Roasted Hazelnut Ice Cream - 16fl oz
Ben The Baker
$10.00
(No reviews yet)
Write a Review
Ben The Baker
Roasted Hazelnut Ice Cream - 16fl oz
I roast whole hazelnuts low and slow for an hour, work the skins off by hand once they cool, then grind them into a smooth hazelnut butter and fold that straight into my homemade ice cream base — no purchased flavor concentrate, no shortcuts. I'm Ben Neumann, and I make every batch myself in my licensed bakery in White Bear Lake, Minnesota, the same kitchen where I build the 100% butter crusts my pies are known for. This flavor started as the thing I wanted to scoop on top of a warm slice — it works just as well on its own, or dropped into a hot cup of coffee for an affogato.
- Built to sit on a warm slice of pie, melt into a bowl on its own, or turn your afternoon coffee into an affogato.
- The hazelnut flavor comes from real roasted nuts ground into butter and folded into a from-scratch base — not an extract or a flavoring syrup.
- Made with simple dairy and nut ingredients; suitable for vegetarians, though it's made in a bakery that also handles wheat, so it isn't produced in an allergen-free facility.
There's a reason I don't buy a hazelnut flavoring bottle off a shelf and call it a day: it tastes like a bottle. So I roast the nuts myself, right in my bakery in White Bear Lake, Minnesota, for about an hour until they're deeply toasted, work the papery skins off once they've cooled, and grind them down into a smooth hazelnut butter in the blender. That butter gets folded into my homemade ice cream base - the same care I put into the fillings and crusts on the pie side of the business.
Each pint of this roasted hazelnut ice cream is 16 fl oz, made in small batches, so what you're scooping is the same base I'd serve at my own table, not a mix trucked in from somewhere else. The hazelnut flavor comes through clean and roasted, not sweet-and-artificial - it holds its own next to a slice of pie instead of disappearing under it. This is a traditional dairy and sugar-based ice cream, not formulated for keto, paleo, or carnivore diets, so save it for when you're eating for pleasure rather than macros.
My favorite way to eat this one isn't even with pie: drop a scoop into a hot cup of coffee or espresso for an affogato, and let it melt in as you go. It also holds up fine straight out of the carton on a spoon, which is usually how quality control happens around here.
Keep it frozen until you're ready to serve, and let it sit out for a few minutes if you want it easier to scoop.
Ingredients: Homemade Ice Cream Base and Roasted Hazelnuts.
Common Questions
How does this compare nutritionally to a standard grocery store hazelnut or praline ice cream?
Most commercial hazelnut ice creams use a hazelnut flavoring extract or a small percentage of hazelnut paste blended into a stabilizer-heavy base, often with corn syrup, gums, and mono- and diglycerides to keep it scoopable after months in a freezer case. This pint has two ingredients: a homemade ice cream base and roasted hazelnuts that Ben roasts, peels, and grinds into butter himself. That means more of the fat content here comes from the actual hazelnut oil rather than added vegetable fat or flavoring carriers, and there's no stabilizer gum doing the texture work. The tradeoff is that this ice cream is made in small batches without long-life additives, so it behaves more like something you'd churn at home than a mass-produced pint.
What actually happens when the hazelnuts are roasted, and does it change the nutrition?
Roasting hazelnuts for about an hour drives the Maillard reaction, the same browning chemistry that happens on a seared steak or toasted bread crust, which breaks down sugars and amino acids on the nut's surface into new flavor compounds like pyrazines that read as toasty and deep rather than raw and green. Hazelnuts are naturally high in monounsaturated fat, similar to olive oil, and carry a meaningful dose of vitamin E, an antioxidant. Roasting doesn't add nutrients, but it does concentrate flavor enough that Ben can use whole roasted nuts ground into butter instead of leaning on sugar or artificial flavoring to get a strong hazelnut taste.
Does this fit into a keto, paleo, or carnivore diet?
