What tastes like espresso cookies and cream and is made from a weed that grows in your yard? Ice cream made from roasted dandelion roots, of course. Dandelion ice cream recipes usually rely on steeping or cooking dandelion flowers in the ice cream base, but one taste of this and you'll never consider the other version. Ice cream is only one way to use dandelion roots in a desert though, and I recommend reading to the end for a few other ideas. It's one of the best things I've made in a while.
How to Make it
The first thing to know is that you don't have to use a shovel to make dandelion root ice cream, but you can. Most coops sell dried dandelion root in the bulk section, and it's also available online. For one recipe you'll need about ¼ cup of dried roots.
Chicory or Dandelion Roots
Harvest the dandelion roots in the Spring or Fall when the plants are not flowering. Use a shovel, chiseling out a circle around the plants so as to not disturb the roots, which can cut dirt into them.
Meticulously wash and scrub the roots until bone dry and brittle: 24 hours at 145F. From here the roots can be stored in a pantry for years. Make sure to save the tender green "hearts / crowns" so you can try my recipe for them.
Next, roast the dandelion roots and make a strong batch of dandelion coffee. Put the dried roots in a cast iron pan and cook at 300 F for one hour. Remove the roots and cool, then grind to a coarse powder in a spice grinder.
Combine the ground dandelion roots with a cup of water, bring to a boil and reduce until ½ cup (4oz) remains.
Next boil some maple syrup with a tablespoon of corn syrup. Maple is appropriate, and my first choice, but you can also use regular white sugar, skipping the reduction and adding the sugar right to the coffee.
Once the maple is thick, syrupy, and you can see the bottom of the pan when it's stirred, add the dandelion coffee and simmer until the now hardened syrup has melted.
Maple Custard
Meanwhile, whisk the egg yolks and heavy cream with a splash of vanilla. Slowly pour the hot dandelion coffee-maple mixture into the egg cream.
When the mixture's combined, pour it back into the pot and cook on low heat, stirring regularly, until the custard thickens, which should take about an hour.
For the best texture, you'll want to chill the custard overnight before spinning. Pour the custard into an ice cream maker and process according to the manufacturer's directions. It usually takes me about 45 minutes to an hour to spin a batch of ice cream.
The best part is the texture of the finished product. Leaving the slowly roasted, caramelized roots in the custard gives it a taste that will immediately remind you of cookies and cream with a generous dose of espresso. Serve it with toasted nuts, a drizzle of maple syrup and a pinch of flaky salt.
Tips, Ideas and Variations
Also, while the ice cream is fantastic, the big takeaway here is that dandelion and chicory root coffee make a wonderful dairy-based dessert. If you don't have an ice cream maker, consider pudding, pots du creme, custard sauces like creme anglaise, and pastry cream, for a few examples.
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Dandelion Ice Cream
Equipment
- 1 quart sauce pot stainless steel
- 1 Whisk
- 1 wooden spoon
- 1 Ice cream machine ideally one with a compressor
- 1 mixing bowl
Ingredients
Dandelion Coffee
- 1 cup water
- ¼ cup dried dandelion root or chicory root
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
Ice Cream Custard
- ½ cup maple syrup
- 1 tablespoon organic corn syrup
- 2.5 cups heavy cream
- 5 large egg yolks
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract I use my homemade white clover extract
Instructions
Harvest and Clean the Dandelion or Chicory Roots
- Dig up dandelion or chicory roots before the plants flower in the Spring or Fall. Remove the crowns and greens for another purpose.
- Scrub the roots in warm water with a scouring pad until very clean. Cut the roots into small pieces and wash again until the water runs clear.
- Dehydrate the roots until bone dry. 145F in a dehydrator works, or you can leave them on a tray with a fan on them for a few days.
- Alternately, buy dried dandelion or chicory roots online or from a local coop.
Dandelion Coffee
- Roast the dandelion roots for an hour in a cast iron pan at 300 F. Cool and grind to a coarse powder.
- Combine the ground roots, water, pinch of salt and vanilla, bring to a boil and reduce until ½ cup (4oz) remains. Transfer to a small mixing bowl.
Maple Custard
- Add the maple syrup and corn syrup if using to the pot and bring to a boil. Turn the heat to medium and simmer until the mixture's thickened and you can see the bottom of the pot when it's stirred.
- Add the dandelion coffee to the pot, then continue heating, stirring regularly, until the maple syrup softens and disperses through the mixture. Reserve the sweetened coffee and keep hot.
- Whisk the eggs and cream well in the mixing bowl, then slowly add the hot root coffee-maple mixture, whisking constantly.
- Transfer the custard back to the pot and cook on low heat, stirring regularly until thickened, about 1 hour, or between 170-175 F. Allow the custard to cool overnight for the best texture.
Finish The Ice Cream
- Pour the ice cream base into an ice cream maker and process according to the manufacturer's directions. It usually takes my machine 45-60 minutes.
Hilliary Heard
It’s absolutely delicious and easy to make!
Alan Bergo
Thanks Hillary
Shannon
I'd love to try this recipe. Can the corn syrup be skipped or replaced with something else?
Alan Bergo
It’s only there to help prevent user error as people typically undercook ice cream base. As long as you pay attention to the recipe you can skip it.
Jenn
I sometimes have to be dairy free. (Depends on my liver, lol)
Do you have any suggestions for a dairy alternative for the heavy cream? Its been a long time since I made a dairy alternative ice-cream, but if I remember correctly it came out OK.
Also I could see adding lavendar to this for a London fog feel.
Thanks for giving me something else to do with my harvest of roots!!
Alan Bergo
Coconut milk or cashew cream.