Chai Ice Cream

Chai Ice Cream Recipe

By: Lisa Hall

Spring is that time of year where it’s slowly getting warmer but you still have those cooler rainy days that make you want to feel cozy and comforted.  Chai is a comfort drink for me. I also enjoy making home-made ice cream. So, I thought, “Why not Chai Ice Cream?”

This recipe works because the sugar brings out the spicy chai flavors, while the milk and cream create a smooth, creamy ice cream.

Ingredients

• 2 cups heavy cream (divided)
• 1 cup whole milk
• 2 Tbsp  (10-12g) STEAP’s  Michigan Masala Chai or MI CHAI
• ½ cup sugar*
• Pinch of salt

Instructions

1. Combine 1 cup of heavy cream (the rest will be used later), sugar and salt in a medium sauce pan and heat until sugar is completely dissolved.  Stir frequently, not letting it come to a boil.
2. Remove from heat, add 2 Tbsp. of tea leaves. Let the tea infuse or steep for 20 - 30 minutes, until desired strength is reached. The infused cream mixture should taste quite strong, like a concentrate. As the milk and additional cream added in step 4 will dilute it slightly. 
3. If the cream concentrate needs to be stronger, leave the tea leaves in until step 6.  If the cream concentrate is strong enough, remove the tea leaves using a fine mesh strainer to strain the cream concentrate into a separate bowl.
4. Mix remaining 1 cup cold heavy cream and 1 cup cold whole milk into the cream concentrate. (Using cold cream and milk will shorten the cool down time in the refrigerator.)
5. Cover and chill thoroughly in the refrigerator (roughly 2-3 hours). 
6. Remove from refrigerator. If tea leaves were not removed in Step 3, remove them now using a fine mesh strainer**.
7. When ready to churn, freeze the mixture in your ice cream maker according to the manufacturing instructions.
8. Store the ice cream in a covered container in the freezer.

NOTES

*If you prefer a sweeter ice cream, or depending upon the tea used, you may add up to ¼ cup of additional sugar.

**At this point the infused mixture can be strained directly into the ice cream maker.

Lisa’s Tips

o   I made this both with Michigan Masala Chai and MI CHAI, but you could substitute any loose-leaf tea of your choice.

o   For Michigan Masala Chai, I found 30 minutes of infusion time to be enough

o   For MI CHAI, and herbals in general, a 30-minute steep time plus steeping the tea in the refrigerator after adding heavy cream and milk is needed.