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Hey there coffee ice cream lovers, I’ve got a surprise for you! A smooth, creamy, and roasted coffee bean flavored ice cream packed with chunks of crispy croissants. It’s like having a coffee with a freshly baked croissant, but as ice cream instead.
Since moving to France, my mornings often begin sipping a cup of coffee, while dunking a fresh croissant. I enjoy it so much, I decided to turn this flavor combo into an afternoon treat. A French espresso with a touch of cream flavored ice cream layered with chunks of sugar baked croissants.
Key Ingredients & Test Notes
- Freshly Baked Croissants are cut into small crouton size pieces, tossed with butter and sugar, then baked until crispy for a crunchy croissant cookie crumb to fold into the ice cream.
- Instant Espresso Powder and Whole Coffee Beans
- Whole Coffee Beans are roasted lightly then gently smashed and steeped in the warm milk and cream for superior coffee flavor.
- Espresso Powder aka Instant Coffee is added for an even richer coffee taste and color.
- Heavy Cream with 32-35% fat makes an ultra rich ice cream.
- For a delicious custard base ice cream, use high fat quality ingredients. I’m using a 2:1 heavy cream to milk ratio for a thicker ice cream.
- Whole Milk with at least 3.6% fat
- Granulated Sugar for sweetness and structure.
- Honey works as an invert sugar to help reduce crystallization.
- Skim of Nonfat Milk Powder is added for extra creaminess.
- Large Egg Yolks to make a custard ice cream base.
- Vanilla Bean Paste or Vanilla Extract for a subtle hint of vanilla.
Toasted Croissants
Toasting the croissants helps them to hold a crispy texture after being added into the coffee ice cream. I prefer to toast them with a little coating of extra butter and sugar.
- Start by cutting fresh bakery croissants in half lengthwise, and then into 1/2 inch chunks.
- Place the croissant pieces in a bowl, then toss with melted butter and sugar. Spread the pieces in an even layer on a parchment paper lines tray. Bake at 350ºF (180ºC) for about 20-25 minutes, stirring halfway until nicely golden and toasted.
- Let the croissant bites cool before adding them to the ice cream. If you like large chunks of croissants keep them big, or cut them down into smaller pea-sized pieces. Discard any loos flakes.
How to Make Coffee Ice Cream
Homemade ice cream should be rich, creamy, and full of nostalgia. I love a French style egg custard base ice cream with heavy cream for a thicker texture. This recipe begins by infusing the dairy with whole roasted beans and adding instant espresso powder for extra coffee flavor.
- Bring heavy cream and crushed roasted coffee beans to a simmer in a medium saucepan.
- Remove the pan from the heat and cover with plastic wrap to trap in the steam. Steep the coffee beans in the warm cream for 1 hour or even overnight in the fridge for a deeper flavor.
- Strain the coffee beans and remeasure the cream, as the beans will absorb quite a bit. Stir together the coffee infused cream, milk, and honey together in a medium saucepan.
- Whisk together the egg yolks and sugar in a large mixing bowl until pale and frothy.
- Heat the cream mixture to 113℉ (45℃), stirring in the skim milk powder and espresso powder.
- Pour the warm cream into the egg mixture while whisking constantly. Then pour the whole mixture back into the saucepan. Continue to stir and cook until it reaches 180-185℉ (82-85℃).
Jenn’s Tips
- Use a Thermometer: Checking the temp is the easiest way to prevent turning your ice cream base into cooked eggs. The custard should read between between 180℉ (82℃) and 185℉ (85℃). To test it, dip a silicone spatula or wooden spoon into the liquid. If it coats the back of the spoon and you can draw a clean line through it with your finger and it doesn’t fill back in, the custard is ready.
- Add Skim Milk Powder: It improves the overall mouthfeel of the ice cream by adding protein and absorbing excess water.
- Honey or Liquid Glucose: Glucose is flavorless and not very sweet. It helps to inhibit sugar crystallization, resulting in a smoother ice cream. Honey will increase the overall sweetness of the ice cream.
- Chill the Ice Cream Base (called “aging”): Make sure the custard is fully chilled before churning. This “aging” step allows the dairy and egg fats time to bind together, which means you’ll get a richer, creamier ice cream.
★★★★★ Please leave a star rating and review below if you make this recipe! THANK YOU!!
Croissant Coffee Ice Cream
A smooth, creamy, and roasted coffee ice cream packed with chunks of crispy sugar croissants.