Not strictly, and it's worth being straightforward about that. The ice cream base includes dairy and sugar, so it carries more carbohydrate per serving than a keto protocol generally allows, even though hazelnuts themselves are a low-carb, high-fat nut that fits keto and paleo eating well on their own. Paleo also typically excludes dairy and refined sugar, which rules this out for a strict paleo approach. Carnivore excludes plant foods and dairy sugar entirely, so this pint doesn't fit that framework either — it's best thought of as a dessert made with real ingredients rather than a diet-compliant food.
What are some ways to use this beyond eating it straight from the carton?
The affogato is the strongest move: pull a scoop into a hot cup of coffee or espresso and let it melt into the drink instead of stirring it in all at once. It also works well crumbled over warm pie, especially something with caramel or lemon curd, since the roasted hazelnut flavor holds its own against sweeter fillings instead of getting lost. You can blend it into a thick milkshake with a splash of milk, or soften it slightly and layer it into a parfait with crushed cookies or toasted nuts for texture. Because the flavor is clean and not overly sweet, it also pairs well with dark chocolate sauce if you want to build something closer to a hazelnut-chocolate dessert.
How can I verify the ingredient and process claims on this product?
The ingredient list is short enough to check yourself: homemade ice cream base and roasted hazelnuts, nothing else. Ben makes this by hand in his bakery in White Bear Lake, Minnesota, in small batches, the same way he makes his pie fillings, caramel, and lemon curd from scratch rather than sourcing pre-made mixes. There are no organic, gluten-free, or allergen-free certifications attached to this product, so those claims shouldn't be assumed — what's verifiable is the short ingredient list and the fact that it's made by one baker in one location rather than a co-packing facility.
What makes the hazelnut flavor in this ice cream different from other nut-flavored ice creams?
Ben doesn't start with a hazelnut flavoring bottle. He roasts raw hazelnuts himself for about an hour until they're deeply toasted, works the papery skins off by hand once they've cooled, and grinds the roasted nuts into a smooth hazelnut butter in a blender before folding it into the ice cream base. That extra step is why the flavor reads as clean and roasted rather than sweet and artificial — it's built from the actual nut, not a syrup meant to imitate it. It's the same philosophy that drives the butter-crust pies on the other side of his business: doing the labor-intensive version of an ingredient instead of the shortcut version.
Does this ice cream contain other nuts or allergens beyond hazelnuts?
The only nut in the ingredient list is hazelnut, and the base is a homemade ice cream base made with dairy. There's no confirmed allergen-free or nut-free certification on this product, and it's made in a bakery that also handles other nuts and wheat-based crusts for the pie side of the business, so cross-contact is possible even though it isn't a listed ingredient. If you have a tree nut allergy or a dairy allergy, treat this as a product that contains both rather than assuming any allergen-free status.
Each pint of this roasted hazelnut ice cream is 16 fl oz, made in small batches, so what you're scooping is the same base I'd serve at my own table, not a mix trucked in from somewhere else. The hazelnut flavor comes through clean and roasted, not sweet-and-artificial - it holds its own next to a slice of pie instead of disappearing under it. This is a traditional dairy and sugar-based ice cream, not formulated for keto, paleo, or carnivore diets, so save it for when you're eating for pleasure rather than macros.
My favorite way to eat this one isn't even with pie: drop a scoop into a hot cup of coffee or espresso for an affogato, and let it melt in as you go. It also holds up fine straight out of the carton on a spoon, which is usually how quality control happens around here.
Keep it frozen until you're ready to serve, and let it sit out for a few minutes if you want it easier to scoop.
Ingredients: Homemade Ice Cream Base and Roasted Hazelnuts.
Common Questions
How does this compare nutritionally to a standard grocery store hazelnut or praline ice cream?
Most commercial hazelnut ice creams use a hazelnut flavoring extract or a small percentage of hazelnut paste blended into a stabilizer-heavy base, often with corn syrup, gums, and mono- and diglycerides to keep it scoopable after months in a freezer case. This pint has two ingredients: a homemade ice cream base and roasted hazelnuts that Ben roasts, peels, and grinds into butter himself. That means more of the fat content here comes from the actual hazelnut oil rather than added vegetable fat or flavoring carriers, and there's no stabilizer gum doing the texture work. The tradeoff is that this ice cream is made in small batches without long-life additives, so it behaves more like something you'd churn at home than a mass-produced pint.
