Brown Butter Base

Rich, nutty, and irresistibly smooth—our Brown Butter Ice Cream Base adds depth and decadence to any homemade ice cream flavor. A must-try for artisan makers.

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Recipe Background

Brown Butter Ice Cream Base is the secret ingredient your ice cream recipes have been missing. By gently toasting unsalted butter until it’s golden and fragrant, you create a rich, nutty foundation that brings depth, warmth, and complexity to any flavor profile. This base isn’t just creamy—it’s layered with the irresistible caramelized notes of browned butter, transforming even the simplest vanilla or chocolate into a gourmet treat.

Perfect for makers who want to experiment with bold, cozy flavors, the Brown Butter Base pairs beautifully with add-ins like toasted pecans, maple syrup, figs, and spiced cookies. Whether you're crafting small-batch scoops at home or building your own ice cream brand, this base recipe elevates your frozen creations to artisan status.

Once you taste it, you’ll never want to go back to basic.

Ingredients

1 ½ cup heavy whipping cream
1 ½ cup half and half
¼ cup white sugar
¼ cup brown sugar
2 Tbsp corn syrup
1 Tbsp dry milk
½ tsp xanthan gum
½ tsp salt
1 stick of butter

Instructions

Browned Butter

In a saucepan over medium heat add butter.
Let the butter melt and stir occasionally.
It will begin to foam and the solid particles will fall to the bottom of the pan and the clarified butter will be on top.
When you smell a nutty fragrance and see the color of the butter has changed from yellow to brown it is done.
Pour the clarified butter into a container and save for another use.
Reserve the butter solids for the ice cream base.

Cream Base

Combine sugar, xanthan gum, salt, and dry milk powder in a saucepan and mix really well for 30 seconds to a minute. You want the xanthan gum to be well distributed amongst the dry ingredients.
Over medium heat whisk in the half and half.
Next add the corn syrup and browned butter solids, mix. Making sure that the dry ingredients are dissolved into the liquid.
Take the pan off the heat and add the cream, whisking to combine.
Store in an airtight container and refrigerate until very cold or preferably overnight.