Click Here for Help with Ingredients in this Recipe & Conversions
Equipment
- heavy-bottomed, two-quart pot or saucepan
- metal sieve strainer
Recipe Video
Ingredients
Toasted Croissants
- 2-3 baked croissants
- 3 Tbsp salted butter, melted
- 3 Tbsp granulated sugar
Coffee Ice Cream Base
- 60 grams (3/4 cup) whole coffee beans ,
- 500 grams/ml (2 cups ) heavy cream , 32-35% fat
- 250 grams/ml (1 cup) whole milk , 3.6% fat
- 6.5 grams (2 tbsp) instant espresso powder,
- 30 grams (2 Tbsp) skim milk powder,
- 1 tsp fine sea salt
- 42 grams (2 Tbsp) honey
- 133 grams (2/3 cup) granulated sugar
- 100 grams (5 large) egg yolks, lightly beaten
- 1 tsp vanilla bean paste or pure vanilla extract
Instructions
- ***If you're ice cream machine has a bowl that needs to be frozen, place it in the freezer now!
Baked Croissants Pieces
- Preheat oven to 350℉ (180℃). Line a baking pan with parchment paper.
- Slice baked croissants into 1/2-inch chunks and place them into a mixing bowl.2-3 baked croissants
- Toss croissant pieces with the melted butter and sugar. Spread them in an even layer on the baking pan.3 Tbsp salted butter, 3 Tbsp granulated sugar
- Bake for 20-30 minutes, tossing halfway until golden brown and crunchy. Careful not to over-bake. Cool and set aside until ready to assemble ice cream.
Roast Coffee Beans
- Place coffee beans on a baking tray and roast for 3 minutes at 350℉ (180℃). Let cool, then slightly mash or grind them into large broken pieces.60 grams whole coffee beans , 500 grams/ml heavy cream
Steep the Cream with Coffee Beans
- Place the cream and coffee beans in a medium saucepan. Stir together and heat on medium until steaming almost a simmer. Remove from the heat.
- Cover the pot with a piece of plastic wrap to trap in the steam and let steep at room temperature for 30 minutes to 1 hour to infuse the dairy with coffee notes.
- Strain out the beans and re-measure the cream. The coffee beans will absorb some of the cream and we'll need all of it for the ice cream base.
- Replace any lost volume of cream to the pot, then stir in the milk and espresso powder.6.5 grams instant espresso powder, 250 grams/ml whole milk
Coffee Ice Cream Base
- **Set a large bowl fitted with a metal sieve next to the stovetop.
- Place the saucepan back over a medium heat. Whisk in the skim milk powder, honey, and salt.30 grams skim milk powder, 1 tsp fine sea salt, 42 grams honey
- Heat mixture until it reads 113℉ (45℃) on instant thermometer, stirring occasionally.
- Stir in the granulated sugar, followed by slowly drizzling in the beaten egg yolks, while constantly whisking. Since the liquid is not too hot at this point, it's easier to temper the eggs right after the sugar and directly into the base.133 grams granulated sugar, 100 grams egg yolks
- Reduce the heat to medium-low and continue to cook the base until it reaches between 180-185℉ (82-85℃) on the thermometer. Stir continuously with a whisk to prevent over-cooking the custard at the bottom of the saucepan.
- The ice cream base is cooked when it reaches desired temperature, when it coats the back of a spoon and you can easily draw a line through the custard with your finger tip.
- Immediately remove from heat and pour the custard through the mesh sieve into the large bowl.
- Stir in the vanilla. Cool the base to room temperature, occasionally stirring to prevent a skin from forming.1 tsp vanilla bean paste or pure vanilla extract
- Once cooled, place a layer of plastic wrap directly onto the custard and refrigerate for a minimum of 4 hours or overnight. This "aging" step is important to create a cold ice cream base for churning.
Churn and Freeze
- Remove the cold ice cream base from the fridge. Blend with a handheld immersion blender for smoothness. Pour into your ice cream machine. Churn as directed for your machine, usually 28-30 minutes.
- The ice cream should look like soft serve when it's done.
- Spoon 1/3 of the ice cream into a chilled freezer safe storage container. Sprinkle with the baked croissant pieces and stir gently to mix them in.
- Repeat with remaining ice cream and croissant chunks.
- Cover container with lid or plastic wrap and freeze for about 3-4 hours before serving.
Notes
Milk Powder:
The addition of milk powder is optional and can be found in the supermarket with the canned milks. You can leave it out, but I suggest giving it a try, as it improves the overall mouthfeel or texture by adding protein and absorbing excess water. Honey or Glucose or Corn Syrup:
Glucose is flavorless and not very sweet. The addition of liquid glucose helps to inhibit sugar crystallization, resulting in a smoother ice cream. It can be swapped 1:1 for corn syrup or honey, both of which will increase the overall sweetness of the ice cream.
The addition of milk powder is optional and can be found in the supermarket with the canned milks. You can leave it out, but I suggest giving it a try, as it improves the overall mouthfeel or texture by adding protein and absorbing excess water. Honey or Glucose or Corn Syrup:
Glucose is flavorless and not very sweet. The addition of liquid glucose helps to inhibit sugar crystallization, resulting in a smoother ice cream. It can be swapped 1:1 for corn syrup or honey, both of which will increase the overall sweetness of the ice cream.
Tried this recipe?Mention @twocupsflour or tag #twocupsflour!
