Bacon Dippin Dots- Ice Cream of the Future

Molecular Gastronomy has been around for quite some time, but is trendier now than ever. Dippin Dots, also known as Ice cream of the Future were introduced to the public in 1987. The concept is basically freezing small drops of the ice cream base using liquid nitrogen which creates frozen spheres. I remember having Dippin Dots at a county fair when I was really young and thinking they were the coolest ever. I never imagined twenty + years later I would be making them myself.

For the Mad Scientist Fair, I wanted to create something original and experiment with Molecular Gastronomy. I decided to mix sweet with savory and make Dippin Dots for the bacon enthusiast. These little dots of bacon perfection have a smokey but sweet flavor. They taste exactly like bacon with a tiny hint of maple syrup.

Please use caution when handling Liquid Nitrogen. It is extremely cold -- at it's boiling point it is -321°F. If it comes in contact with your skin, mouth or eyes, it could cause frostbite. I recommend using safety gloves and goggles.

Liquid Nitrogen- 10-15 liters

1/4 cup Torani Bacon Syrup

1 cup heavy cream

3 cups half & half

8 egg yolks

1 cup sugar

1/8 tsp salt

Safety Gloves

Safety Goggles- with splash guard

Squeeze Bottle or Marinade Injector

If using marinade injector, do not attach needle to tip

To make the bacon ice cream base, combine the heavy cream and half & half in a large pot. Bring mixture to a simmer, stirring occasionally.  Once mixture begins to simmer, turn heat to low.

Next, whisk eggs, sugar & salt in a bowl. Then gently whisk in 1/4 cup bacon syrup. Whisk 1/2 cup of the hot cream mixture into the bacon/egg yolk mixture.Repeat three times, whisking in 1/2 cup of the hot cream mixture each time. Next, return mixture to the pot with the remaining hot cream and raise the heat to medium low. Stir frequently for 5 minutes or until the hot cream mixture coats the back of a spoon. Strain mixture into a bowl and set aside for 20 minutes.

Fill marinade injectors or squeeze bottles with the bacon ice cream base.


**Remove the needle tip before squeezing into the liquid nitrogen. Removing the needle tip will result in more uniform droplets**.

Put on your safety goggles and gloves. Carefully pour the liquid nitrogen into a large saute pan.

You can remove your safety gloves now. The technique requires that you move quickly, but also methodically.  Using your marinade injector or squeeze bottles, hold the tip very close to the surface of the nitrogen and carefully squeeze out a drop a little smaller than a juniper berry. Each drop should be about the same size. Move about 1/2'' each time your squeeze a new droplet so that the drops don't land on top of each other. 

Time to indulge! Kitchen Science has transformed a classic savory flavor into a whimsical satisfying savory/sweet dessert. These little dots of bacon perfection will leave your taste buds begging for seconds, thirds..and soon they'll be all gone.

I originally tried to make the Dippin Dots in small stainless steel bowls. This resulted in the dots clumping together. I also originally used the marinade injector with the needle tip attached which also resulted in the dots clumping together.

The large saute pan I used to make the final Dippin Dots was the perfect vehicle for this project. It allowed adequate space for the droplets to form. Removing the needle tip allowed for more control over the injector and uniformly shaped dots.

In the future it would be interesting to try pouring the ice cream base through a colander into the nitrogen. 

Any feedback or suggestions welcome!