Black Ice Licorice Ice Cream

From the kitchen of Carly

Black licorice melts into cream and custard, creating an unexpectedly sophisticated ice cream that's anise-forward and subtly sweet. This isn't candy frozen solid; it's refined and complex, with just enough edge to keep you coming back for another spoon.

Black Ice Licorice Ice Cream

Black licorice melts into a custard base to create an ice cream that tastes like anise candy but feels sophisticated, creamy, and gently bittersweet. The trick is steeping the licorice in water first so it fully dissolves and releases its flavor into the custard without grit. This is for people who actually love licorice, not those pretending.

Prep
n/a
Cook
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Total
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Servings
4
Difficulty
medium

Ingredients

4 servings

  • 2 1/2 ozblack licorice sticks, gently crushed
  • 1 cupwhole milk
  • 1/2 cupheavy cream
  • 2egg yolks
  • 1/3 cupplus 1 tablespoon superfine or granulated sugar
  • 1/4 tspvanilla extract
  • 1few drops of natural black food coloring

Instructions

  1. Combine the licorice and 1/2 cup of water in a saucepan and warm over low heat for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the licorice fully melts.

  2. While that licorice melts, pour the milk and cream into a large saucepan and warm gently over low heat, stirring occasionally, until the mixture begins steaming but doesn't boil.

  3. Whisk the egg yolks in a heatproof bowl until smooth. Add the sugar and vanilla and whisk until pale and slightly fluffy. Gradually and slowly pour the hot milk into the egg mixture, whisking continuously to prevent the eggs from scrambling. Pour everything back into the saucepan, set over low heat, stir in the melted licorice, and heat until the custard thinly coats the back of a wooden spoon. Don't let it boil. Add black food coloring drop by drop until you reach the desired intensity of color.

  4. Pour the cooked custard back into the bowl and let stand for around 30 minutes, stirring occasionally, until cooled to room temperature. To speed cooling, fill a sink halfway with cold water and ice and rest the bowl in it for 20 minutes. Never put the hot mixture directly into the refrigerator.

  5. Once cooled, cover the mixture and chill, ideally overnight or at least for 6 hours, until thoroughly cold (at least 40°F). Pour the chilled mixture into an ice cream maker and churn per the manufacturer's instructions.

  6. When churning finishes, scrape the ice cream into a freezer-proof container with a lid using a spoon or spatula. Freeze at least 2 hours, until it firms up to scoopable texture.

Tips from the kitchen

  • Crush the licorice gently so the pieces are small enough to dissolve quickly but big enough not to pulverize into powder. Stir the water and licorice mixture a few times as it heats, and you'll know it's ready when there are no solid pieces left.
  • Temper the eggs slowly. Pour the hot milk into the yolks in a thin stream while whisking hard. Rushing this or using cold eggs will scramble them and wreck the custard.
  • Chill the base overnight if you can. A fully cold custard churns into a smoother, denser ice cream than one that's only been chilled 6 hours.
  • Use natural black food coloring in just a few drops. It's easy to overshoot the color and end up with something that looks more like motor oil than ice cream.

Variations

  • Salt and licorice: Add 1/4 teaspoon fleur de sel to the custard before churning to bring out the anise and cut the sweetness.
  • Licorice with a kick: Stir 1/2 teaspoon ground fennel seed into the licorice and water mixture for a more complex, spicy-sweet finish.
  • Swirl with liqueur: Warm 2 tablespoons of Pastis or another anise-based liqueur and drizzle it into the ice cream as it finishes churning for an adult-only version.

Make ahead and storage

Store in a freezer-proof container with a lid for up to 2 weeks. Let it sit on the counter for 5 minutes before scooping if it's frozen solid. Licorice ice cream doesn't refreeze as smoothly once scooped, so serve it in one sitting if possible.