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This Butterscotch and Kentucky Bourbon Ice Cream recipe is a serious crowd-pleaser. The best part is it uses no heavy cream or egg yolks! Over the holidays a relative had made homemade vanilla ice cream and it was pretty difficult to eat. It tasted more like I was just eating frozen cream. I also couldn’t even imagine the number of calories there must have been in each bite. I decided to make this healthier version of ice cream which is a Sicilian style. This ice cream recipe uses starch as a thickener and stabilizer. The addition of alcohol also makes this ice cream very easy to scoop and it also doesn’t melt as quickly. The result is a creamy, gelato style ice cream that is much more enjoyable and won’t pack on the pounds.
Using Starch to Thicken Your Butterscotch Bourbon Ice Cream Will Make Gelato
Corn starch has been used in ice cream recipes for years. The cornstarch prevents ice crystals and acts as a thickener. With this recipe, I prefer to use whole milk and just a little bit of half and half. You can also use 2% milk and even coconut milk if you would like to make vegan ice cream. This is such a great way of making ice cream that you can really have fun and experiment with different flavors. I was making a butterscotch apple cobbler and made this Butterscotch Bourbon ice cream to serve on top. You can also leave out the bourbon, but it adds such an amazing and unique flavor to the ice cream.
Substitutions to Use For Heavy Cream
This is an ice cream recipe I definitely plan on experimenting with by using different types of starches such as tapioca and arrowroot. I may also try a few batches using ingredients like fat-free cream cheese, sour cream, and buttermilk that can add a creamy texture while still making the recipe relatively lower in calories. Remember, just one cup of heavy cream is over 800 calories!
Butterscotch and Kentucky Bourbon Gelato Style Ice Cream Recipe
EQUIPMENT
Ingredients
- 3 tbsp cornstarch
- 3 tbsp Bourbon
- 1.5 cup Whole Milk
- ½ cup half and half
- ½ cup brown sugar
- 2 tbsp butter
- 1 tsp vanilla extract can also use vanilla bean
- pinch of salt
Instructions
- First you're going to add 2 tbsp of butter to your pot and cook on medium to medium high heat until it stop foaming. This is going to give that nice butterscotch flavor. Then add in the brown sugar until melted, whisking constantly.
- Next add in 1 cup of milk, 1/2 cup of half and half, vanilla and salt. Reduce heat to medium low so milk does not scorch.
- You're going to save 1/2 cup of milk and whisk in the corn starch in a separate bowl until there are no more clumps. Be sure to add in the cornstarch slowly as you're whisking.
- Next add the cornstarch and milk to the regular pot and cook on medium low heat for about 5 minutes whisking frequently. You will begin to see the mixture thicken. Continue heating and taste the back of the spoon to see if the starch flavor has dissipated. Once the starchiness has dissipated you can add in the Bourbon and take the ice cream mixture off of the heat to let cool.
- Once cool, add to an air tight container and chill over night.
- The next day add the mixture to your ice cream maker and churn for about 25-35 minutes. Be sure to immediately transfer it back into your air tight container and freeze right away.
Notes
Nutrition
If you make this ice cream or use the cornstarch ice cream method, I would love to hear your thoughts!
Enjoy Our Butterscotch Apple Crisp Recipe
I made this Kentucky Bourbon Ice cream recipe to serve with my Butterscotch Apple Crisp.