Vanilla Ice Cream With Andes Mint Pieces and Pecans

This is a fantastic vanilla ice cream recipe that originated from a book called The Perfect Scoop by David Lebovitz. I have tinkered with it a little to suit my tastes and added my favorite cookie add-in ingredients into the basic recipe. This is also fantastic just as a plain vanilla ice cream and the best part is you don't have to bother with making a custard. The andes mint and pecan measurements are estimates - feel free to add more or less of each as desired! Prep time is chilling time.

• Ready In: 8 hrs 10 mins
• Serves: 8
• Yields: 1 quart

Ingredients

• 2  cups heavy cream, divided
• 1  cup  whole milk
• 1  cup sugar
• 1  pinch salt
• 1  vanilla bean
• 1  teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1  cup  Andes mint baking chips
• 1  cup  finely chopped pecans, toasted

Directions

1. Pour 1 cup of the heavy cream into a medium saucepan and add the sugar and salt. Split the vanilla bean in half lengthwise and scrape the seeds from it - add them to the saucepan as well. Warm the cream mixture over medium-low heat, stirring constantly until the sugar is completely dissolved. Do not let the cream boil!
2. Remove the pan from the heat and add the remaining cup of cream, the milk and the vanilla extract. Place the mixture in the refrigerator and chill well before churning. (I usually do a minimum of 8 hours.).
3. Freeze the mixture in your ice cream maker, according to the manufacturer's instructions. Add the andes mint pieces and pecan pieces during the last minute or two of churning.