Salted Caramel Ice Cream (With Candy Bar Bits)

This salted caramel ice cream recipe was originally a sponsored post.

I made this utterly salted caramel ice cream, and I have to say that hands down, this is one of the best things I’ve ever made. And I don’t say that lightly.

My husband had two bowls last night. Using bribery of ice cream at home was the only way I got Mister Man to agree to leave our community pool on Saturday.

I tried to get a photo of Mister Man holding the bowl so that I could see the ice cream, but I kept ending up with photos like this because he couldn’t (wouldn’t?) stop eating it.

I finally got him to give me a thumbs up, but he was too focused on the ice cream to even smile. I don’t know that I can fully blame him.

Add any of your favorite candy bars to this for an even yummier crunch and burst of flavor. While I used the Girl Scout bars that were available for a limited time, the sky is the limit here.

What can I say? I’m a sucker for homemade ice cream, whether it’s cookie dough frozen custard or no churn cherry chip or….

How to Make Salted Caramel Ice Cream

Freeze your candy bars if you choose to use them. This will ensure that they keep your ice cream base cold when you mix them in, and it also makes it easier to cut them to add when it’s time.

In a heavy saucepan, add the sugar and water. At medium high heat, bring this to a boil, swirling to get the sugar to melt but not stirring to prevent it from turning grainy.

Use a pastry brush to brush down the sides with cold water to remove any crystals that may form. While it is boiling, get your cream and milk ready.

As soon as the caramel turns a light golden color, start pouring in the cream while whisking briskly. It may seize up just a touch when you first start to add it but will melt again and reincorporate into your base.

Whisk periodically on medium heat to prevent the bottom from scorching. Heat until the milk and cream are just starting to steam and is scalded but not boiling.

While the milk is heating, whisk your egg yolks, salt, and vanilla until they are well aerated in a heat safe bowl.

As soon as your milk is scalded, carefully and slowly pour the cream into your egg yolks, whisking constantly to temper them. If you do not whisk, while you are adding the cream, your eggs will scramble.

This may be a two person job to make it easier. If not, pour all the hot milk into a heat safe liquid measuring cup to more easily pour it into your egg mixture.

Once your eggs are well incorporated into the cream, return the mixture to your heavy saucepan. Over medium heat, whisk regularly until your custard base is up to 160 degrees.

As soon as it hits 160 degrees on your candy thermometer, remove it from the heat and pour into a heat safe bowl.

You can either let the custard cool fully then refrigerate for an hour or make an ice bath and place your heat safe bowl inside it.

To make an ice bath, fill a large bowl about a quarter of the way up with cool water and at least as much ice. Place your smaller bowl inside the large bowl, being sure to not get any water into or near the small bowl.

If you do this, whisk your custard constantly to cool it more rapidly (and develop some really great forearm muscles while you’re at it). Once it is cold, let it sit in the refrigerator for 10 minutes (ice bath and all).

Once your ice cream base is completely cooled, strain it into your ice cream maker to ensure that any curds that have formed are removed from your soon to be creamy and smooth ice cream. You can set a fine mesh strainer directly onto your ice cream container to give you two hands to pour your base into it without spilling.

Once it is poured in, lift it slightly and use a spatula to swish through it until all the base has gone through the strainer and only solids remain.

Follow your manufacturer’s instructions to make your ice cream. While it is processing, remove the six candy bars from the freezer.

Unwrap them and use a sharp knife to cut them into eight pieces each. They may crumble a bit, but that is fine.

Because you froze the candy bars and aren’t adding them until the ice cream is mostly frozen, the candy will stay crunchy and not get soggy in the ice cream.

Once your ice cream has set up a bit but isn’t yet ready to place in the freezer, add your chopped up candy bar pieces and continue with the freezing process.

Once your ice cream has finished its cycle in the ice cream maker, pour into a storage container and place in the freezer. Freeze for at least four to six hours before serving.

Your ice cream will not get rock hard, so you can scoop it straight from the freezer without waiting for it to warm up, unlike many other ice creams. Serve it with bits of other candy bars atop it.

This will keep in your freezer for up to a month, but don’t count on it lasting that long! I’m already planning another batch of this ice cream.

Bookmark this page to make salted caramel ice cream again!

Salted Caramel Ice Cream

An amazingly decadent and creamy ice cream made with a salted caramel base and with candy bar pieces mixed in. You won't be able to stop with just one bowl!

5 from 6 votes

Print Pin Rate

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Diet: Vegetarian

Prep Time: 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 25 minutes minutes

Chill Time: 6 hours hours 25 minutes minutes

Total Time: 7 hours hours

Servings: 6 cups

Calories: 402kcal

Author: Michelle

Cook ModePrevent your screen from going dark

Ingredients

• 1 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup water
• 1 3/4 cups heavy cream
• 3/4 cup milk
• 8 egg yolks
• 2 teaspoons vanilla
• 3/4 teaspoon sea salt
• 6 fun size candy bars

Instructions

• Freeze your candy bars.
• In a heavy saucepan, add sugar and water. At medium high heat, bring to a boil, swirling to get the sugar to melt
  1 cup sugar, 1/4 cup water
• While it boils, get cream and milk ready. As soon as the caramel turns a light golden color, start pouring in the cream while whisking briskly.
  1 3/4 cups heavy cream, 3/4 cup milk
• Whisk periodically on medium heat to prevent the bottom from scorching. Heat until the milk and cream are just starting to steam and is scalded but not boiling.
• While the milk is heating, whisk egg yolks, salt, and vanilla in a separate heat safe bowl.
  8 egg yolks, 3/4 teaspoon sea salt, 2 teaspoons vanilla
• As soon as your milk is scalded, carefully and very slowly pour the cream into your egg yolks, whisking constantly to temper them.
• Return mixture to heavy saucepan. Over medium heat, whisk regularly until your custard base is up to 160 degrees, then remove from the heat and pour into a heat safe bowl.
• Cool custard fully, then refrigerate for an hour.
• Strain into your ice cream maker. Follow your manufacturer's instructions to make your ice cream.
• While it is processing, remove the six candy bars from the freezer. Unwrap them and use a sharp knife to cut them into eight pieces each. Once ice cream has set up a bit but isn't yet ready to place in the freezer, add your chopped candy bar pieces and continue with the freezing process.
  6 fun size candy bars
• Once ice cream has finished its cycle, pour into a storage container and place in the freezer. Freeze for at least four to six hours before serving.

Equipment

Smart Ice Cream Scoop

Ice Cream Containers

Ice Cream Maker

Notes

• This will keep in your freezer for up to a month, but don't count on it lasting that long!
• Feel free to use any fun-size candy bars you like or omit them, if you prefer.
• For more tips and tricks, be sure to read the full article above.

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Nutrition

Serving: 1/2 cup | Calories: 402kcal | Carbohydrates: 42g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 24g | Saturated Fat: 15g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 6g | Cholesterol: 167mg | Sodium: 242mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 37g

This site uses an online source to provide nutrition estimates as a courtesy. If you need exact values, please calculate yourself.

I am a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com.

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