Honey, Olive Oil & Sea Salt Ice Cream

This honey, olive oil & sea salt ice cream feels like what I imagine summer in Italy is like. It’s a creamy vanilla ice cream sweetened with brown sugar and honey. We’ll add just a bit of olive oil right to the base to give it a nice, earthy flavor. The honey and olive oil together is such a great combo. Top it off with flaky sea salt and you have this magical sweet ‘n’ salty ‘n’ earthy vanilla ice cream. I highly recommend drizzling with more olive oil for the perfect dessert.

Normally I’m the type of person that isn’t interested in ice cream unless it’s loaded with chunky things like chocolate, peanut butter cups, brownie bites or cookie dough. Vanilla ice cream usually just doesn’t cut it for me. So I actually started this ice cream as a stracciatella olive oil ice cream, sprinkled with little bits of dark chocolate. However I found the chocolate overpowered and masked the beautifully light olive oil and honey flavors. So I took the chocolate out and it was actually better. Which is crazy for me to say considering my love for chocolate. The flavors of this honey, olive oil & sea salt ice cream alone are just so good that adding anything else would be a sin.

One of the best parts about this ice cream – It’s so perfectly creamy and scoop-able right out of the freezer. No need to wait for it to thaw. It has an incredibly creamy consistency.

Why add egg yolks to ice cream?

Sometimes you’ll even find egg yolks in store-bought ice cream. And there’s a few reasons for that:

1. The fat from the eggs makes ice cream creamy. Fat stays soft and creamy better than water does once it has been frozen.
2. The protein from eggs makes ice cream thick. When we whisk the hot ice cream mix into the egg yolks, the yolks start to cook, turn gel-like, and thicken the ice cream. It’s a similar process to making curds, custards or crème anglaise.
3. Eggs act as an emulsifier to blend the fat and water together to create a creamy texture. It’s the same reason eggs are used in mayonnaise, salad dressings and hollandaise sauce.

On top of all that, adding egg yolks to ice cream makes ice cream nutrient-dense. The yolks are loaded with healthy fats, protein, choline, B vitamins, selenium, phosphorus and vitamin A. Between the yolks and the retinol-rich heavy cream, this honey, olive oil & sea salt ice cream is full of skin-loving ingredients.

Kitchen Essentials

• Measuring cups + measuring spoons
• A small saucepan
• A heat-proof bowl
• A whisk
• An ice cream maker. I have this Cuisinart ice cream maker that I got off Facebook Marketplace and I love it!
• A fine mesh strainer
• An ice cream scoop

Substitutions

• Egg yolks: the egg yolks can be omitted completely, however, it’s not recommended. See above for why egg yolks work well in ice cream.
• Whole milk: can be substituted with equal parts skim milk.
• Brown sugar: can be substituted with equal parts granulated sugar.
• Honey: can be substituted with equal parts pure maple syrup.

Honey, Olive Oil & Sea Salt Ice Cream

Recipe by Slow Down Company Course: DessertsDifficulty: Easy

Servings

6

servings

Prep time*

10

minutes

Cooking time

5

minutes

Total time

15

minutes

Ingredients

• 4 egg yolks⁣

• 0.33 cup good quality extra virgin olive oil (& more for drizzling)⁣

• 1.5 cups whole milk⁣

• 1.5 cups heavy cream⁣

• 0.33 cup honey⁣

• 0.5 cup brown sugar, packed ⁣

• 1 tsp vanilla extract⁣

• 0.5 tsp salt (& flaky salt for topping)⁣

Directions

• *Please note that making this ice cream takes several hours or can be spanned over a day. For a faster vanilla ice cream, use this recipe*
• In a medium/large heat-proof bowl, whisk together the olive oil and egg yolks until fully combined.
• ⁣In a medium saucepan, combine the milk, heavy cream, honey, brown sugar, vanilla and salt over medium-low heat. Bring to a scald, whisking frequently until the sugar is dissolved – just a few minutes.
• Slowly pour the hot ice cream mix into the bowl with the egg yolks in a steady stream, whisking constantly until combined. Now the mix needs to be cooled to at least room temperature. You can put it in the freezer for about an hour or put it in the fridge overnight.
• Pour the mix into your ice cream maker through a fine-mesh strainer and follow the instructions for your model until you get a soft serve-like consistency. Transfer to a bowl and freeze until firm (typically 3-4 hours). Serve with a drizzle of olive oil and flaky sea salt.

Notes

• *Prep time does not include the time it takes for the ice cream to chill.

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