Tillamook Ice Cream Recipe

Warm dairy

In a medium saucepan, combine the whole milk, heavy cream, and half of the granulated sugar (1½ tbs). Add the scraped vanilla bean seeds and pod (or 1 tbs vanilla extract) and warm over medium heat until the mixture is steaming and small bubbles form around the edge, about 5–7 minutes. Do not boil. Remove from heat and let steep for 10 minutes if using a vanilla bean pod.

Whisk egg yolks

While the dairy warms, whisk the egg yolks with the remaining 1½ tbs granulated sugar and the kosher salt in a heatproof bowl until the mixture is pale and slightly thickened, about 1–2 minutes.

Temper eggs

Slowly pour about 1/2 cup of the warm dairy into the yolk mixture while whisking constantly to temper the eggs. Continue adding warm dairy in a thin stream until about half of the dairy has been incorporated and the yolks are warmed, about 1–2 minutes.

Cook custard

Return the tempered yolk-dairy mixture to the saucepan with the remaining dairy. Cook over medium-low heat, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon or heatproof spatula and scraping the bottom, until the custard thickens and coats the back of the spoon (reaches about 170–175°F or thick enough that a finger drawn through the spoon leaves a clear line), about 5–8 minutes. Do not let it boil.

Strain and cool

Immediately remove from heat and strain the custard through a fine-mesh sieve into a clean bowl to remove any cooked bits and the vanilla pod. If you used vanilla extract, you can skip the steeping note but still strain. Place the bowl over an ice bath and stir occasionally until the custard cools to room temperature, about 20 minutes.

Chill

Cover the cooled custard tightly with plastic wrap (press the wrap onto the surface to prevent a skin) and refrigerate at least 4 hours or overnight. Chilling fully improves texture and flavor.

Prepare mix-ins

If using mix-ins, prep them while the custard chills: toast pecans in a dry skillet over medium heat until fragrant (3–5 minutes) and chop; melt chocolate slightly if desired or leave chips whole; cut fruit into small pieces and toss with a teaspoon of sugar if very juicy.

Churn

Set up your ice cream maker according to manufacturer instructions and freeze the bowl if required. Pour the chilled custard into the ice cream maker and churn until it reaches a soft-serve consistency, about 20–30 minutes depending on your machine.

Add mix-ins

In the last 2–3 minutes of churning, add desired mix-ins (eg. 1 cup chopped pecans, 1 cup chocolate chips, or 1 cup fruit) so they are evenly distributed. For swirls like caramel, fold 1 cup caramel sauce into the churned ice cream by hand in the container to create ribbons rather than fully blending.

Firm up

Transfer the churned ice cream to an airtight container, smoothing the top. Press a piece of parchment directly on the surface to minimize ice crystals, seal, and freeze for at least 4 hours (preferably overnight) until firm.

Serve

Scoop into bowls or cones. Let hard ice cream sit 3–5 minutes at room temperature for easier scooping. Store in the coldest part of the freezer for up to 2 weeks for best texture.