Brown Butter Cherry Ice Cream

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If you’ve ever baked with brown butter, you know it’s magical. The rich nutty taste enhances the flavor of just about anything, especially cherries. One of my absolute favorite recipes with brown butter are brown butter cherry bars, so on a whim, I applied the flavor profile to ice cream.

The result was even better than I anticipated: the lusciously creamy ice cream boasts a rich cherry flavor with notes of brown butter and Amaretto. Dotted with jewel-like slivers of cherries, this is the only cherry ice cream you’ll ever need and one I’m stocking the freezer with all season long.

Brown Butter Cherry Ice Cream

• Yield: 4 cups

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Ingredients

• 3 cups Bing cherries, pitted
• 1 1/2 Tbsp sugar
• 1 1/2 Tbsp Amaretto
• 2 Tbsp unsalted butter
• 2 Tbsp cornstarch
• 2 cups half-and-half, divided
• 2/3 cup sugar
• 1 Tbsp Amaretto
• 1/4 tsp salt

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Instructions

1. Combine cherries, sugar, and Amaretto in a medium bowl. Let stand 30 minutes, tossing occasionally. Meanwhile, cook butter in a heavy saucepan over medium heat, stirring constantly until it foams, turns clear, and then turns a deep brown, about 6 minutes. Pour brown butter in a glass measuring cup and let settle; pour off clarified butter and reserve brown butter solids.
2. Wipe out saucepan and add cherries with juices. Cook over medium heat, stirring frequently, until softened, about 15 minutes. Use a slotted spoon to reserve 1/2 cup cherries; place remaining cherries in a food processor and puree until smooth.
3. Whisk together cornstarch and 3 tablespoons half-and-half in a small bowl; set aside. Return cherry puree and brown butter solids to saucepan. Add remaining half-and-half, sugar, Amaretto, and salt to saucepan; bring to a boil over medium-high heat while whisking constantly. Whisk in cornstarch mixture. Return to a boil and cook for 1 to 2 more minutes, stirring until thickened. Remove from heat and cool to room temperature, then cover and chill for 6 hours in the refrigerator.
4. Pour chilled ice cream mixture into frozen cylinder of ice cream maker; freeze according to manufacturer’s instructions. Slice reserved cherries and add to mixture in the last minute of freezing. Spoon mixture into a freezer-safe container and place in the freezer for several hours, until firm.

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Nutrition

• Serving Size: 1/2 cup
• Calories: 200