Apricot Ice Cream: With Saffron, Honey and Pistachio Brittle
This easy no-churn fresh apricot ice cream is rich, creamy and full of flavour. Fragrant saffron and golden honey lend a Middle Eastern twist to the apricots, while a scattering of homemade pistachio brittle adds crunch and contrast. Studded with tender fruit and nutty shards, it’s a dreamy summer dessert.
Whenever I make a new flavour of ice cream, I reckon it’s the best ever. Of course, without the others there to compare and contrast, it’s difficult to know for sure. But, I really do think I’ve surpassed myself with this one. It has flavour, texture, a good mix of sweetness and acidity and a gorgeous colour. What’s not to love?
Dive Right In
- Why You’ll Want To Make This Apricot Ice Cream
- No-Churn Apricot Ice Cream
- Ingredients, Additions And Substitutions
- How To Make Apricot Ice Cream With Pistachio Brittle
- Other Fresh Apricot Recipes You Might Like
- Keep In Touch
- Pin It
- The Recipe
Why You’ll Want To Make This Apricot Ice Cream
- Beautiful texture – made with condensed milk and double cream for a rich, smooth texture. And small chunks of fruit and crunchy pistachio brittle add interest to every bite.
- Customisable – swap peaches or nectarines for the apricots or try cardamom, orange blossom water or orange zest for flavour variations.
- Gorgeous summer flavour – apricots shine with their bright warm colours and fragrant flesh that’s both sweet and tart at the same time.
- Great for entertaining – the apricot ice cream is outstanding all on its own, but add pistachio brittle and it looks (and tastes) extra special.
- No ice cream maker needed – just whip, stir and freeze for a super easy, fuss-free dessert.
- Make-ahead friendly – prepare in advance for cooling desserts, barbecues or summer celebrations.
- Touch of the exotic – saffron, honey and pistachios bring a subtle Middle Eastern vibe.
No-Churn Apricot Ice Cream
When it comes to summer desserts, there’s nothing quite as good as homemade ice cream. It’s rich, creamy and delicious. You can make it as sweet or as tart as you like. And most importantly, you can make up a batch to keep in the freezer for near instant enjoyment whenever it’s needed.
This apricot ice cream is not only easy to make, but it tastes just like summer should; sweet, fruity and flavoursome. Adding caramelised pistachio nuts not only gives crunch and contrasting colour, but it fits in rather well with the other Middle Eastern flavours.
It’s really hard to buy sweet ripe apricots here in the UK. So often I’m disappointed with the flavour, texture or both. Mostly they’re picked when they’re underripe to ensure they travel well, but these usually end up too tart to eat just as they are.
Cooking them up with some sort of sweetener works a treat though. The flavour comes out and the tartness creates a wonderful balance to the sugar.
So to make this recipe you first need to prepare a simple apricot compote. This is where the saffron and honey comes in. It only takes a few minutes, but the result adds volumes of flavour to the ice cream.
Whilst you don’t need pistachio brittle to make this an outstanding ice cream, I highly recommend it. Caramelising nuts is a lot easier than you might think. And it’s a surprisingly quick process.
Despite these two steps, this is still a really easy ice cream recipe. It makes a generous litre.
Ingredients, Additions and Substitutions
One of the many brilliant things about homemade ice cream, is that you don’t need a whole heap of ingredients. Have you ever read the ingredients list on the commercial stuff?
Flavours
Apricots are the mainstay of this ice cream when it comes to flavour, but saffron, honey and pistachios (if using) are good supporting acts.
Saffron gives depth to both the colour and flavour of apricots. It has a complex profile that’s difficult to describe, but as well as floral and honey notes it has quite bitter undertones. This means you only need a few threads to make its presence felt.
If saffron isn’t your thing or you can’t get hold of it, try rosewater, orange blossom water, grated orange zest or cardamom instead. All of these fit in well with the Middle Eastern flavour notes.
Fruit
As previously mentioned, it’s hard to buy sweet honeyed apricots here in the UK. If you manage it, don’t make this ice cream as they’re wonderful eaten fresh just as they are. However, my recipe is fabulous for any apricots that aren’t going to make it to full ripeness or are just past their best.
Swap the apricots for peaches or nectarines if you like. They’ll probably be a bit sweeter and the flavour will be different, but it will taste wonderful anyway. Or why not make my peach melba ice cream instead?
Pistachios
Should you choose to add the pistachio brittle element to your ice cream, it’s raw unsalted shelled nuts that you need. Don’t go for roasted or salted. They’re one of the more expensive nuts, but their delicate flavour and gorgeous green colour, make them a delicacy worth including.
Sugars
White sugar and honey are two of the sweet elements in this ice cream recipe. The other is condensed milk. I’ve not used much of either as condensed milk is plenty sweet enough. But as the apricots are likely to be tart, you do need a little bit extra. Sugar is also a necessary ingredient for pistachio brittle.
It’s best to use white sugar to make caramel. This is because golden sugar or brown sugar contain impurities, which I normally welcome, but actually impede the caramelising process.
Adding an inverted sugar, such as honey, prevents the caramel from crystallising again once melted. Honey also gives a lovely flavour.
How To Make No Churn Apricot Ice Cream
This is an easy recipe to make, but it will help you enormously if you have electric beaters or a stand mixer. Whipping a lot of cream by hand takes time and arm ache. You’ll also need a one litre freezer-proof lidded container.
Please refer to the recipe card at the bottom of this post for cooking temperatures and quantities of ingredients used.
Step 1. Make Compote
Wash the apricots and gently shake them dry (ish). A few droplets of water clinging to them are neither here nor there. Slice the apricots in half and remove the pit. This is best done along the natural indentation you’ll find on one side of the fruit.
