Chai-spiced eggnog ice cream for the holidays

A holiday classic with a twist! I love eggnog and wanted to make an ice cream with that flavor, but I realized that eggnog is just custard with some nutmeg (and sometimes rum) so that's not very interesting. Masala chai has a similar warmth and I thought it would pair well with the rich eggnog custard.

The resulting recipe is quite soft, with the chai flavor dominating while still remaining recognizably "eggnoggy." The chai powder I used was very ginger-forward, which added a nice bite.

If I did this recipe again, I'd try other powders that may have paired better. I would also add even more egg yolks to punch up the custard flavor, and a tiny bit of stabilizer to help with the texture (I thought all the egg yolks would compensate, but it was noticeably thinner than my other recipes).

Ingredients

https://scoopulator.app/recipes/chai-eggnog-ice-cream-39a366

• 400g Whole milk
• 400g Heavy cream
• 35g Skim milk powder
• 140g Egg yolk (which for me was 8 yolks)
• 140g Granulated sugar
• 6g Masala chai powder (I used Blue Lotus)
• 25g Rum (40% alcohol)
• 4g Pure vanilla extract
• 0.8g Salt
• Freshly-grated nutmeg to taste (in base and to serve)

Instructions

1. Combine dry ingredients: Mix the sugar, milk powder, chai powder, salt, and nutmeg.
2. Mix dry: Whisk the dry mixture into the milk until combined.
3. Temper and heat: Whisk the egg yolks, add them to the mixture, and heat to 85°C while stirring constantly to create the custard.
4. Age the base: Move the base into a sealed container and let it age in the fridge for at least 8 hours.
5. Churn
6. Harden: Move to the freezer until fully set.

Calculations

Ice cream calculator link

• Total Solids: 42%
• Total Fat: 17.8%
• Milk Fat: 14%
• MSNF: 8.5%
• Sugar: 12.6%
• Alcohol: 1%