn to combine, one to two minutes longer.
  9. Enjoy or for harder ice cream, freeze for about two hours more in air tight container.
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