I’m sending up a flare here —  If you like ice cream, almond, Amaretto, and poppy seeds, you have to try this.  If you like almond poppy seed muffins, you’ll think you’ve died and gone to heaven.

I stood over the ice cream maker as it was churning and added the almond extract and Amaretto until it was just perfect.  I said it before, but I just love the way you can interact with the ice cream as it freezes, through the open top in this Cuisinart machine.  You can actually create a flavor as you go.  For someone like me who loves experimenting with unusual combinations, this is a blast.

Amaretto Poppy Seed Ice Cream
makes about 4 1/2 cups  
3/4 cup whole milk
1 3/4 cups heavy cream
1/2 cups poppy seeds
1/2 cup sugar
1 1/2 tsp almond extract
1 1/2 tsp Amaretto liqueur
1/2 tsp vanilla paste or extract

• Heat the milk, cream, sugar and poppy seeds in a saucepan on the stove, just until it comes to a simmer.  Take off the heat and add the almond extract, Amaretto, and vanilla.  Let it cool and then refrigerate for several hours until completely chilled.
• Pour the chilled mixture into the bowl of your ice cream maker and process according to your machine’s directions.  Mine took just 20 minutes of churning.
• Eat right away or keep in the freezer for a firmer texture.

I really like that my ice cream maker makes very manageable sized batches of ice cream. It’s just right for a small family, an intimate group of friends, or just you and your partner.  Or just you. In any case you’re not going to be swimming in extra ice cream, which is a good thing.

You know, every minute you waste staring is a another minute you can’t be putting this in your mouth.

Follow me on Pinterest, I have an Ice Cream board filled with inspirational flavors to try. I scoured the internet for the best recipes, from the most common to the most outrageous, so you don’t have to.

One year ago today—