Peanut Butter & Jelly Ice Cream
Peanut butter and jelly… this has always been our comfort food. For some people, it’s macaroni and cheese or pasta, or pizza, or any number of dishes, but for us, probably since preschool, it’s been peanut butter and jelly. We ate it constantly as a kid, and we still eat it constantly as an adult. When we were in preschool, we got a sleeping bag that had peanut butter and jelly on it, for heaven’s sake. Apparently, our parents enabled our pb&j habit.
We've made all sorts of peanut butter ice cream variations, but somehow peanut butter and jelly never occurred to us. We have no clue why, because it’s pretty much the most genius ice cream combination in the world. It tastes like a freakin’ peanut butter and jelly sandwich. We rest our case.
This is another ice cream recipe that foregoes the traditional egg yolk custard method and instead uses cornstarch to thicken the base. We're seriously loving this! It’s easier and the base cools down much faster, which enables us to make ice cream, start to finish, in less than a day. Score! We will say that the finished product is a little firmer than the ice cream made with egg yolks, but after letting it sit for a few minutes to soften up, it tastes just as creamy and rich.
Peanut butter is stirred right into the ice cream base, and once the ice cream is churned, it is layered into a container with your favorite flavor of jam. We've always been a grape jelly gal, so we went with grape, but if you love strawberry or any other flavor, use that!
We're pretty sure that we'll be 90 years old and still relishing our peanut butter and jelly sandwiches… now we have an ice cream to add to our arsenal!
One year ago: Fresh Peach Ice Cream
Two years ago: Banana Split Ice Cream Cake
Three years ago: Lego Batman Birthday Cake
Four years ago: Snickerdoodle Blondies
Five years ago: Chocolate Ice Cream
Six years ago: Jalapeño Cheddar Cornbread
Seven years ago: Bacon, Cheddar and Green Onion Scones
Peanut Butter & Jelly Ice Cream
Yield: 1 quart If pb&j is your jam, this ice cream is for you!- 1½ cups (366 ml) whole milk, divided
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- ½ cup (129 g) creamy peanut butter
- ½ teaspoon (0.5 teaspoon) salt
- 1¾ cups (416.5 ml) heavy cream
- ⅔ cup (133.33 g) granulated sugar
- 1½ cup (510 g) grape jam, or strawberry jam
- Fill a large bowl with ice water; set aside.
- In a small bowl, whisk together 2 tablespoons of the milk with the cornstarch; set aside. In a medium bowl, whisk together the peanut butter and salt; set aside.
- Combine the remaining milk with the heavy cream and sugar in a medium saucepan and place over medium heat. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the sugar dissolves, about 3 minutes. Remove from the heat & gradually whisk in the cornstarch mixture. Return to medium-high heat and bring to a boil; cook until the mixture is slightly thickened, about 1 minute. Gradually pour into the bowl with the peanut butter and whisk until smooth. Set the bowl in the ice water bath until cool, about 20 minutes, whisking occasionally. Cover and refrigerate until well chilled, at least 4 hours or overnight.
- Pour the ice cream base into an ice cream maker and churn according to the manufacturers directions. Spoon a small layer of jam into a freezer-safe container & lightly spoon a layer of ice cream on top. Continue to alternate layers of jam and ice cream until container is full. Freeze until firm, at least 4 hours.
Notes
Nutritional values are based on the whole recipe
- Yield: 1 quart
- Prep: 45 minutes
- Total: 5 hours
Ingredients
- 1½ cups ( 366 ml ) whole milk, divided
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- ½ cup ( 129 g ) creamy peanut butter
- ½ teaspoon ( 0.5 teaspoon ) salt
- 1¾ cups ( 416.5 ml ) heavy cream
- ⅔ cup ( 133.33 g ) granulated sugar
- 1½ cup ( 510 g ) grape jam, or strawberry jam
Method
- Fill a large bowl with ice water; set aside.
- In a small bowl, whisk together 2 tablespoons of the milk with the cornstarch; set aside. In a medium bowl, whisk together the peanut butter and salt; set aside.
- Combine the remaining milk with the heavy cream and sugar in a medium saucepan and place over medium heat. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the sugar dissolves, about 3 minutes. Remove from the heat & gradually whisk in the cornstarch mixture. Return to medium-high heat and bring to a boil; cook until the mixture is slightly thickened, about 1 minute. Gradually pour into the bowl with the peanut butter and whisk until smooth. Set the bowl in the ice water bath until cool, about 20 minutes, whisking occasionally. Cover and refrigerate until well chilled, at least 4 hours or overnight.
- Pour the ice cream base into an ice cream maker and churn according to the manufacturers directions. Spoon a small layer of jam into a freezer-safe container & lightly spoon a layer of ice cream on top. Continue to alternate layers of jam and ice cream until container is full. Freeze until firm, at least 4 hours.
