It’s been really hot the last few days. One of the best ways to deal with this heat is to jump into the cool sea. Unfortunately, this is not always possible. But good ice cream is also refreshing. And the best of all: you don’t need to go to the ice cream parlor for good ice cream. With only a few ingredients and a bit of patience, you can make it easy peasy at home! Today’s recipe is a wonderfully creamy, popsicle ice cream that brings a touch of 1001 nights on your tongue: milky ras el hanout popsicles!
But what is Ras El Hanout? It’s a popular North African spice mix that is available in uncountable variations and that can contain an incredible amount of ingredients. Recently, I shared with you an authentic basic ras el hanout recipe.
Milky ras el hanout popsicles require only a few ingredients and are full of natural flavor. Unlike other ice cream recipes, it’s even free of (raw) eggs. The result is a creamy milk ice cream that tastes pleasantly different. Sliced toasted almonds and peanuts add some crunchiness to the milky ras el hanout popsicles.
Some of you may wonder how ras el hanout goes together with ice cream, but believe me, the spices contained in my ras el hanout harmonize wonderfully with the sweetness of the ice cream. Ginger, cinnamon, turmeric, cardamom, anise, saffron, etc.. All these are not contradictory to sweetness.
But you should be careful when using a ready-made spice mixture. It could contain spices that do not go so well with the ice cream, such as paprika powder for example. And now let’s start with the recipe!
Ingredients for about 6 popsicles:
- 1liter of full-fat milk
- 3-4 tablespoons sugar (depending on taste)
- ½-1 teaspoon of ras el hanout spice mix
- 1 tablespoon of honey
- 1 hand of nuts: peanuts (unsalted, without skin) and whole almonds
Directions:
- Put the milk and the sugar into a large pot, stir it well and bring the mixture to boil.
- Cook the milk mixture while stirring constantly on low flame for about 30 minutes. Also stir the milk, which sticks to the rim of the pot, into the mixture again and again. This way you avoid it burning and transferring this burned taste to the ice cream. The milk mixture is ready when it has been boiled down by about 50%. The color is yellowish and the milk has thickened a little. When you taste it, it feels creamy on your tongue.
- Toast the nuts in a skillet until they are fragrant and the peanuts are slightly brown. Let the nuts cool down a little and then, slice them with a knife.
- Add the Ras El Hanout to the milk mixture. Start with ½ teaspoon, taste it, and add more if necessary. Then, add the nuts and 1 tablespoon of honey. Mix everything well together and fill the ice cream mixture into popsicle molds. The nuts like to rise, so try to make sure that they are evenly distributed.
- Freeze the ice cream for about 7 hours. Enjoy!
If you don’t have popsicle molds you can also fill the ice cream into little bowls or little jars and eat it with a spoon.
