Low Carb Sweet Potato Ice Cream with Maple-Glazed Pecans

I’m sure ice cream made by David Lebovitz from ripe sweet potatoes is delicious. But the pound of sweet potatoes required adds 90 grams of carbohydrate alone. Fear not, because I have a low-carb workaround. David’s maple-glazed pecans mix-in will be accomplished by substituting maple flavored sugar-free syrup by Lakanto. It’s my first recipe using monk fruit as a sweetener.

Extracts and concentrates work very well depending on the source. I found a sweet potato concentrate on Amazon that worked pretty well. (Note: it’s no longer available from Amazon, but you can order from the company directly.) It doesn’t include coloring, so my ice cream looks plain. The flavoring is good, but not great. I also needed more than I expected for an extract that bills itself as a “super concentrate.”

UPDATE 2019-02-22: The company has changed the way it packages their product. It’s now only available in a 16 fl. oz. or gallon container. They also have a Sweet Potato Pie flavor that might be preferable.

A word of warning about making the glazed pecans: Do NOT attempt this unless you have a non-stick pot, preferably one that’s ceramic coated. The syrup turns into an extremely sticky goo when reduced. This is great for the recipe but will ruin your pot if its non-stick surface can’t handle a little scrubbing with a nylon-bristled brush.

Ingredients

Glazed Pecans

½ cup maple flavored sugar-free syrup
1½ cups (150 g) pecans, toasted
Big pinch of kosher or sea salt

Ice Cream

Low Carb Sweet Cream Base
1-2 tablespoons sweet potato flavoring
1 teaspoon molasses and/or ½ teaspoon brown sugar extract
¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Directions

1. Glazed Pecans: Preheat the oven to 350 °F (180 °C).
2. Spread the nuts in an even layer on an ungreased baking sheet.
3. Bake the nuts in the oven for about 8-10 minutes, but check them a few minutes sooner; stir them once or twice while baking so they toast evenly. 
4. Heat the maple syrup in a small non-stick pot until it just begins to come to a full boil.
5. Stir in the pecans, then cook until the liquid comes to a full boil once again.
   
   
   
   
   Stir the nuts until the liquid reduces to a thick syrup that coats the pecans, then remove them from the heat.
   
   
   
6. Sprinkle the nuts with the salt and let cool completely. Store uncovered in the refrigerator. The nuts will still be wet and sticky when cooled.
7. Ice Cream: Follow the instructions for the Low Carb Sweet Cream Base and mix in the cinnamon and molasses early on. Add the sweet potato, brown sugar flavoring, and vanilla extract after the mix has cooled. Cover and chill in the refrigerator for a few hours.
8. Follow your ice cream maker’s directions for making ice cream. Start adding the cooled sticky pecans about 10 minutes before the ice cream will be ready. You will probably need to separate them apart one-by-one. Remove from the ice cream maker using a silicone spatula into the container. Freeze until solid.

UPDATE 2018-06-13: Here it is with the coloring added. It’s a little too red, but it looks much better!