What kind of Irish girl would I be if I didn’t have at least one recipe for Baileys Irish Cream Ice Cream? Well, here it is. I can safely retain my Irish Girl card.
One of the things I like best about this recipe (aside from the Baileys, of course) is the fact that it doesn’t make a huge amount of ice cream. It’s just enough for four or five decent sized servings. (Or one late-night binge, if you’re going through a break-up, or stress at work, or just want to.)
***WARNING: There is alcohol in this dish. So think twice before giving it to children. ***
One of the other reasons I like this recipe is because it only has seven ingredients – milk, cream, eggs, sugar, vanilla, vanilla bean, and Baileys Irish Cream. Super easy to pull together. And the vanilla bean is optional, so that makes it even easier (and cheaper).
Start by whisking the eggs and two tablespoons of sugar until they lighten in color, increase in volume, and thicken. They should create ribbons on the surface when you pick up the whisk and let the egg fall back into the bowl. (Sorry about the blurry pic. Turns out it’s hard to take an action shot when you are both subject and photographer.)
Add the milk, remaining sugar, and both vanillas into a medium saucepan and bring to an easy boil. Careful not to scald the milk.
Temper eggs by slowly drizzling in one cup of the heated milk mixture into the eggs, while whisking briskly at the same time. This will bring the eggs up to temperature without scrambling the eggs. Then slowly pour the tempered eggs back into the sauce pan while whisking briskly.
Cook mixture over a gentle heat (medium-low-ish) until it coats the back of the spoon. (You should be able to run your finger down the back of the spoon, leaving a track. And even when you turn the spoon sideways, the mixture doesn’t run into the track you created.) Don’t cook over too high a heat, or your eggs could still scramble.
Strain the mixture through a fine mesh strainer.
And this is where I confess that I must have been sampling too much of the Baileys while making this recipe because from here on out I somehow forgot to take pictures. So, it’s time to put on our imagination hats and pretend we’re seeing images.
(Pretend this is a picture of me adding the Baileys and cream to the mixture.)
Add the Baileys and the heavy cream to the mixture, and whisk until thoroughly combined.
(This should be a picture of the glass bowl with the mixture inside and a piece of plastic wrap sitting on the surface.)
Cover the surface of the mixture with a piece of plastic wrap so a skin doesn’t form, and place in the refrigerator for about 2 hours or until completely chilled.
(If I were on the ball, this would be a picture of me pouring the mixture into my ice cream machine.)
Pour the mixture into your favorite ice cream maker. My favorite is the Cuisinart Frozen Ice Cream & Yogurt Maker
There’s only one thing left to do….enjoy! (And try not to eat the entire container in one sitting.)
Here’s the complete recipe. Enjoy!
Ingredients
6 egg yolks
1/2 cup super fine sugar, divided (can also use regular granulated sugar)
2 1/4 cups milk
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 pod vanilla, split (optional)
1/4 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup Baileys Irish Cream
Instructions
1) Whisk eggs with 2 tablespoons sugar until they lighten in color, increase in volume, and thicken. They should create ribbons on the surface when you pick up the whisk and let the egg fall back into the bowl. This will take a few minutes.
2) Add the milk, remaining sugar, and both vanillas into a medium saucepan and bring to an easy boil.
3) Temper eggs by slowly drizzling in one cup of the heated milk mixture into the eggs, while whisking briskly at the same time.
4) Slowly pour the tempered eggs back into the sauce pan while whisking briskly.
5) Cook mixture over a gentle heat (medium-low-ish) until it coats the back of the spoon.
6) Strain the mixture through a fine mesh strainer.
7) Mix in cream and Baileys.
8) Place in fridge until completely chilled.
9) Pour into ice cream maker until soft-serve consistency.
10) Scoop into freezer containers and freeze at least two hours or until completely frozen.
