Honey Rosemary Ice Cream

I was going to make a different dessert, but I went to this ice cream place last week with a friend where I had honey rosemary ice cream. I loved it so much I knew I had to make it! It doesn’t seem like this flavor combo should work but it does! The rosemary balances out the sweetness from the honey and sugar really well. And it just tastes different! I don’t think everyone will like this flavor, but I definitely think it’s worth trying.

Ingredients, Substitutions & Adjustments

• Honey – Adds a bit of the sweetness to the ice cream. Because I used honey in this recipe, I reduced the amount of sugar by half.
• Rosemary – Adds the yummy rosemary flavor to the ice cream.
• Whole milk & Heavy Cream – Adds creaminess and richness to the ice cream.
• Vanilla extract – Adds flavor to the ice cream. You can substitute with an equal amount of vanilla paste or 1 vanilla bean. I highly recommend vanilla paste for better flavor.
• Egg yolks – Egg yolks add richness and creaminess to the ice cream.
• Sugar – White sugar adds sweetness to this recipe.

Making my honey rosemary ice cream

Add whole milk and heavy cream to a bowl. (I personally used my liquid measuring cup.) Microwave for 1 minute. Add the rosemary sprigs and steep for 10 minutes. Combine egg yolks, honey, and granulated sugar in a small bowl. Whisk until a smooth, yellow consistency forms (~30 seconds). Next, add the whole milk, heavy cream, and rosemary from step 1 to a sauce pan. Heat until smoke begins coming off the liquid. Turn off the heat. Add 1/4 cup of the hot cream to the eggs and whisk until it turns a smooth and uniform yellow color. The goal of this step is to raise the temperature of the eggs, so they don’t completely cook in the hot cream. Pour the eggs into the pan with hot cream. Add the vanilla extract.

Turn the heat back on and heat the cream until it reaches 170 degrees F. A good way to test if it’s done is to coat the back of a spoon with the cream and pull your finger through the cream. A done cream should have a thick, smooth trail that doesn’t break. Take the cream off the heat. Pour the cream through a fine mesh sieve into a large bowl. This will get rid of any egg or milk solids in the cream. Cool the cream down to room temperature and then put it in the fridge to cool completely. The cream should be in the fridge for about 20-30 minutes. Pour the cream into an ice cream maker and churn for 15-20 minutes. The resulting ice cream should be slightly harder than soft serve. Spoon the ice cream into a freezer safe container and freeze overnight.

Tips on how to make the perfect honey rosemary ice cream

Temper your eggs

Just like in creme brûlées, it is important to temper your eggs for the cream. Add 1/4 cup of hot cream to your egg and sugar mixture. Whisk until everything is well combined and no white streaks remain. Now, it is safe to add your egg mixture to the hot cream.

Make sure your cream is cold before churning

You will get better results if your cream is cold. Put your finished cream into the refrigerator for 20-30 minutes to cool it down before adding it to the ice cream machine.

Be careful not to over churn

The maximum amount of time you should churn your ice cream is 20 minutes. The more you churn your ice cream, the harder it becomes. A done ice cream will have the consistency of something slightly harder than soft serve.

Getting the right amount of rosemary flavor

Rosemary is a very strong flavor, and not every rosemary sprig is made the same. The ones I had had a pretty mild flavor because I think they were a little old. That’s why I steeped them before I started making the ice cream base. However, if you want a slightly less intense rosemary flavor and/or your rosemary has more flavor, add them to the cream while you are making your base. Essentially skip step 1 in the directions. Also, taste your cream to make sure the rosemary flavor is strong enough for you.

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