Slice the knife through this indentation until you hit the pit, then keep cutting as you rotate the fruit around. Gently twist the two halves and they should come apart.
Depending on the size of the fruit, chop the apricot halves into twelve or sixteen pieces. Place them in a small saucepan along with the saffron, honey and water. Don’t be surprised at how little water you need. The finished compote should be fairly thick and not at all watery.
Place the pan over a medium heat and gently bring it to the boil. Simmer for about five minutes or until the apricots just start to break up. Don’t let them break down completely, as it’s more interesting to have bits of actual fruit in the ice cream.
Remove from the heat and allow to cool.
Step 2. Make Pistachio Brittle
Whilst the apricots are simmering, roughly chop the pistachios.
Put the sugar, salt and honey in another small pan. Place it over a medium heat and allow the sugar to go liquid. If the sugar looks like it’s not liquifying evenly, give the pan a swirl, but don’t stir.
Let the sugar bubble for a minute or two until it starts to turn amber and caramelise. Immediately add the chopped nuts to the pan and stir to coat them completely.
Working quickly and whilst the caramel is still liquid, turn the nuts straight out onto a baking mat or sheet of greaseproof paper in as even a layer as possible. Allow to set and cool.
Once cool, break or chop into small pieces.
Step 3. Make Ice Cream
Using electric beaters, whip the cream in a large bowl until you have soft peaks. Be careful not to over whip it. Too stiff and it will lose its gorgeous creamy texture.
Add the condensed milk to the bowl and whip again until you have those soft peaks back.
Once the compote has cooled completely, tip it into the bowl of whipped cream. Using a large metal spoon, fold it in until thoroughly combined.
Taste test at this point. If the cream isn’t sweet enough for you, add a little more condensed milk. It’s important to note that frozen food tastes less sweet than it does at room temperature. So, if in doubt add an extra spoonful.
Top Tip
Make sure your cream is fridge cold. It gets much harder to whip as it warms up.
Step 4. Freeze
Scrape the mixture into a freezer proof container and level the top.
Scatter with half of the pistachio brittle then snap the lid on and place in the freezer. Freeze for at least six hours.
Remove from the freezer twenty minutes before serving. It takes a while to soften. Scoop the ice cream into bowls or ice cream cones and top with some of the remaining brittle.
Other Fresh Apricot Recipes You Might Like
- Apricot cardamom curd
- Apricot frangipane tart
- Apricot whisky honey cheesecake (deconstructed)
- Poached peaches & apricots in a spiced lemon & thyme syrup
- Vanilla apricot jam
Keep in Touch
Thank you for visiting Tin and Thyme. If you make this apricot ice cream, with or without the pistachio brittle, I’d love to hear about it in the comments below. Do you have any recommendations or tips for making no-churn ice cream?
Please rate the recipe too. And do tag me @choclette8 on Instagram with your images, I love to see your take on my recipes.
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If you’d like more ice cream recipes, follow the link and you’ll find I have quite a lot of them. All delicious, of course.
Choclette x
Apricot Ice Cream. PIN IT.
Apricot Ice Cream: With Saffron, Honey and Pistachio Brittle
Ingredients
Apricot Compote
- 320 g apricots halved and pitted
- 1 pinch saffron threads
- 2 tsp honey
- 1 tsp water
Pistachio Brittle
- 40 g caster sugar or use granulated
- 2 tsp honey
- 1 pinch fine sea or rock salt
- 50 g pistachios roughly chopped
Ice Cream
- 400 ml double cream (heavy cream)
- 200 ml condensed milk
Instructions
Apricot Compote
- Chop the apricot halves into 12-16 pieces, depending on how big the apricots are.320 g apricots
- Place them in a small saucepan along with the saffron, honey and water. Gently bring to the boil, then simmer for about five minutes or until the apricots just start to break up. Don’t let them break down completely, as it’s more interesting to have bits of actual fruit in the ice cream.1 pinch saffron threads, 2 tsp honey, 1 tsp water
- Remove from the heat and allow to cool.
Pistachio Brittle
- Put the sugar, salt and honey in another small pan. Place it over a medium heat and allow the sugar to liquify. If the sugar looks like it's not dissolving evenly, give the pan a swirl, but don't stir.40 g caster sugar, 1 pinch fine sea or rock salt, 2 tsp honey
- Let it bubble for a minute or two until it starts to turn amber.
- Immediately add the chopped nuts to the pan and stir to coat them completely.50 g pistachios
- Working quickly, turn the caramelised nuts straight out onto a baking mat or sheet of greaseproof paper. Flatten them out, then leave for a couple of minutes to set and cool.
- Once cool enough to handle, break or chop into small pieces.
Ice Cream
- Using electric beaters, whip the cream in a large bowl until you have soft peaks. Be careful not to over whip. Too stiff and it will lose its gorgeous creamy texture.400 ml double cream (heavy cream)
- Add the condensed milk and whip again until you have those soft peaks back.200 ml condensed milk
- Once the compote has cooled completely, add it to the cream. Using a large metal spoon, fold it in until thoroughly combined.
- Scrape the mixture into a one litre freezer proof lidded tub and level the top.
- Scatter half of the pistachio brittle over the top, seal with the lid and place in the freezer. Freeze for at least six hours.
- Remove from the freezer twenty minutes before serving. Scoop the ice cream into bowls or ice cream cones and top with some of the remaining brittle.
This is how I make my Ice Cream and I have made it with Apricots in the past. BUT, with your additions, saffron and Pistachio Brittle, it will be raised to scrummy!
Thanks Choclette :))
Thanks Mary. It’s such a brilliantly easy recipe. I used to hate making ice cream before I discovered it – luckily many years ago now. This apricot ice cream is my favourite – for the moment.
this sounds amazing and delicious!
sherry
Thank you. This apricot ice cream really is very very good.