GT Makhana (Foxnut) Vanilla Ice Cream with Chocolate Dip

GT Makhana (Foxnut) Vanilla Ice Cream with Chocolate Dip:

A rich, creamy no-churn vanilla ice cream studded with crunchy roasted makhana (fox nuts) — no ice cream machine needed. Serve as-is or dip each scoop in warm chocolate syrup for a fun, protein-boosted twist on classic vanilla ice cream.

6 servings

Ingredients

• 1 cups makhana (fox nuts)
• 1 teaspoons ghee or oil, for roasting
• 2 cups heavy cream (whipping cream), chilled
• 0.7 cups sweetened condensed milk
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 0.1 teaspoons pinch of salt
• 0.5 cups chocolate syrup, for dipping (store-bought or homemade)

Steps:

1. Roast the makhana until crisp: Heat 1 teaspoons ghee or oil, for roasting ghee in a pan on low-medium heat. Add 1 cups makhana (fox nuts) makhana and roast, stirring constantly, for 6–8 minutes 08:00 until crisp and hollow-sounding when tapped. Turn off heat and let cool completely on a plate — this usually takes about 15 minutes.
2. Coarsely crush the cooled makhana: Once fully cooled, coarsely crush the roasted makhana with your hands or a rolling pin into small, bite-sized pieces — not a fine powder. Set aside.
3. Chill your bowl and beaters: Place your mixing bowl and whisk beaters in the freezer for about 10 minutes 10:00 before starting — a cold bowl helps the cream whip up faster and hold its shape better.
4. Whip the cream to stiff peaks: Pour the chilled 2 cups heavy cream (whipping cream), chilled heavy cream into the cold bowl. Using an electric hand mixer or stand mixer on medium-high speed, whip for 3–5 minutes 05:00until stiff peaks form — the cream should stand up firmly on the whisk without flopping over. Stop as soon as you reach this point; over-whipping will turn it grainy or buttery.
5. Mix the condensed milk base: In a separate bowl, mix the 0.7 cups sweetened condensed milk condensed milk, 2 teaspoons vanilla extract vanilla extract, and 0.1 teaspoons pinch of salt pinch of salt together until smooth.
6. Lighten the base with a third of the cream: Add about a third of the whipped cream into the condensed milk mixture and gently fold it in with a spatula, using a light over-and-under motion (not stirring) to keep the air in the cream.
7. Fold in the remaining cream: Add the rest of the whipped cream to the bowl and gently fold together until no white streaks remain and the mixture looks like a light, airy mousse.
8. Fold in the crushed makhana: Gently fold in the crushed makhana, distributing it evenly throughout the mixture. Fold just enough to combine — overmixing can knock the air out of the cream.
9. Freeze until firm: Pour the mixture into a freezer-safe container (a loaf tin works well). Smooth the top, cover tightly with a lid or plastic wrap pressed directly onto the surface (this prevents ice crystals), and freeze for at least 360 minutes 360:00 , ideally overnight.
10. Soften slightly before scooping: Once fully set, remove from the freezer and let it sit at room temperature for 3–5 minutes to soften slightly before scooping. Use an ice cream scoop dipped in warm water for clean, round scoops.
11. Dip in chocolate syrup and serve: If your 0.5 cups chocolate syrup, for dipping (store-bought or homemade) chocolate syrup is thick, warm it gently for a few seconds so it's pourable but not hot. Dip each scoop into the syrup, turning to coat, or drizzle syrup over scoops in a bowl. Serve immediately while the makhana is still crunchy.

Notes:

Tips for beginners:

1. Roast the makhana thoroughly and let it cool completely before crushing and folding it in \u2014 warm or under-roasted makhana turns soggy and loses its crunch once mixed into the cream.
2. Keep some makhana pieces coarsely broken rather than a fine powder; larger pieces stay crunchier even after freezing.
3. Whip the cream to stiff peaks without over-whipping, and fold gently rather than stir, to keep the ice cream light and scoopable.
4. The makhana pieces will soften slightly over several days in the freezer, so this ice cream tastes best (crunchiest) within the first 4\u20135 days.

Here's your GT Makhana Vanilla Ice Cream with Chocolate Dip.