I have been wanting to do this post for a very long time.
Halo Top ice cream is one of my absolute favorite things.
Here comes the but...
It's ridiculously expensive. Here in the States it's around $6+ for a pint.
That's pretty steep even if it is crazy good and low in points.
Since I fell in love with it I've wanted to do a copycat recipe of this.
After searching for it I found a couple copycat recipes: No 1 & No2 are here.
There are some options in this for substitutions. I've listed the ones I used below.
Ingredients
1 1/2 cup milk(most of the recipes I've found say to use 2%)
1/6 lb part-skim ricotta
1/2 lb low fat cottage cheese
5 g protein powder
1 whole egg, beaten lightly with a fork
2-3 packets of stevia
6 g sugar
1/2 Tablespoon vanilla extract
1/16 tsp xanthan gum(you can find this at baking or hobby stores like Michael's)
20 g erythritol
1 Tbsp vegetable glycerin
I bought the erythritol and the vegetable glycerin both at the local health food store. They are also sold on Amazon.
Instructions
***You're going to add the xanthan gum in last***
Xanthan is a thickener and you want to have the recipe taste to your liking before you add this.
Start out by blending all the ingredients together except the xanthan gum, and the egg.
Pour this mix into a small sauce pan and heat on low to medium heat until warmed.
Temper the egg by adding just a little of the warm milk mixture to the egg in a separate bowl.
Once you've mixed that in you can add the small egg mix to the saucepan, whisking constantly.
Cook this for a short time until it reaches 160 degrees. Do not let this boil.
You want to make sure the heat isn't too high or the egg will scramble.
Take off the heat and let it cool completely.
After it has cooled, taste it and make sure it's taste is to your liking before you finally add in the xanthan gum.
Whisk and then put in your ice cream maker to churn.
This is the model I have~
It took about 22 minutes for this to finish.
Do you want the truth?
We were all disappointed.
I so wanted this to taste like Halo Top but it didn't.
The two main things that stood out were it's grainy texture and it's insufficient sweetness of flavor.
My guys ended up adding chocolate syrup to it.
It was kind of anti-climactic really.
My son was so excited for me to make this that he was hovering over the ice cream maker the whole time giving me play-by-play updates.
He shoved that first bite into his mouth with a big smile and then the smile kind of fizzled.
Bummer.
Well, even so I'm still resolved to try again.
I saw another recipe that was a little different and will give that a try some other time.
I still can't help believing that all my flops will help mold me into a better cook.
At least it's fun trying.
Happy Cooking!
Thank you for being honest that you didn't like it. I appreciated that. Makes me actually want to try it now I know it's too good to be true- I can have real expectations!
ReplyDeleteYou're welcome! I soooo wanted this to be as good as the real thing but it just wasn't. There was one other recipe I saw for this but hadn't tried yet. If you make it and it turns out well please let me know. I can post it and give you credit! I love Halo Top but it's so expensive. It would be nice to be able to make my own and save some $$$. Thanks for your comment! :)
DeleteI'm guessing you got this recipe from a certain Reddit thread that supposedly is from the guy who founded Halo Top - and I've made this as well, and I agree, it is nothing like Halo Top. The ricotta and cottage cheese make it gritty and salty. Cottage cheese also has a tang to it that can't be disguised. I almost wonder if that was a joke post on Reddit. Beyond that, the xantham gum gives it a weird texture -- if you could actually make a spherical scoop (you can't), it would stay in the shape if left to melt at room temperature. If you put it in the freezer, this recipe freezes hard as a rock. If this was an early iteration of what became Halo Top, it was very, very early. Thanks for posting this, as who knows how many people tried that Reddit recipe and silently were disappointed (as I was silent until this moment).
ReplyDeleteYes, I did find this on Reddit. I only found two copycat recipes for this and that was one of them. The whole thing tasted disappointingly unnatural.
DeleteI think for those of us doing WW or, in our own way trying to consume fewer calories, finding a good homemade Halo Top is like the Holy Grail. It's so delicious but also so expensive!
Thanks for leaving a comment! I always appreciate feedback. :)
It might be possible to use the label values and get close to the exact amounts used. You know hoe much sugar alcohol is in a serving, and there is only one alcohol, eryhritol. The same with the fiber. My experience with Halo Top copycast tries is that they "fluff up" with home ice cream makers and whip in too much air. HT must use low speed commercial makers. Adding milk to your frozen DIY and blending to make it a milkshake bypasses some of these problems; you might try that.
DeleteThat's an interesting idea. I have to be honest with you though, not working with an exact recipe is a little intimidating for me. I might think about it at some point. Right now I'm craving Fall and Winter foods so it might be next summer before I give it another try. If you try it and it works for you let me know. I'll post it and give you credit. I really appreciate your ideas. Thanks!
ReplyDelete