Forgive Me

I've done a bad/awesome thing.  I've made ice cream.  But not just any ice cream....

 
This ice cream doesn't mess around.  It's not trying to be something it's not.  It is straight up baller and knows it.  It doesn't even need to be turned into a milkshake to bring the boys to the yard.  Lil Wayne would rap about this ice cream.

Ok enough.  I'm ridiculous.  BUT. GET. THIS.

Cookie Dough flavored ice cream (no dough involved) + NUTELLA + Crunchy Cocoa Cinnamon Granola! 

Please re-read.  If you aren't on the same page as me on this, no need to read beyond this point. 

Here's what happens.  You make granola, and coat it in cocoa, cinnamon, and all the good things in the world, i.e. butter, maple syrup, and honey.  After you cook it, you let it cool.  Then you toss in some chocolate chips.

You make a custard base with brown butter and brown sugar for flavor.  You chill it.  Then you throw it in the ice cream maker.   When it's almost frozen, you sprinkle it with your granola and drizzle it with (large) scoopfuls of nutella. 

You eat it immediately and you do a dance with your hands because it is so good.  You are almost mad that you haven't made this before and almost mad that you will have this in your recipe book from here on out.  Forgive me on not letting you live before this date.  Forgive me for the massive amount of ice cream in your future.

Recipe Adapted from The Kitchy Kitchen

Granola: (I didn't really measure on this, I'm sorry!  but here is a guess...)

1 1/2 cup oats

2 Tbsp butter

2 Tbsp honey

2 tbsp maple syrup

1 1/2 tsp cocoa

1/2 tsp cinnamon
Pinch of salt
Chocolate Chips to your liking

Ice Cream:
2/3 cup dark brown sugar
4 large egg yolks
2 tsps vanilla extract
2 cups half and half
1 1/2 cups whole milk
3 Tbsp unsalted butter
Pinch of salt

For the Granola:
Preheat your oven to 300.  In a small sauce pan, melt your butter with the maple syrup and honey.  In a separate bowl toss your oats with cocoa, cinnamon, and salt.  When your butter mixture is all liquid, pour it into the oats.  Toss to coat.  Spread evenly on a sheet pan, and roast until toasted and dry.  30 - 45 minutes.  Let cool completely.  Add some chocoalte chips if you so choose.

For the Ice Cream Base:

In a small sauce pan, brown your butter.  Cook until it smelly nutty and is chestnut in color.  then add the half and half and cook until scalding.
In a separate bowl, whisk together the sugar and egg yolks.  When the half and half mixture is scalding, add a little to your egg mixture and whisk immediately.  Temper in the rest of your half and half mixture, adding some little by little and whisking constantly, until you have mixed everything together.  Then add your pinch of salt and throw it back into the sauce pan.  Heat, stirring constantly until about 170 degrees or until the mixture coats the back of a metal spoon.  Transfer your mixture to a bowl and chill.
Whin the mixture is entirely chilled, whisk in the additional 1 1/2 cups of milk.  Then add the custard base to your ice cream maker. 

When your ice cream is almost fully churned, add enough granola to your liking.  I probably added 1/2 cup. Then drizzle in scoopfulls of nutella and churn to mix throughout.  Churn until your ice cream is frozen to the consistency of your liking.  THEN EAT IT!

I think this ice cream is best immediately because the nutella stays soft and the granola is crunchy.  But that is not to say that I didn't thouroughly enjoy it in the next few days it was in my freezer also.