Buttered Popcorn Ice Cream, Sweet, Salty, Tasty

Buttered Popcorn Ice Cream, yes, it is a thing! If you like popcorn, and who doesn’t? This ice cream tastes like buttered popcorn. Hot popcorn is steeped in the ice cream base overnight to extract all of its delicious flavor.

One of the earliest posts I did was on this fantastic popcorn ice cream. I have decided to revisit it for this week’s post. The dog days of summer are still going on strong here in Colorado. Though you wouldn’t know it from the 4 inches of snow, we got on Tuesday! It will be back up near 90 again for all of next week. I’m always in the mood for ice cream, but when it’s 90 degrees out, I absolutely want something cool for a treat.

Buttered popcorn Ice Cream is still one of the best ice cream recipes I know. You can taste the popcorn and even the butter with every spoonful. The flavor is so absolutely delicious, and the texture is perfect. There is something about the addition of popcorn that seems to really give this ice cream a smooth mouthfeel that is what we all want in a scoop of cold deliciousness. I have wanted to repost this recipe as it is truly one of a kind that I think anyone should try if you have access to an ice cream maker. More on that at the end of this post. The popcorn is just used for flavor and is strained out before you freeze the base, so this is a very smooth ice cream with no chunks. It is perfect for making fantastic ice cream sandwiches.

You will notice I have used glucose syrup in this recipe. The addition of glucose helps stabilize the ice crystals making the ice cream very smooth. You can find glucose here on amazon or in candy making supply stores. Glucose keeps for a very long time and you can make many batches of different ice cream with it. You can substitute corn syrup if you need to. There are no eggs in this recipe. Eggs are usually added to make a custard base, which creates richness and to help thicken it. There is plenty of body to this ice cream base by steeping freshly popped popcorn in the cooked milk and cream mixture.

If you don’t have an ice cream maker, there are several ones I would recommend. I have a Cuisinart one my brother gave me several years back, making perfect ice cream. I also have this attachment for my kitchen aid mixer. They make several sizes for their mixers, including this one for my 6 quart they make it for all the larger sized machines. All of them work pretty much the same way. You need to freeze the bowl overnight before making the ice cream. You could use the old-fashioned crank one like this one that I remember making as a kid. It still works the old-fashioned way of using salt and ice to slowly hand or machine crank the mixture. You could use this one with a refrigerated unit to freeze the ice cream base, too, though I have not used one. I feel an ice cream maker is worth the space to have on hand as it is so much fun to make up a batch and experiment with fun flavors.

Making ice cream does take some time, but it is so worth making your own ice cream. PLease consider using one of the links on this page to do any shopping on amazon, as I get a very tiny commission that helps fund this site.  Stay safe and smart out there. We will get through this tough time together. Let me know in the comments if you make this wonderful ice cream and what you have done with it.

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Buttered Popcorn Ice Cream

Buttered Popcorn Ice Creaam is slightly sweet and salty, this ice cream recipe is all you want from a popcorn in a bowl of sweet goodness.

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon cornstarch
• 2 tablespoons cold milk
• 2 cups cream
• 2 cups whole milk
• ¾ cup sugar
• ¼ cup glucose
• 1 tablespoon Avocado oil or vegetable oil
• 3 tablespoons raw popcorn kernels
• ¼ cup butter
• ½ teaspoon sea salt

If using an ice cream maker that requires freezing, make sure you place the freezable part of the maker in the freezer 24 hours before you want to make the ice cream

Instructions

1. In a small bowl or measuring cup, whisk the corn starch and the 2 tablespoons cold milk to make a slurry, set aside.
2. Combine the cream, milk, sugar, and glucose into a medium saucepan. Cook over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally until the mixture comes to a full boil.
3. Reduce heat to a simmer and add in the reserved cornstarch slurry.
4. Cook for 2 minutes. Set aside the cooked mixture keeping it warm on a hot plate or trivet while you pop the popcorn.
5. Heat a large pot over medium-high heat. Add in the oil and the raw popcorn kernels. Immediately cover the pot. Using hot pads to hold the pan and keep the lid on, gently shake and swirl the pan, keeping contact with the burner. You should hear popping sounds. When the sounds begin to subside, take the pot off the burner. Do not burn the popcorn.
6. Working quickly, pour the hot ice cream mixture directly into the popcorn. It will sputter, so be careful. Stir the mixture to make sure it is all combined.
7. Let the mixture sit for an hour.
8. Meanwhile, over medium heat, melt the butter in a small saucepan. Let is brown and foam, stirring constantly. The milk solids will sink to the bottom and begin to brown. Continue cooking and stirring until the solids become a nut brown and it gives off a toasty aroma. Take off heat and pour the browned butter into the cooling ice cream mixture.
9. After the mixture has cooled for an hour, pour it into a blender, you can use a hand blender to do this, but transfer the mixture to a deep bowl first as the large pot will be too shallow.
10. Blend the mixture until it is very smooth.
11. Pour the mixture into a bowl and cover with plastic wrap, pressing the wrap onto the blended ice cream base's surface. Refrigerate for at least 4 hours or preferably overnight.
12. When you are ready to make ice cream. Place a 2-quart or so container that you will use to cure the ice cream in the freezer to chill it. Make sure you have room in your freezer if you are like me and have a full freezer!
13. Using a fine-mesh strainer, strain the cooled ice cream base, pressing to remove as much liquid from the solids and hulls.
14. Churn the ice cream according to the manufacturers' instructions. Typically, it takes 20 to 30 minutes, depending on your brand and how it freezes it.
15. Immediately transfer the ice cream to the cold, reserved container and press a piece of plastic wrap onto the surface to help prevent ice crystals.
16. Cover with a lid or second piece of plastic wrap and cure in the freezer for 4 or more hours.
17. This ice cream can be eaten without curing. The texture will be of soft-serve ice cream. The finished and cured ice cream was a perfect firm texture, even a week after making.

Recipe Notes

When you make this Popcorn Ice Cream, make sure to use a large pot for popping the popcorn. When you pour in the hot ice cream base, it sputters and starts to boil over. I used avocado oil, which has a high smoke point and gives a rich buttery taste. You can easily substitute any vegetable oil.