Apple Crisp Ice Cream
- Total Time: 1 hour 40 mins
- Yield: 1 quart 1x
Description
Apple Crisp a la mode is undeniably delicious, so why not combine the two components into a decadent, texture-rich dessert?
Ingredients
for the Custard Base
- 1 3/4 cups (420 ml) heavy cream
- 1 cup (240 ml) whole milk
- 1/2 cup (120 ml) sugar
- 1 vanilla bean
- 1 cinnamon stick
- Pinch Kosher salt
- 6 egg yolks
- 3/4 tsp vanilla extract
for the Apples
- 2 Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored, and thinly sliced
- 1 Honey Crisp apple (or other similar variety), peeled, cored, and thinly sliced
- 3 tbsp (45 ml) brown sugar
- 1 tbsp (15 ml) unsalted butter, softened
- 1 tbsp (15 ml) flour
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
for the Oat Crisp Topping
- 4 tbsp (60 ml) unsalted butter, softened
- 3/4 cup (180 ml) old fashioned rolled oats
- 6 tabelspoons (90 ml) light brown sugar
- 4 tbsp (60 ml) flour
- Dash cinnamon
Instructions
for the Apples
- Combine brown sugar, butter, flour, and cinnamon in a small mixing bowl. Add in apples and briefly mix to coat. Place in an oven-safe dish, cover with foil, and bake in a preheated 400°F oven for 30-40 minutes, until apples are fork tender. Let cool completely, then puree in a food processor. Refrigerate until ready to churn ice cream. Can be made up to 3 days in advance.
for the Oat Crisp Topping
- Combine all ingredients using your hand in a small mixing bowl until coarse crumbs form. If mixture is too wet, add a little bit of flour. Spread out crumbs in a single layer on an aluminum foil lined baking sheet and bake in a preheated 350°F oven for 10 minutes. Remove from oven, break apart any big crumbs and give it a quick stir, and return to oven for about 7 minutes more, until the crumbs are golden brown. The crumbs will still feel soft but will harden as they cool. Once cooled, oat crisp can be refrigerated for up to 3 days.
for the Custard Base
- In a large saucepan over medium heat, combine 1 cup of the heavy cream, whole milk, sugar, cinnamon stick, and a pinch of Kosher salt. Halve vanilla bean and scrape the seeds into the milk mixture and add the bean as well. Bring mixture to a scald (just under when it starts to bubble), stirring occasionally, being careful to not curdle the cream. Remove pan from heat, cover, and let mixture steep for about 30 minutes.
- Towards the end of that 30 minutes, in a separate medium bowl, whisk together the egg yolks.
- Remove the vanilla bean and cinnamon stick from the cream mixture. Slowly add the cream mixture into the bowl with the egg yolks, whisking constantly to avoid eggs from scrambling. Once eggs are fully incorporated, pour mixture back into the saucepan.
- Cook custard over medium/medium low heat, stirring constantly, until it thickens to a consistency that coats the back of a spoon. When you run your finger across the spoon, it should leave a definite trail. If using a thermometer (which I always do), aim for 170°F-175°F.
- Meanwhile, add remaining 3/4 cup of heavy cream and vanilla extract to a large bowl with a mesh strainer set on top. Strain the ice cream mixture into the bowl and stir. Immediately place bowl over an ice bath, stirring constantly to cool the mixture quickly.
- Refrigerate ice cream base until very cold, preferably at least 1 day and up to 3 days.
- When ready to churn your ice cream, combine the pureed apple mixture with your custard base. Pour ice cream custard into an ice cream maker and churn according to the manufacturer’s directions. During the last few minutes of churning, add 3/4 of the crisp topping. Once churning is completed, either serve immediately (it will be the consistency of soft serve) or transfer ice cream to a container and freeze until ready to serve.
- *Ice cream will freeze pretty hard, so plan on thawing it a bit before serving.
- Scoop ice cream into bowls and top with caramel sauce (store-bought or make your own) and a few bits of the oat crisp topping.
- Prep Time: 1 hour
- Cook Time: 40 mins
- Category: Dessert
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1/2 cup
- Calories: 320
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Frequently Asked Questions
Why are the baked apples pureed rather than left as chunks in the ice cream?
The 2 Granny Smith and 1 Honey Crisp apple are baked at 400°F for 30–40 minutes until fork tender, then food-processed into a smooth puree before being combined with the custard base. Apple chunks would freeze into icy, hard pieces; pureeing them disperses the apple flavor evenly throughout the custard and prevents any textural problem — the oat crisp topping (folded in during the last minutes of churning and sprinkled on top when serving) provides all the texture.
Why does the custard base need to be refrigerated for at least a full day before churning?
After cooking the custard to 170°F–175°F (until it coats the back of a spoon), the recipe has you chill it over an ice bath immediately, then refrigerate it for “preferably at least 1 day and up to 3 days” before churning. A well-chilled base churns faster in the ice cream maker, which means smaller ice crystals and a creamier final texture — this is especially important for a custard-style (egg yolk) base.
The recipe warns the ice cream freezes very hard — how do I handle that?
Because of the high cream-to-mix-in ratio, the finished ice cream freezes quite firm in the container. The recipe notes you should plan to thaw it a bit before scooping and serving. If you want to serve it immediately after churning, it will be at a soft-serve consistency — which is also a perfectly good option. 
