Chamomile Rhubarb Graham Cracker Ice Cream

Vanilla chamomile ice cream base with rhubarb compote and graham cracker crumbles swirled throughout, this chamomile rhubarb graham cracker ice cream is tart yet sweet and perfect for summer!

Can you leave out the chamomile?

Yes! If chamomile isn’t your thing, this recipe will absolutely still be delicious without it. I would just recommend increasing the amount of vanilla you add or making the extra effort to add vanilla bean paste to make sure the base of the ice cream has good flavor.

How to make ice cream at home?

There’s two ways to make ice cream at home. The first way to make ice cream at home is a no churn ice cream meaning you don’t need an ice cream maker. No churn ice cream is great and delicious but can be a little limiting. The second way to make ice cream at home is with an ice cream maker or with this ice cream maker bowl attachment. I use this attachment on my stand mixer and love it because it’s less expensive and takes up much less space!

Does ice cream have eggs in it?

Ice cream can have a custard base or just a milk base. This recipe is made with a milk base so I recommend using a high quality milk with good flavor! This is the time to splurge on milk because the ice cream will taste like the milk! Personally I love Maple hill or Ronny Brook!

Additional Recipes to try!

• Burnt Sugar Ice Cream Cake
• Hazelnut Ice Cream
• Vanilla No Churn Ice Cream

Tips for making Homemade Ice Cream

• High quality milk such as Maple Hill or Ronny Brook will make a huge difference for the base flavor of the ice cream!
• If you can’t find rhubarb you could also do strawberry or raspberry jam swirled into the ice cream!
• For a gluten free version of this ice cream you could use gluten free graham crackers or chopped up candied almonds are also amazing!
• I haven’t tested this as a no churn ice cream so for now you will need an ice cream maker but this stand mixer attachment makes it super easy!
• Don’t over churn the ice cream. The mixture should look like a very soft, soft serve. If you let it go too long, the ice cream won’t be nice and smooth.
• Ideally leave the ice cream to freeze overnight but if you’re in a pinch you can always serve it as soft serve in a bowl on the same day.

Ingredients

• Milk: I prefer to use whole milk for ice cream but skim or 2% will work in a pinch. The milk will affect the taste so this is a great time to buy high quality milk!
• Chamomile Tea: Any chamomile tea will work for this just make sure it isn’t a brand with sugar added.
• Sugar: White granulated sugar is important for not only the flavor but also the texture. I do not recommend decreasing the sugar volume in this recipe as it will directly impact the texture of the ice cream.
• Corn Starch: Starch thickens and helps make the ice cream base and rhubarb creamier!
• Heavy Cream: Heavy cream or heavy whipping cream will work for this, just make sure it’s cold!
• Vanilla Extract: A little vanilla adds a little flavor and enhances the sweetness of the ice cream. If you have it vanilla bean paste will add a stronger and deeper vanilla flavor to the ice cream base.
• Salt: Salt balances out the sweetness and enhances the flavors in the ice cream.
• Rhubarb: Forced or standard rhubarb will work for this but if using standard I would replace 1/4 of the weight with raspberries so that it will be a beautiful red color.
• Lemon Juice: A little lemon balances out the sweetness of the sugar that gets added to the rhubarb.
• Graham crackers: Graham crackers add the perfect crunch to the ice cream as well as the perfect toasty sweetness.

How to make homemade Rhubarb Chamomile Graham Cracker Ice Cream?

*Check the instructions for your ice cream maker and make sure to freeze any elements that need to be frozen the day before making this ice cream!

Chamomile Ice Cream Base

• In a large pot add in all of the milk and heat over medium low heat on the stove until just almost simmering. Turn off the heat and place the chamomile tea into the milk, cover and let steep for 6 minutes.
• After 6 minutes, take the tea out and squeeze out any excess milk. In a large mixing bowl whisk together the corn starch, sugar, and the salt. Pour in the chamomile milk and vanilla and whisk to combine.
• Pour the mixture back into the large pot and bring to a simmer until everything has dissolved and the mixture has thickened slightly.
• Once you see a couple bubbles, turn the heat off and whisk in the heavy cream. Pour the mixture through a fine mesh sieve into a large shallow dish or a mixing bowl. Cover the bowl with a layer of plastic wrap and let it come to room temperature before transferring to the fridge until cold.
• This can be made the night before or day of as long as it has 4-6 hours to chill in the fridge.

Rhubarb Compote

• Rinse and chop off the ends of the rhubarb. Cut the stalks into roughly 2-3″ long pieces and add them into a large pot with water and half of the sugar. Cover the pot and place over medium low heat until the rhubarb begins to break down.
• Uncover the pot and continue to cook the rhubarb down until about half of the liquid has been reduced. Reduce the heat to low.
• In a separate bowl whisk together the remaining sugar and corn starch, stir in the lemon juice until smooth. Pour this mixture into the pot with the rhubarb and cook on medium low, stirring frequently until the first bubbles start to appear.
• Remove from the heat and pour into a large shallow dish to cool. Cover the surface with a layer of plastic wrap until it reaches room temp.

Churning & Freezing

• Set up your ice cream maker according to the instructions.
• Turn the ice cream machine on and pour in the chamomile cream base. Leave the machine running until it looks like soft serve. This can take up to 20-25 minutes depending on the machine.
• While the ice cream is churning, line a loaf pan with plastic wrap or parchment paper.
• Once the ice cream is churned and ready, stop the machine and pour 1/4 of the ice cream into the lined pan. Use a fork to swirl in 1/4 of the rhubarb mixture and then crumble about 4 graham crackers on top.
• Repeat layering the ice cream, rhubarb and graham crackers in 3 more additions until they have been used up. I recommend only doing a little bit of the graham cracker on top because it won’t absorb as well into the ice cream.
• Smooth out the top and cover it with plastic wrap or another sheet of parchment paper. Place in the freezer for a minimum of 6 hours or up to overnight to firm up.
• Store in the freezer and take out as needed. Allow it to sit for 5-10 minutes at room temperature before scooping.

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