Häagen – Dazs Recipe

Warm the milk and cream

In a medium saucepan, combine 1 cup whole milk and 1.25 cups heavy cream. Warm over medium heat until the mixture is steaming and small bubbles form at the edges, but do not let it boil (about 5–7 minutes).

Whisk sugar into yolks

While the milk warms, whisk 0.75 cups granulated sugar together with 4 large egg yolks in a heatproof bowl until the mixture becomes pale and slightly thickened (about 1–2 minutes).

Temper the yolks

Slowly pour about 1/2 cup of the hot milk/cream into the yolk-sugar mixture in a thin stream while whisking constantly to raise the yolks’ temperature (this prevents curdling). Then pour the tempered yolk mixture back into the saucepan with the remaining milk and cream, whisking continuously.

Cook to custard consistency

Return the saucepan to medium-low heat and cook, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon or heatproof spatula and scraping the bottom, until the mixture thickens slightly and coats the back of the spoon (an instant-read thermometer should read 170–175°F / 77–79°C). Do not boil.

Strain and chill

Remove the custard from heat and immediately strain it through a fine-mesh sieve into a clean bowl to remove any cooked egg bits. Stir in 1.5 tsp pure vanilla extract and 0.25 tsp fine sea salt. Cover the surface with plastic wrap to prevent a skin from forming and refrigerate until completely cold, at least 4 hours or preferably overnight.

Churn the custard

Once thoroughly chilled, pour the custard into an ice cream maker and churn according to the manufacturer’s instructions until it reaches a soft-serve consistency (usually 20–30 minutes).

Fold in mix-ins (optional)

If using mix-ins, gently fold them into the churned ice cream by hand: for swirls (hot fudge or fruit compote), layer alternate spoonfuls of ice cream and sauce in the storage container to create ribbons; for nuts, cookie pieces, or chocolate chunks, fold them in evenly so they are distributed throughout.

Harden the ice cream

Transfer the churned ice cream to a light, airtight 300 ml container (or a small freezer-safe container). Press a piece of parchment directly on the surface to minimize ice crystals, seal with a lid, and freeze for at least 4 hours until firm.

Chopped toasted almonds: Toast 1/4 cup almonds in a dry skillet over medium heat, stirring, until golden and fragrant (3–5 minutes). Cool before folding into churned ice cream.

Hot fudge swirl: Warm 1/4 cup hot fudge so it is pourable but not hot. Spoon alternating layers of ice cream and fudge into the container and gently ripple with a knife to create marbling.

Fruit compote swirl: Reduce 1/4 cup fruit compote on the stove for a few minutes to thicken if needed. Cool, then layer and ripple into the ice cream as with the fudge.

Cookie pieces: Chop 1/4 cup shortbread or butter cookies into small pieces and fold them into the churned ice cream just before freezing so they keep some texture.