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    Home » Recipes » Desserts

    Apr 21, 2023 by Heather Janak · This post may contain affiliate links ·

    Chamomile Ice Cream

    Jump to Recipe Print Recipe
    Jump to Recipe

    This Chamomile Ice Cream is made with a chamomile tea-soaked cream custard base and is studded with salted honey crunchy cookie bits. This tea ice cream is a great way to enjoy chamomile even when it warms up outside!

    small glass sundae bowl with a scoop of chamomile ice cream, honey drizzle and salted honey cookie bits

    This post may contain affiliate links. Please see my Disclosure Policy.

    I haven’t put out a homemade ice cream recipe in a long time, so I went hunting around for inspiration and saw that there were not a lot of chamomile ice cream recipes out there. I am a big time chamomile lover so I knew I wanted to develop a recipe for this tea-inspired ice cream. The salted cookie honey bits are based on Milk Bar’s cookie crumbles.

    The last homemade ice cream I made was almost a year ago, my Oat-of-this-swirled Copycat Ice Cream. I also love making my own ice creams for baked alaskas! I made a creamy coffee ice cream for my Mocha Baked Alaska.

    Jump to:
    • Why you’ll love this recipe
    • Ingredients
    • Substitutions and variations
    • How to make ice cream base
    • Hot tips
    • Recipe FAQs
    • More recipes you’ll love
    • 📖 Recipe
    • 💬 Comments

    Why you’ll love this recipe

    • The preparation is simple.
    • The salted honey cookie bits are crunchy if you love a texture variation.
    • The chamomile flavor steeps overnight for a super strong chamomile flavor.
    • This recipe is adaptable to suit what ingredients you have on hand.

    Ingredients

    overhead view of ingredients clockwise, chamomile tea, honey, baking powder, kosher salt, vanilla, heavy cream, egg yolks, granulated sugar, vegetable oil, brown sugar, cake flour
    • This recipe uses chamomile tea bags to infuse chamomile into the custard base.
    • Heavy cream and egg yolks lend richness to the ice cream base.
    • The crunchy cookie bits are flavored by honey and kosher salt.
    • Granulated sugar sweetens the chamomile custard base.
    • Cake flour is used as the base for the salted honey cookie bits, but can be swapped for all-purpose.

    See recipe card below for a full list of ingredients and measurements.

    Substitutions and variations

    Here’s how to customize this ice cream to your taste:

    • Less chamomile — use less chamomile tea bags if you want a lighter flavor or you don’t have enough tea bags
    • More honey — replace up to one third of the granulated sugar in the custard base with honey
    • No cake flour — You can substitute all-purpose flour for cake flour, but remove 1 teaspoon of the all-purpose flour.
    • Less salt — reduce the salt in the cookie bits to ½ teaspoon or less
    • No heavy cream — use all half and half

    This recipe has not been tested with any substitutions or variations. If you try any, please let me know how it turned out by commenting below!

    How to make ice cream base

    cream in a saucepot

    Step 1: Warm together the chamomile-steeped half and half with the rest of the half and half (or cream). Whisk in the sugar, vanilla and salt.

    ladling cream into egg yolk and cream mixture

    Step 2: Very slowly stream the warm half and half mixture into the egg yolks. Add the entire mixture back to the saucepan.

    whisking custard in saucepot

    Step 3: Return to the stove and whisk continuously while cooking on medium low heat. Strain the mixture into a bowl with the plain heavy cream. Whisk and chill until cold.

    ice cream churning in a mixer

    Step 4: Pour the chilled custard into your ice cream maker and churn it according to the manufacturer’s instructions.

    Hot tips

    1. Whisk the custard constantly while tempering the egg yolks to avoid cooking the eggs.
    2. Place the baked cookie on a cooling rack after baking to cool completely to allow air flow for even crunchier bits.
    3. Work quickly when transferring the ice cream to the tin as it will melt quickly.

    Recipe FAQs

    How long does homemade ice cream last?

    Store in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks.

    Can I omit the egg yolks?

    This is not recommended as the recipe has not been tested without the egg yolks.

    Can I use all-purpose flour instead of cake flour?

    Yes, just use 1 teaspoon less all-purpose flour than what is called for in cake flour.

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    Lastly, if you make this Chamomile Ice Cream recipe be sure to leave a comment or give it a rating. I love to see when people make my recipes, so please tag me @youthsweets on Instagram if you post!

