Bacon Ice Cream is made with thick-cut bacon, real maple syrup, and a deeply creamy custard base. It comes together fast, churns easily, and tastes like breakfast, dessert, and genius all at once.
Why yes, yes I am sharing a recipe for ice cream today. In October. I’m such a rebel, I know. I can just picture you shuddering in intimidation.
Or maybe that’s because we’re talking about cold ice cream in cold October? I dunno.
Here’s the real reason I made ice cream this time of year: BECAUSE IT’S ICE CREAM. OK, that’s only part of the reason. Another, more legitimate reason involves the fact that my darling husband, who has never undergone surgery in his life, is getting his wisdom teeth pulled today. And that means he may or may not require copious amounts of TLC in the form of copious amounts of this candied bacon maple walnut ice cream. I hear that candied bacon especially works wonders on the recovery process.
I know in my case, a big part of my recovery is thanks to ice cream. When I got my wisdom teeth pulled in high school, my best friend came over with a pint of coffee ice cream and it was the bomb.com. It could have been a combination of that plus the drugs, but still — I ate that whole pint in lickety-split and I’ll never ever forget it. It was the best ice cream in the whole world.
Because I’m so fancy like a food blogger, when it came time for the hubs to do his time in the oral surgeon’s chair, I went big with a homemade ice cream filled with delicious, cozy, fall-ish flavors like pure maple syrup and toasted walnuts and candied bacon. It’s like a hug in ice cream form. A very chilly hug. That metaphor totally failed. Let’s rewind.
Maple. Walnuts. Bacon. Ice Cream. You don’t need the excuse of surgery to make this recipe soonest.
On that note, I’m off to the oral surgeon’s office with my phone in hand because YES, I am totally recording what my husband is like on laughing gas (best wife ever, I know). Head over to the KitchenAid blog, The Kitchenthusiast, for the recipe!
Bacon Ice Cream
Ingredients
- ½ cup walnuts, fine-chopped, toasted
- 5 strips bacon, thick-cut
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 1 ½ cups half and half
- 1 ¼ cups maple syrup, preferably Grade B, divided
- 6 egg yolks
Instructions
- In a medium saucepan, whisk the egg yolks and 3/4 cup of the maple syrup until combined. Place over medium heat on the stove; stir in the half and half and heavy cream. Continue whisking 10 to 15 minutes until a smooth custard forms that is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon.
- Remove from heat; stir in the salt, then strain the custard into a bowl. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and chill for at least 8 hours or overnight.
- Meanwhile, make the candied bacon: Heat oven to 400°F. Line a baking sheet with foil, then place the bacon in a single layer on the prepared baking sheet. Bake 15 minutes until nearly done and crispy. Drain the fat, then pour the remaining 1/2 cup maple syrup over the bacon; flip over the bacon to coat in the syrup. Reduce the oven temperature to 375°F and bake the bacon another 20 minutes until cooked through and crispy. Transfer the cooked bacon to a parchment paper-lined plate to cool completely. Once fully cooled, chop the bacon into small pieces.
- When the custard is fully chilled, pour it into your Ice Cream Maker and churn according to the manufacturer’s instructions. Stir in the bacon pieces and toasted walnuts, then transfer the ice cream to a freezer-safe container. Cover tightly and freeze at least 4 hours before serving.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Like this recipe? Rate & comment below!
Your hubby might want to have his wisdom teeth out every week if this kind of sweet treat awaits him! My hubby had his out this past spring and he didn’t do anything weird on the drugs. So disappointing! Especially considering I’m a hot mess on anesthesia. On a side note, there’s a brunch place in Columbus that serves french toast with a scoop of maple bacon ice cream on top. Totally recreating it now with this!
We’re entering summer, so I’m making ice cream on a weekly basis 😀 hurray!
I’ve never had candied bacon – it looks super fantastic with the walnuts and maple syrup.
Hahaha this is the best! I was hilarious after getting my wisdom teeth out. The nurse had to help my mom get me out to the car because I was laughing so hard and was so loopy that I couldn’t walk. I was similarly weird after getting my tonsils out. But eating stuff like ice cream afterwards is the best part. When I got my wisdom teeth out, I also binge-watched Gilmore Girls. And now, thanks to Netflix – your hubbie can do the same! I highly encourage it. Or at least binge-watching SOME tv show. 🙂 This ice cream sounds perfect, by the way.
I wouldn’t mind recovering with candied bacon ice cream! Plus ice cream any time of the year is a go in my books.
I’m an ice cream year-round kind of gal. So this is totally fine with me! Also, it’s sweltering here today. Totally ice cream worthy.
Love love this!! The candied bacon in ice cream is so freaking awesome!
Oh yes, this is glorious. And it has been WARM in DC these past few days, and my apartment building has turned on the heat, so I could use some cold ice cream!!!
Hahah you are the best wife ever!! This is just da bomb!
I eat ice cream all year round! there is no season too cold for anything maple and bacon. Yummo!
It’s never to cold for ice cream! Yum!