Sharmila on Food

Peanut butter ice cream

This is for all those lovers of salty-sweet desserts out there.  I am definitely one of them.  Even better, salty-sweet stuff with nuts in it.  This probably explains my enduring love for Reese’s Cups even though the chocolate on them is horrible.

I’d wanted to make peanut butter ice cream for a long time, after having an amazing example of it at Momufuku noodle bar in NYC a few years ago.  I was pretty sure it would be amazing, combining creaminess, sweetness, saltiness and crunchiness.  It was.  It’s also supremely easy, as this doesn’t require a custard base (a boon for lazy people like me).

We ate this with a few different things, including caramelised bananas and a raspberry sauce.  The raspberry sauce in particular, was inspired, evoking that amazing trash combo of peanut butter and jelly/jam.  Next time I’m going to make peanut butter and raspberry jelly ripple ice cream. Salty-sweet heaven.

Peanut butter ice cream - makes a decent amount

(I apologise for the measurements being in cups - unsurprisingly, I adapted an American recipe for this)

These instructions are for using an ice cream maker. If you do not have one, from step 5, you will have to freeze and take out of the freezer every hour or so for a few hours, and thoroughly whisk to beat in the ice crystals, until the mixture is frozen.

1 cup smooth peanut butter

2/3 cup caster sugar

1 cup whole milk

2 cups double cream

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Small handful of roasted, chopped peanuts (or you could always use crunchy peanut butter I suppose)

1. In a bowl, cream the peanut butter and sugar together until smooth.

2. Add the milk and blend for a few minutes until the mixture is smooth and the sugar has dissolved.

3. Stir in the cream and vanilla and combine till thoroughly mixed. 

4. Cover and chill in the fridge for 2 hours

5. When fully chilled, churn in your ice cream maker, following machine instructions.  When mix is thickened, stir in the chopped peanuts until evenly distributed.

6. Put in a freezer container and freeze for a couple of hours to firm up (or just eat it right now).