What actually happens when the hazelnuts are roasted, and does it change the nutrition?
Roasting hazelnuts for about an hour drives the Maillard reaction, the same browning chemistry that happens on a seared steak or toasted bread crust, which breaks down sugars and amino acids on the nut's surface into new flavor compounds like pyrazines that read as toasty and deep rather than raw and green. Hazelnuts are naturally high in monounsaturated fat, similar to olive oil, and carry a meaningful dose of vitamin E, an antioxidant. Roasting doesn't add nutrients, but it does concentrate flavor enough that Ben can use whole roasted nuts ground into butter instead of leaning on sugar or artificial flavoring to get a strong hazelnut taste.
Does this fit into a keto, paleo, or carnivore diet?
Not strictly, and it's worth being straightforward about that. The ice cream base includes dairy and sugar, so it carries more carbohydrate per serving than a keto protocol generally allows, even though hazelnuts themselves are a low-carb, high-fat nut that fits keto and paleo eating well on their own. Paleo also typically excludes dairy and refined sugar, which rules this out for a strict paleo approach. Carnivore excludes plant foods and dairy sugar entirely, so this pint doesn't fit that framework either — it's best thought of as a dessert made with real ingredients rather than a diet-compliant food.
What are some ways to use this beyond eating it straight from the carton?
The affogato is the strongest move: pull a scoop into a hot cup of coffee or espresso and let it melt into the drink instead of stirring it in all at once. It also works well crumbled over warm pie, especially something with caramel or lemon curd, since the roasted hazelnut flavor holds its own against sweeter fillings instead of getting lost. You can blend it into a thick milkshake with a splash of milk, or soften it slightly and layer it into a parfait with crushed cookies or toasted nuts for texture. Because the flavor is clean and not overly sweet, it also pairs well with dark chocolate sauce if you want to build something closer to a hazelnut-chocolate dessert.
How can I verify the ingredient and process claims on this product?
The ingredient list is short enough to check yourself: homemade ice cream base and roasted hazelnuts, nothing else. Ben makes this by hand in his bakery in White Bear Lake, Minnesota, in small batches, the same way he makes his pie fillings, caramel, and lemon curd from scratch rather than sourcing pre-made mixes. There are no organic, gluten-free, or allergen-free certifications attached to this product, so those claims shouldn't be assumed — what's verifiable is the short ingredient list and the fact that it's made by one baker in one location rather than a co-packing facility.
What makes the hazelnut flavor in this ice cream different from other nut-flavored ice creams?
Ben doesn't start with a hazelnut flavoring bottle. He roasts raw hazelnuts himself for about an hour until they're deeply toasted, works the papery skins off by hand once they've cooled, and grinds the roasted nuts into a smooth hazelnut butter in a blender before folding it into the ice cream base. That extra step is why the flavor reads as clean and roasted rather than sweet and artificial — it's built from the actual nut, not a syrup meant to imitate it. It's the same philosophy that drives the butter-crust pies on the other side of his business: doing the labor-intensive version of an ingredient instead of the shortcut version.
Does this ice cream contain other nuts or allergens beyond hazelnuts?
The only nut in the ingredient list is hazelnut, and the base is a homemade ice cream base made with dairy. There's no confirmed allergen-free or nut-free certification on this product, and it's made in a bakery that also handles other nuts and wheat-based crusts for the pie side of the business, so cross-contact is possible even though it isn't a listed ingredient. If you have a tree nut allergy or a dairy allergy, treat this as a product that contains both rather than assuming any allergen-free status.
- __Storage_Location:
- Keep frozen.
- __Volume:
- 2500
- __Owner:
- Ben The Baker
- __badge:
- Made From Scratch
