Low Carb Chocolate Hazelnut Ice Cream

I’m perplexed why hazelnuts aren’t more popular in the USA. Mention Frangelico liqueur or Nutella and people swoon, but you may be hard-pressed to find hazelnuts in your local supermarket. It’s also surprising that hazelnuts don’t come up often in ice cream recipes. When it does, it’s usually paired with chocolate. I made this with a sweet cream base and with a chocolate base. Both were good, but I prefer the chocolate base.

I got the idea for this flavor from a sample of LorAnn Oils Chocolate Hazelnut Flavoring. I added a couple drams of it to a low carb ice cream base but realized it wasn’t going to be chocolatey enough.  I decided to scrap this product and instead used Chocolate Fudge Flavor Fountain ice cream flavoring and a tablespoon of Watkins Imitation Hazelnut Extract instead. I bought a bag of Diamond hazelnuts that come already chopped, but not toasted. I discovered later on that Trader Joe’s carries whole dry roasted Hazelnuts and I like these much better.

Sweet Cream Base and Chopped Raw Hazelnuts

Ingredients

¾ cup (90 g) chopped hazelnuts, toasted
Low Carb Sweet Cream Base
1 tablespoon Watkins Imitation Hazelnut Extract
1 tablespoon LorAnn Oils Flavor Fountain Flavorings, Chocolate Fudge

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 °F. Spread nuts in a single layer on baking sheet or in a shallow pan.
   
   
   
   
   Bake, stirring once or twice, until lightly browned and fragrant, 5-7 minutes. Let cool.
2. Pour the toasted chopped hazelnuts to an empty ice cream container.
   
   
   
   
   Put the container upright in the freezer.
3. Follow the instructions for the Low Carb Sweet Cream Base and mix in the flavorings. Cover and chill in the refrigerator for a few hours, if necessary.
4. Follow your ice cream maker’s directions for making ice cream. Add toasted chopped hazelnuts to the ice cream maker approximately ten minutes before it’s done. Remove from the ice cream maker using a silicone spatula into the container. Freeze until solid.

Chocolate Base and Whole Dry-Roasted Hazelnuts

Ingredients

¾ cup (90 g) dry-roasted hazelnuts
Low Carb Chocolate Philadelphia-style Ice Cream Base or Low Carb Chocolate French Custard Ice Cream Base without vanilla extract
1 tablespoon Watkins Imitation Hazelnut Extract

Directions

1. Halve the nuts and put into an empty ice cream container.
   
   
   
   
   Put the container upright in the freezer.
2. Follow the instructions for the chocolate ice cream base but leave out the vanilla extract. Mix in the hazelnut flavoring. Cover and chill in the refrigerator for a few hours.
3. Follow your ice cream maker’s directions for making ice cream. Remove from the ice cream using a silicone spatula and add some to the container. Add a layer of chopped hazelnuts. Repeat until done. Freeze until solid.