    📖 Recipe

    small glass sundae bowl with a scoop of chamomile ice cream, honey drizzle and salted honey cookie bits

    Chamomile Ice Cream

    Heather Janak
    This velvety chamomile tea ice cream is studded with salted honey crunchy cookie bits.
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe
    Prep Time 5 minutes mins
    Cook Time 40 minutes mins
    Resting Time 4 hours hrs
    Total Time 4 hours hrs 45 minutes mins
    Course Dessert, Snack
    Cuisine American
    Servings 15 servings
    Calories 236 kcal

    Equipment

    • Kitchenaid Ice Cream Maker Attachment
    • Medium sauce pot
    • Large Whisk
    • Rubber spatula
    • Rolling Pin

    Ingredients
      

    Chamomile ice cream

    • 2 cups half and half cream or 1 cup milk, 1 cup heavy cream
    • 6 chamomile tea bags
    • 1 cup granulated sugar (200g)
    • 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste
    • ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
    • 4 egg yolks
    • 1 cup heavy cream

    Salted honey cookie bits

    • 90 g cake flour (¾ cup)
    • 50 g granulated sugar (¼ cup)
    • 25 g brown sugar (1 ½ tablespoons tightly packed)
    • 2 g baking powder (½ teaspoon)
    • ¾ teaspoon kosher salt
    • 50 g honey (⅛ cup)
    • 40 g vegetable oil (¼ cup)
    • 1 tablespoon vanilla extract

    Instructions
     

    Do ahead (overnight)

    • Boil 1 cup of the half and half (or the milk if using) either on the stove or in the microwave. Add all of the tea bags. Let steep on the counter until cooled to room temperature. Cover and let steep in the refrigerator overnight.

    Start the ice cream

    • In a medium saucepan over medium heat, combine the chamomile-steeped half and half (or milk) with the rest of the half and half (or cream). Add the sugar, vanilla and salt. Whisk thoroughly to dissolve sugar granules.
    • In a small heatproof bowl, continually whisk the egg yolks while very slowly streaming in the warm half and half mixture into the egg yolks. Add the entire mixture back to the saucepan.
    • Return to the stove and whisk continuously while cooking on medium low heat until the mixture coats the back of a spoon (or reaches 170°F on an instant-read thermometer).
    • Place the heavy cream into a bowl with a fine mesh strainer on top of the bowl. Pour the warm custard into the bowl through the strainer. Discard any solids. Stir to combine.
    • Cover and chill in the fridge until completely cool. If you’re in a hurry you can transfer the mixture to a plastic or reusable bag and set it inside a large bowl with ice. You want the custard to be thoroughly chilled before you put it in the ice cream maker.

    Make the salted honey cookie bits

    • Preheat the oven to 300°F.
    • Whisk together the sugars, flour, baking powder and salt in a medium bowl.
    • Add the honey, oil and vanilla and mix just until the mixture comes together.
    • Dump the mixture onto a sheet of parchment paper. Cover with another sheet. Roll out to ¼-inch thick. Remove the top sheet.
    • Bake for 13-15 minutes until golden brown. Remove from the pan and let cool completely before breaking up into bits with your hands or a knife.

    Finish the ice cream

    • Once cooled, pour the custard into your ice cream maker and churn it according to the manufacturer’s instructions. I used the Kitchenaid Ice Cream Maker Attachment and it took about 30 minutes to churn on the lowest setting.
    • Mix in as much or as little of the cookie bits as you like, saving some for the top.
    • Fill your container with the churned soft ice cream, top with cookie bits and drizzle with more honey, if desired. Cover and freeze until solid (overnight or at least 4 hours).

    Notes

    You can substitute all-purpose flour for cake flour, but remove 1 teaspoon of the all-purpose flour.
    Store in the freezer for up to two weeks.

    Nutrition

    Serving: 1scoopCalories: 236kcal
    Keyword chamomile, chamomile ice cream, chamomile tea, cookie, homemade ice cream, honey, ice cream, salted
    Tried this recipe?Let me know how it was!

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    Hi, I’m Heather! I am a home baker who loves challenging and easy recipes alike! Either way, rest assured I am passionate about sharing recipes in an easy-to-follow format.

    I personally test and write each recipe, take the photos and write the posts. If you want to see me in action, check out my TikTok or Instagram.

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