Candied Pecan Maple Ice Cream

August 4, 2014 by Kristi 85 Comments

Rich, creamy, luscious Candied Pecan Maple Ice Cream is sweet, super creamy, rich and smooth – like the perfect ice cream should be. If you worry about things like “does maple syrup go bad?” and you’ve got a bottle you’ve had for a while, this is a great way to use it up!

Warning!!! You don’t have eatin’ pants big enough for this ice cream.

Be sure to read the Public Service Announcement at the bottom of this post (from The Husband).

I’d like to tell you this is a low fat recipe. It’s not.

I’d like to tell you that this recipe has no calories. It does.

I’d like to tell you that it’s awful and you shouldn’t eat it. But, you should. You totally should.

I blame this completely irresistible and fabulous recipe on lovely Marcie @ Flavor the Moments.

She had this brilliant idea (seriously brilliant) to make real Mint Ice Cream. Which made me drool. And, the next thing I knew, I was heading to Bed, Bath & Beyond to pick up the same ice cream maker. Dang that Marcie! (p.s. Marcie, I love you!) 🙂

Which ice cream I’d make 1st, plagued me for less than 2.5 seconds, when of course, my all-time favorite Pralines & Cream Ice Cream danced through my head.

Why not candied pecans? See why I had you make them last week? 🙂

A plan was formulating!

Churn, baby, churn!

Why do I want to sing “Disco inferno” right after that? every.single.time.

Now, when you rush from this post to make this recipe, just remember that when you’re prepping the candied pecans for your ice cream maker, your pieces should be no larger than chocolate chips. I know… the temptation to throw them in whole, by the handfuls, will be difficult to resist… Just do it!

Cut them up like this…

(Nooooo, not the pecans on the right…the ones on the left!)See?…, I told you it would be tempting!

I seriously had to take up running (again) after this recipe. I couldn’t keep my spoon out of it, even while the paddle was still churning and burning! To say I’ve now had it in liquid, soft-serve and hard-packed form is not a stretch! I knew no bounds with this ice cream.

First order of business ~ pour it into a glass while it’s still in the soft serve stage! Drink heavily. 🙂

The comments I got from friends who tried it?

“That is better than Haagen-Daz!”
“Oh my gosh…that is ssssoooo good, I can’t stop eating it.”
“This is seriously the best ice cream I’ve ever had in my life.”
And my favorite…a Public Service Announcement from The Husband: “Say goodnight to your diet. No!!! Say die to your diet!” 🙂

I’d say that’s purty darn good ice cream ~ wouldn’t you?

Enjoy!

Print Recipe

Candied Pecans

Course: Desserts

Author: Kristi

Ingredients

3 cups pecan halves
2 tablespoons butter softened, divided
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup water
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Instructions

Place pecans in a shallow baking pan in a 250° oven for 10 minutes or until warmed.
Grease a 15x10x1-in. baking pan with 1 tablespoon butter; set aside.
Grease the sides of a large heavy saucepan with the remaining 1 tablespoon of butter. Add sugar, water, salt and cinnamon and cook over low heat, stirring frequently until sugar is dissolved.
Turn heat to medium heat until mixture comes to a boil. Cover and cook for 2 minutes to dissolve all sugar crystals.
Continue to cook (without stirring) until a candy thermometer reads 236° (soft-ball stage). Remove pan from the heat and add vanilla. Stir in warm pecans until evenly coated.
Spread pecans onto the prepared baking pan. Bake at 250° for 30 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes. Remove and spread pecans onto a waxed paper-lined baking sheet to cool.
Serve!

Before making the Ice Cream, prep the Candied Pecans as indicated in the recipe above!