Sometimes we don’t get to all the cookies in the cookie jar before they get all stale and sad. In this case the cookies were those delightful bars I made last week. I l-o-v-e those bars, but sometimes even I can’t eat a whole batch…and most of the time, I really shouldn’t. Instead of letting them go stale on the counter, I chopped them up and toasted them crouton-style in the oven.
Cookie Croutons!
That happened and it was a pretty amazing idea…not to high-five myself or anything. Anyway, I’ve been wanting to try out a brown butter ice cream for a while now and I thought it would be great with the cookie croutons as a mix-in. This ice cream is toffee-like from the brown butter and brown sugar, crunchy from the cookies, and creamy-dreamy from all that cream and those egg yolks. It’s definitely a special treat.
Those little cups up there are compostable, super cute, and the perfect size for a decadent little sampling of this crazy ice cream. I got them c/o Susty Party, home of biodegradable, eco-friendly party supplies.
Brown Butter Ice Cream with Cookie Crouton Mix-In
Adapted from Epicurious
I put rum in this ice cream to keep it from freezing solid…and because, butter + rum = love. Feel free to leave it out for kiddos or if you don’t want to add it.
6 Tablespoons unsalted butter
2 cups heavy cream
1 cup milk
5 egg yolks
2/3 cup brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
1 tablespoon rum (optional)
1 cup cookie croutons*
Melt the butter in a small skillet over medium-low heat, until solids brown and turn fragrant like toffee. Be sure to watch closely so the butter doesn’t burn. Pour into a small heatproof bowl and set aside.
Pour rum into a large bowl, set a fine mesh strainer over the top, and set aside.
In a mixing bowl, whisk egg yolks, sugar, and salt to combine. Set aside and heat cream and milk in a saucepan to scald (just before boiling, look for tiny bubbles along the perimeter of the saucepan). Slowly whisk hot milk mixture into the egg yolks to temper. Scrape the mixture back into the saucepan and whisk in the browned butter. Stir constantly over medium-low heat until the mixture coats the back of a spoon and thickens. Remove from heat and pour the custard mixture through the fine mesh strainer into the bowl and stir to incoporate rum (if using). Set the bowl over a large bowl of ice water and stir to cool. Cover the surface with plastic and chill well (I like at least 6 hours).
Process in an ice cream maker according to manufacturers instructions. Fold in cookie croutons by hand before storing in the freezer.
*to make the Cookie Croutons, chop up 4-5 cookie bars (or cookies). Preheat oven to 300F, place cookie pieces on a baking sheet in a single layer and toast until golden brown and crunchy.