Summer is here, and that can only mean one thing: It's ice cream season, kids.
We have many fantastic ice cream recipes on our site, from Chocolate decadence THE Salted caramel. But this summer, we will introduce a special collection: sugar-free ice creams, which are slightly sweeter and decadent than the classic versions.
Senior recipe developer Molly Marzalek-Kelly dove deep to crack the sugar-free ice cream code. It started with ours Baking sugar alternative (BSA), a 1:1 sugar substitute that has no discernible aftertaste. But making creamy, craving-worthy ice cream without sugar wasn't as simple as just swapping BSA for regular sugar; the recipes required a little more care. One of the biggest goals was to avoid freezing the ice cream too hard and icy, since sugar is just as important to the texture of the ice cream as it is to the flavor.
Photography by Rick Holbrook; food styling by Kaitlin Wayne
After gathering many groups, Molly identified two keys to success: alcohol and xanthan gum. “Alcohol lowers the freezing point for the ice cream, which helps keep things runny,” says Molly. It's often added to conventional ice cream for a smoother texture, and when it comes to ice cream made with the Baking Sugar Alternative, “It's not optional,” Molly says. Without alcohol, sugar-free ice cream tends to freeze hard and crumbly – a small amount (just 1 tablespoon) gives sugar-free ice cream the perfect texture.
Then there's xanthan gum, another ingredient sometimes added to conventional ice cream recipes. “People are used to seeing xanthan gum's emulsifying and texture-improving properties in gluten-free baking,” says Molly, “but it's really a powerhouse for sugar-free ice cream, too.” A piece of xanthan gum replicates some of the texture-enhancing properties of sugar to achieve a smooth, creamy consistency and the ultimate frozen mouthfeel.
Using these discoveries, Molly developed three different bases: a custard-style ice cream, a simple stir-and-burn ice cream, and a dairy-free sorbet. Then, she developed four flavors to purée throughout the summer.
Photography by Rick Holbrook; food styling by Kaitlin Wayne
1) Alternative to vanilla ice cream made with brown sugar
There's some vanilla ice cream he can't do, from the surface of a slice Keto Friendly Chocolate Cake to make a decadent fashionable brownie. In this custard-style base, made with cream and egg yolks for richness, vanilla is front and center. Molly uses two different types (vanilla bean paste AND vanilla extract) to add flavor to a classic ice cream that isn't boring at all.
Photography by Rick Holbrook; food styling by Kaitlin Wayne
2) Chocolate ice cream made with alternative baking sugar
If vanilla ice cream is the go-to friend, chocolate ice cream is the life of the party. This blended and blended ice cream gets its rich chocolate flavor Dutch processing cocoa, plus a dash of espresso powder to increase the chocolate even more. With cream for a decadent texture, the scalded ice cream turns out like a scoopable fudge pop. Above me keto friendly chocolate whipped cream to serve in style.
Photography by Rick Holbrook; food styling by Kaitlin Wayne
3) Snickerdoodle Ice Cream Made with Baking Sugar Alternative
Forget cookies and cream—this ice cream, which is like a snickerdoodle cookie in frozen form, uses a generous amount of cinnamon (choose Vietnamese cinnamon for the boldest taste) and has Soft Snickerdoodle crumbles (also made with Baking Sugar Alternative!) are swirled for more texture and flavor in every spoonful. Like vanilla ice cream, it's made from a custard-style base with egg yolks for super creamy consistency.
Photography by Rick Holbrook; food styling by Kaitlin Wayne
4) Cranberry Sorbet Made with Alternative Baking Sugar
Sorbets tend to be extra icy because they don't contain milk and thus lack the added fat that milk and cream provide. This characteristic makes the alcohol and xanthan gum especially essential for this recipe, especially without the sugar that would normally help the texture of the whipped sherbet. Here, the Baking Sugar Alternative is heated with water; this simple syrup is added to the pureed blueberries along with the rest of the ingredients to make a smooth and sweet base for the sorbet. Try it with Keto-Friendly Cheesecake Bars for a fresh summer dessert.
Take a bag with Baking sugar alternative and start cooking up one of Molly's delicious ice creams, then try it on more of our recipes Collection of Alternative Baking Sugar Recipes.
Cover picture (Chocolate ice cream made with alternative baking sugar) by Rick Holbrook; food styling by Kaitlin Wayne.
