Malted Milk Ice Cream

Whoppers... I have loved them since I was really little. I can remember Dad buying one of those milk boxes of whoppers and hiding them from us on top of the fridge. It is pretty hard to distract your parents long enough to manage climb up on the kitchen counter!!

Malted milk balls are always on my mind this time of year thanks to the malted Easter eggs. It should serve as no surprise that they are one of my favorite types of candy. I've even put them in cookies. 

All of that leads me to this ice cream. I first spotted it last summer in David Lebovitz's cookbook, The Perfect Scoop, but had gotten lost in my recipe files until I saw it again on Tracy's blog this fall. Malted milk powder AND crushed whoppers. I was in. By the way, I've made several recipes from this book, and if you are looking for a great ice cream book, this is your ticket.

So how was it? Indescribable. Forget the pieces of whoppers, this is the creamiest ice cream I have ever had anywhere, all from the malt powder. I am not kidding when I tell you that we went out to buy more ingredients the night we finished the first batch because we had to have more. So, if you happen to find yourself with some extra malted chocolate candy this season, I think I know what to do with it. Enjoy!

(Printable Recipe)

Malted Milk Ice Cream
Adapted from The Perfect Scoop by David Lebovitz

Ingredients:
2 cups heavy cream
1/4 tsp. vanilla extract
2/3 cup malt powder
1 cup of half-and-half
3/4 cup sugar
pinch of salt
6 large egg yolks
1 cup malted milk balls or malted chocolate eggs, roughly chopped

Whisk the heavy cream, vanilla, and malt powder in a large heatproof bowl and set a mesh strainer over the top of the bowl. Combine the half-and-half, sugar, and salt in a medium saucepan. Heat just until slightly warm and the sugar dissolves.

Meanwhile, whisk the egg yolks in a heatproof bowl. Slowly add the warm milk mixture, whisking constantly. Pour the egg-milk mixture back into the saucepan and heat until a thermometer reads 170-175 and you notice the mixture starts to coat your utensil. Pour through the strainer to remove any pieces of cooked eggs that may have formed. Stir to combine.

Cover and refrigerate the mixture overnight. Freeze in an ice cream maker according to package directions. While freezing, roughly chop or crush the malt balls. Swirl in after the ice cream has finished freezing (or at soft-serve stage). Transfer to a freezer-safe container and freeze until set.