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Almond Brittle with Salted Ganache Ice Cream
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Almond Brittle with Salted Ganache Salt&Straw Ice Cream copycat

Almond Brittle with Salted Ganache is smooth and creamy fresh churned ice cream swirled with toffee-like almond brittle and slightly salty ganache cubes. It’s a Portland favorite at Salt&Straw for a reason!! And we have included a non-dairy alternative recipe that’s as good as the real thing!
Prep Time30 minutes
Chilling Time11 hours
Course: Dessert
Keyword: cooked candy, ganache, home-churn, ice cream
Servings: 2 pints
Author: Kim Melanson

Equipment

  • Candy Thermometer
  • Ice Cream Maker

Ingredients

Ice Cream Recipe:

  • (reprinted from Salt&Straw Ice Cream Cookbook—see notes)
  • 3 cups ice cream base—very cold (recipe follows)
  • ¼ teaspoon vanilla
  • ¾ cup almond brittle (recipe follows)
  • ¾ cup salted ganache (recipe follows)

Non-dairy alternative Ice Cream Base:

  • (based on Salt&Straw’s milk base recipe—in notes)
  • ½ cup granulated sugar
  • 2 Tablespoons coconut milk powder
  • ¼ teaspoon Xanthan gum (a must have ingredient)
  • 2 Tablespoons light corn syrup
  • 1 ⅓ cups Chobani creamy oat milk
  • 1 ⅓ cups Country Crock plant cream

Almond Brittle:

  • (reprinted from Salt&Straw Ice Cream Cookbook—see notes)
  • 1 cup granulated sugar
  • ⅓ cup light corn syrup
  • ¼ cup water
  • 8 Tablespoons unsalted butter cut in 1” pieces
  • ½ teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1 ¼ cups sliced almonds
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • ½ teaspoon vanilla

Salted Ganache:

  • 1 cup quality semi-sweet chocolate chips
  • 2 Tablespoons Country Crock plant cream (or heavy cream)
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt

Instructions

Ice Cream Base:

  • Combine sugar, milk powder, and xanthan gum in small bowl. Mix well and set aside.
  • Add corn syrup and oat milk to medium pot. Stir. Then add sugar mixture and immediately whisk vigorously until smooth.
  • Set the pot over medium heat, stirring occasionally and adjusting heat to prevent a simmer, until the sugar has fully dissolved, about 3 minutes.
  • Remove from heat and add cream. Whisk to combine.
  • Transfer to a container and refrigerate until very chilled, at least 6 hours, but best at 24 hours. Stir before adding to an ice cream maker. (Can be stored for 1 week or frozen for 3 months—but fully thaw before using it.)

Almond Brittle:

  • Calibrate your thermometer and adjust cooking temperature accordingly. Prepare a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone mat.
  • Add sugar, corn syrup and water to a medium saucepan. Stir over medium heat until syrup comes to a simmer, about 3 minutes.
  • Cook without stirring for 3 minutes. Add butter and salt and stir well. Attach candy thermometer and continue to cook to 290° F.
  • Remove from heat. Quickly and thoroughly stir in almonds, baking soda, and vanilla. It will bubble. Quickly pour mixture on the lined baking sheet and spread with buttered knife or metal spatula until an even layer and ¼” thick. Let sit uncovered to cool—about 1 hour.
  • Break into ¼" to ½” pieces. Store covered.

Salted Ganache:

  • Line a bread pan with wax paper or parchment paper.
  • Heat cream in microwave safe bowl for 30 seconds. Pour over chocolate and stir until completely melted and smooth. Heat for another 15 seconds if needed to melt chocolate. Add salt and stir until incorporated.
  • Pour into lined pan. Set in fridge to harden quickly, about 10 minutes. When hardened, cut into mini cubes ¼” x ¼”. Store in refrigerator in covered container.

Churn and Layer Ice Cream:

  • Stir ice cream base and add to prepared ice cream maker. Churn until reaches soft serve stage.
  • Add a few spoon-fulls of soft serve ice cream to the base of a freezer friendly container. Sprinkle with almond brittle pieces and squares of salted ganache. Swirl slightly into the ice cream base with a butter knife. Add more ice cream to the container and repeat with sprinkles of almond brittle and salted ganache. Swirl slightly. Continue to alternate with ice cream and sprinkled almond brittle and salted ganache until you top the container with the soft serve ice cream.
  • Cover with parchment paper or wax paper—pressing to the surface of the ice cream (can overlap the edges of the container). Cover with a lid and place in the coldest part of your freezer for at least 5-6 hours. Will keep for 3 months.

Notes

Notes:
Salt&Straw’s Ice Cream Base: ½ cup granulated sugar, 2 Tablespoons dry milk, ¼ teaspoon xanthan gum, 2 Tablespoons light corn syrup, 1 1/3 cups whole milk, 1 1/3 cups heavy cream.
Use same instructions as for the alternative milk recipe.
Recipes Reprinted from: Salt & Straw Ice Cream Cookbook. Copyright 2019 by Salt & Straw, LLC. Published by Clarkson Potter, an imprint of Penguin Random House, LLC