Stout Beer Ice Cream with Toffee Bits

If you're Irish, one of the quintessential drinks is Guinness beer. Being a big fan of stout beer myself this is one of my favorites. However, here in Kansas there's a brewery called Tallgrass Brewing Company that makes a stout beer of merit too called buffalo sweat stout. Even better is their winter version; vanilla buffalo sweat stout. On their website it is described as "oatmeal cream stout infused with Ugandan vanilla beans. This enhances the beer's natural dark-roasted flavors of espresso, chocolate and creamy sweetness" and boy howdy are they right! This is the beer to have in your hand on St. Patrick's day. 

The first time I tasted vanilla buffalo sweat I was at a new KC barbecue restaurant called Q39 with my girlfriends, Julie and Cori. I took one sip and said "oh my gosh girls you have to taste this." They are not beer drinkers but complied because I was so emphatic (okay, insistent). Then I texted my friend Rich and said "vanilla buffalo sweat has changed my life" to which he replied "IKR!" because we're hip like that. After dinner I told my husband about it and he was like "yeah, I know babe". WHAT? You knew about this and you didn't tell me?! It's okay, he's forgiven because he bought me a four pack the next day. After savoring another one at home it got me thinking...ice cream! So I went on the hunt for a stout beer ice cream recipe. When I came across one with chopped heath bars added at the end I knew it was the one I wanted to try.

Making ice cream is a pretty simple process, just heat your milk, add it slowly to your egg yokes while whisking like the dickens (or end up with scrambled ice cream base, your choice) then chill and freeze in an ice cream maker. I have a 4 qt. Cuisinart ice cream maker that I love to pieces. Just freeze the insert, add the ice cream base and churn, plug that puppy in and twenty to thirty minutes later, ice cream! Tomorrow's the big day! If you're Irish I mean. Heck, even if you're not Irish you can celebrate. I can't think of a better way to celebrate than with stout beer ice cream. If you're a purist and want to use Guinness feel free, but I would add a splash of vanilla to the ice cream base before you freeze it. Either way you'll win because the flavor of beer is prevalent but not overpowering and you'll have something life-changing to share with your friends.

Stout Beer Ice Cream with Toffee Bits (adapted from thegalleygourmet.net)


1 1/4 c. fat free half and half (a 
word about milk choices: I chose fat free half and half because I wanted this to be a little bit healthier. If you don't care about that you could use regular half and half or even heavy whipping cream or a combination of the two. It should also be noted that if you use the fat free variety the milk mixture will not get super thick as you cook it.)
2/3 c. stout beer (such as Tallgrass Vanilla Buffalo Sweat, Guinness or other stout beer of your choosing)
pinch of salt
6 large egg yolks
1/2 c. firmly packed light brown sugar
2 (1.4 oz.) heath bars, finely chopped

In a medium saucepan warm the half and half, beer and salt over medium heat but do not boil. In a medium bowl whisk together the egg yolks and brown sugar. Slowly pour the warm milk into the egg yolks whisking constantly. Pour the mixture back into the saucepan and cook, stirring constantly with a rubber spatula, over medium heat until the custard is thick and coats the back of the spoon. Pour the custard through a fine mesh sieve set over a bowl. Set over an ice bath to cool. Cover and refrigerate the mixture for several hours our overnight. Freeze in an ice cream maker according to manufacturer's instructions. At the end of the churning cycle add the heath bars and churn until just combined. Transfer to a freezer safe container and freeze until firm. 

6 servings (308 calories each serving) according to my calculator on loseit.com