This Lavender Rose Ice Cream is so delicate, light, and ethereal. The floral tones melt in your mouth in perfect unity.
With this recipe, my transition into Official Old Lady is complete.
The truth is, I’ve had old lady tendencies my whole life. One of my favorite hobbies is talking scornfully about kids these days, and I’ve been yelling at (proverbial) punks to get off my (proverbial) lawn for at least the last decade. I’m basically one Matlock episode shy of a nursing home. However, nothing says “little old lady” like a fondness for food that tastes like lotion smells.
I used to be staunchly anti-floral anything. But gradually—I don’t know when this shift occurred—I changed my mind. I think it started when I made a batch of raspberry-rose truffles. “These aren’t so bad,” I thought. “In fact…they’re quite good. They’re delicious.” In retrospect, those truffles were obviously trouble, and I should have known raspberry was a gateway food.
Pretty soon I was infusing lavender into chocolate pies and adding rose whipped cream to pistachio tarts with wild abandon. With this recipe, though, I’ve given up all pretense of the floral flavor being a supporting player and put it front and center, with not one but TWO flowers lending this smooth ice cream their light, spring-y flavor.
Your enjoyment of this ice cream will depend on whether you have Old Person Tastebuds like me, but if you do—watch out! I couldn’t stop eating this. It’s so delicate, so light, so ethereal, it’s easy to chow down and demolish a bowl without realizing it. (Don’t worry—it’s nothing a little mall walking in my most stylish sweat suit can’t fix.)
This ice cream is perfect plain, or you could serve it with buttery shortbread cookies, berry desserts, or perhaps some kind of pistachio or almond cake. Maybe scoop yourself a big bowl while watching a Murder, She Wrote marathon? Just a thought.
Still looking for more ways to lavender your life? Try my easy Lavender Sugar Recipe. You’ll also love my all inclusive Guide to Baking with Lavender where I explain everything you need to know about culinary lavender.
More Floral Desserts🌸
- Watercolor Rose Sugar Cookies
- Lavender Lemon Bars
- Rosemary Raspberry Truffles
- Lavender Hot Chocolate
- Pear Pistachio Tart with Rosemary Crust
Lavender Simple Syrup
Raspberry-Rose Cake
Lavender Rose Ice Cream
Ingredients
- 2 cups heavy cream
- 1 cup milk
- 2 TBSP culinary dried lavender
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 5 large egg yolks
- Pinch of salt
- 1 1/2 TBSP rose water, or more to taste
- purple gel food coloring, optional
- Candy thermometer, optional
Instructions
- Combine the cream, milk, and lavender in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Bring the cream to a simmer, then remove the pan from the heat and cover it with a lid. Let it sit at room temperature for 30 minutes, to infuse the cream with lavender flavor.
- After 30 minutes, add the sugar and salt to the bowl of cream and whisk them together, then put the cream back on medium heat. Put the egg yolks in a medium bowl nearby and whisk them gently. Bring the milk/cream mixture to a simmer, then when it just starts to come to a boil, remove the pan from the heat. Whisk the egg yolks while you slowly pour in about a third of the hot cream mixture, whisking constantly so the eggs heat up but don’t cook during the process.
- Now return the saucepan to the heat and start whisking the cream while you pour in the hot egg mixture. Continue to whisk as the custard cooks, and cook it until it thickens slightly and coats the back of a spoon. If you want to use a candy thermometer, you’re shooting for 175 F (80C).
- Take the pan from the heat and strain the ice cream custard through a fine mesh strainer into a bowl, to strain out the lavender and any bits of cooked egg. Whisk in the rose water, and a drop or two of purple food coloring, if desired. (Depending on the shade of your coloring, you might want to add a drop or two of pink as well, to give it more of a lavender-rose shade.) Continue to whisk occasionally as it cools.
- Once at room temperature, press a layer of cling wrap on top of the custard and refrigerate it until it’s completely chilled. (To speed up the process, you can place the bowl over an ice bath and whisk it as it cools down.)
- Once the custard is fully chilled, churn the ice cream according to your ice cream maker’s instructions.
Recipe Notes
Measuring Tips
Our recipes are developed using weight measurements, and we highly recommend using a kitchen scale for baking whenever possible. However, if you prefer to use cups, volume measurements are provided as well. PLEASE NOTE: the adage “8 oz = 1 cup” is NOT true when speaking about weight, so don’t be concerned if the measurements don’t fit this formula.
Want to learn more about baking measurements and conversion?
Nutrition
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Ummm… can I just say I LOVE IT!!!
Thanks so much, Johlene! I loved it a little too much, if you know what I mean…
I always joke that I’m secretly 83 years old… And the joke is that I’m totally serious. Old ladies = the coolest, though, no?
That ice cream looks so soft and delectable and lovely. I’m totally into it!
Okay, let’s break it down. Sweat pants? Check. Early bedtimes? Check. Getting to say whatever the heck you want because no one is going to be rude and contradict you? Check. Yes, it’s official–old ladies totally have it made! Can’t wait to be 83!
This looks so creamy and delish, I love the color too! Pinning c:
Awesome, thanks Consuelo! I did have to give it a little help with food coloring, but I think it was worth it for the color to convey exactly how the dish tastes.
Oh my gosh. This makes me laugh. When I saw the title, before i even read any of your post, i flashed back to a dinner I had with my girlfriends and the waiter brought us a rosewater flan. I felt like I was sipping the holy water out of my Grandma’s living room font. Oh, snicker, snicker. Old lady tastebuds. Yes yes, I agree. Perhaps if I don some white gloves and a girdle and start snipping hot dog weiners with kitchen scissors this ice cream will become my dessert of choice, ehhh?
Haha, cackling at snipping hot dogs with kitchen scissors! We are SO ready to be little old ladies. And I’m not going to lie, rosewater flan sounds delicious… what is wrong with me?!
I too have old lady tendencies and absolutely LOVE the sound of this recipe. Must must must try!
‘Cause being an old lady is the best! Glad you’re with me on the lavender-rose love. 🙂
I must be an old lady too because I go gaga for all lavender desserts too! Can’t wait to try this out with my new ice cream maker. Did you get your rose water just at the regular grocery store?
I did! But the grocery store I shop at has a large selection of middle eastern foods, so maybe that’s not typical. They carry multiple brands, and it’s usually around $3/bottle–not a bad deal! I hope you’re able to find some and give it a try!
If these ice cream flavor makes you an old lady, then I am a million years old because that is how much I love it.
Hey, nothing wrong with that! Let’s be little old ladies together.
Wow! Looks so scrumptious!
Thanks so much, Yelena!
Wow is the word.I found this through fridgg and I am thankful.Such a tempting ice cream.I will be coming here for more dessert ideas 🙂
yummy…. just love those, cool one tempting