I have discovered the secret to scoopable low carb ice cream! The hard part is that it requires the use of two different sweeteners and you can’t always get your hands on them easily. I prefer to use a combination of Swerve, an erythritol based sweetener, and Bocha Sweet, an pentose sweetener similar to xylitol.
If you use all erythritol, your ice cream freezes too hard and you need to leave it out on the counter for a while to soften. If you use all Bocha Sweet, it never firms up enough and stays like soft serve. Using half of each of these seems to work really well.
Erythritol is available pretty widely under various brand names. The Bocha Sweet is more limited but you can use xylitol in place of it if you can’t find it. You can also use allulose but that too sometimes is more limited.
If you simply can’t find these sweeteners, use what is available to you but do know that the ice cream may freeze pretty solidly and you will need to let it sit for a bit at room temperature before serving. It will still be delicious!
(15 votes, average: 3.67 out of 5)Loading...Ingredients
- 1 3/4 cups heavy whipping cream
- 1/2 unsweetened almond milk
- Sweetener equivalent to 1/2 cup sugar (more if you like it sweeter)
- 1 1/2 tsp espresso powder (or instant coffee)
- 3 large egg yolks
- 2 tbsp vodka (optional, helps reduce iciness)
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/4 tsp xanthan gum
- 2 ounces sugar free dark chocolate, chopped
Instructions
- For the ice cream, set a bowl over an ice bath and set aside.
- Combine the cream, almond milk, sweetener and espresso powder in medium saucepan over medium heat. Stir until sweetener and coffee dissolve and the mixture reaches about 170F on an instant read thermometer.
- Whisk the egg yolks in a medium bowl. Slowly add about 1 cup of the hot cream mixture, whisking continuously, to temper the yolks. Then slowly whisk egg yolk mixture back into cream, whisking continuously. Cook until mixture reaches 175F on an instant read thermometer.
- Pour the mixture into the bowl set over the ice bath and allow to cool 10 minutes. Then wrap tightly in plastic wrap and chill at least 3 hours.
- Stir in the vodka, if using, and the vanilla extract. Sprinkle with the xanthan gum and whisk vigorously to combine. Pour custard into the canister of an ice cream maker and churn according to manufacturer's directions.
- Once churned to a soft serve consistency, stir in the chopped chocolate. Transfer the mixture to an airtight container and freeze until firm.
So am I right to assume the (1/2 unsweetened almond milk) in the recipe means 1/2 (cup) almond milk?
Is it necessary to heat the mixture because of the egg yolks or is there another reason? Silly question I know…
I haven’t yet been able to justify the cost of the BochaSweet, but I do have some Allulose. Do you think the results would be similar?