Nebraska Butter Brickle Ice Cream

Butter Brickle Ice Cream

Celebrating Nebraska's dairy heritage, this rich and buttery ice cream features crunchy homemade toffee pieces throughout. The perfect balance of creamy sweetness and caramelized crunch captures the heartland's comfort food tradition.

50 min churn 8 servings Intermediate Dairy-based

Equipment Needed

🍦 Ice Cream Maker

🥣 Large Mixing Bowl

🍳 Heavy Saucepan

🌡️ Candy Thermometer

📋 Baking Sheet

🧊 Freezer Container

Instructions

Make the brickle: Line a baking sheet with parchment. In a heavy saucepan, melt 1/2 cup butter over medium heat. Add granulated sugar and stir constantly until mixture turns amber, about 300F on candy thermometer.

Finish the toffee: Remove from heat and quickly stir in baking soda and salt. Immediately pour onto prepared baking sheet and spread thin. Let cool completely until hard, about 30 minutes, then break into small pieces.

Brown the butter: In a saucepan, melt 4 tablespoons butter over medium heat. Continue cooking, swirling pan, until butter turns golden brown and smells nutty, about 4-5 minutes. Remove from heat.

Heat cream mixture: Add heavy cream, milk, and brown sugar to the browned butter. Heat over medium, stirring until sugar dissolves and mixture is steaming.

Prepare egg yolks: In a large bowl, whisk egg yolks with salt until pale and slightly thickened, about 2 minutes.

Temper the eggs: Slowly pour about 1 cup of the hot cream mixture into the egg yolks while whisking constantly. Pour this back into the saucepan with remaining cream mixture.

Cook the custard: Cook over medium-low heat, stirring constantly, until mixture reaches 170-175F and coats the back of a spoon, about 8-10 minutes. Do not let it boil.

Strain and chill: Strain through a fine-mesh sieve into a clean bowl. Stir in vanilla. Cover and refrigerate until completely cold, at least 4 hours or overnight.

Churn the ice cream: Pour chilled custard into ice cream maker and churn according to manufacturer's instructions until thick, about 25-35 minutes. Fold in brickle pieces during last 2 minutes of churning.

Freeze until firm: Transfer to a freezer container, layering with extra brickle pieces. Freeze for at least 4 hours until firm. Let soften 5 minutes before serving.

Tips for Perfect Butter Brickle Ice Cream

Watch the Toffee Temperature

Use a candy thermometer for precise results. The toffee should reach 300F (hard crack stage) for the perfect crunch. Too low and it will be chewy, too high and it burns.

Brown Butter Magic

The browned butter adds incredible depth of flavor. Watch carefully as it can go from brown to burnt quickly. Remove from heat as soon as you see golden specks and smell nuttiness.

Crush Brickle Correctly

For the best texture, aim for pieces about the size of peas. Too fine and they dissolve, too large and they are hard to bite. Place in a bag and use a rolling pin.

Prevent Soggy Brickle

Coat brickle pieces lightly in flour before adding to ice cream to help prevent them from getting too soft during freezing.

Use Quality Butter

Since butter is the star of this recipe, use high-quality European-style butter with higher fat content for the richest, most pronounced flavor.

Make Extra Brickle

Double the brickle recipe and save extra for topping sundaes or snacking. Stored in an airtight container, it keeps for up to 2 weeks.