Ice Cream Or Sorbet Recipe
Chef's Selection, Almond Cookie
Was this page helpful?
Help improve this recipe for others.
Send this recipe to your inbox.
We'll email it straight to you - plus weekly cooking inspiration.
Ingredients
Some product links may be affiliates. If you buy through them, you're supporting the site and Pekin may earn a commission at no extra cost to you.
Almond Cookie Crumble
Vanilla Almond Ice Cream Base
Assembly & Finishing
Method
Almond Cookie Crumble
- 1
Prepare dough
Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C). In a medium bowl, whisk together 1 cup all-purpose flour, 1/2 cup almond flour, 1/2 cup granulated sugar and 1/4 tsp fine salt until evenly combined. Add 6 tablespoons cold cubed unsalted butter. Using a pastry cutter or fingertips, cut butter into dry ingredients until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs with some pea-sized pieces remaining. Stir in 1 egg yolk and 1 tsp vanilla extract just until a cohesive dough forms. Do not overwork.
- 2
Bake and cool
Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface, press into a disk about 1/2 inch thick. Optionally roll lightly and cut into small rounds or simply break into pieces. Transfer pieces to a parchment-lined baking sheet spaced slightly apart. Bake 12–15 minutes, until edges are light golden and centers set. Remove from oven and let cool on sheet 10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. When cool, pulse in a food processor briefly (1–2 pulses) to make a coarse crumble; reserve about 3/4 cup for folding into ice cream and keep remainder for garnish.
Vanilla Almond Ice Cream Base
- 3
Warm dairy and infuse
In a medium saucepan combine 1 cup whole milk, 1 1/2 cups heavy cream and 3/4 cup granulated sugar. Split and scrape 1 vanilla bean and add both seeds and pod to the saucepan (or add 1 tsp vanilla extract later if using extract). Warm over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until sugar dissolves and mixture is hot but not boiling (steaming with small bubbles at the edge), about 5–7 minutes. Remove from heat and let infuse 10 minutes for fuller vanilla flavor.
- 4
Temper egg yolks
While dairy is warming, whisk 4 egg yolks in a medium bowl until smooth. Slowly whisk about 1/3 cup of the hot dairy mixture into yolks to temper, whisking constantly. Gradually whisk tempered yolks back into the saucepan with remaining dairy. Return pan to low-medium heat and cook, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon or heatproof spatula, scraping the bottom, until the custard coats the back of the spoon and reaches about 170–175°F (77–80°C), about 3–6 minutes. Do not boil.
- 5
Finish custard
Remove saucepan from heat. If you used a vanilla pod, remove and discard it. Stir in 1/2 tsp almond extract and 1/4 tsp fine salt. Pour custard through a fine-mesh sieve into a clean bowl to remove any cooked bits. If using vanilla extract instead of bean, stir it in now. Chill the strained custard: place bowl in an ice bath and stir until cooled to room temperature, then cover and refrigerate at least 4 hours or overnight until fully cold (this improves texture).
- 6
Churn
When custard is thoroughly chilled, pour into an ice cream maker and churn according to manufacturer instructions until it reaches a soft-serve consistency (usually 20–30 minutes). During the last 2–3 minutes of churning, add about 3/4 cup of the reserved almond cookie crumble so it folds evenly into the ice cream.
- 7
Assembly & Finishing
- 8
Serve
Scoop the frozen ice cream into bowls or cones. Sprinkle with toasted sliced almonds and additional coarse almond cookie crumble. If desired, finish with a light pinch of flaky sea salt to enhance flavors. Serve immediately.
- 9
Make-ahead and storage
Stored in an airtight container in the freezer, this ice cream will keep best for up to 2 weeks. If it becomes too hard, let it sit at room temperature for 5–10 minutes before scooping.
