Caramel Ice Cream

One of my favorite flavors is caramel... just add it to nearly any dessert and I'm totally there.  Something about that rich treat that totally appeals to me on any day of the week!

Yes, I do love caramel and it's even better if I have a caramel topping to add to my ice cream.  No, it's not possible to have too much of a good thing... trust me on this!

This recipe is a mix of a couple of different recipes that I ended up pulling from during my internet searches... I adjusted a bit and was quite happy with the results.

The ice cream is seriously creamy and easy to scoop (no waiting for it to warm up a bit first).  The topping can be made ahead, which happens anyway since you will have some left after you use a portion to flavor the ice cream.   Keep in mind that you will need to reheat the topping and stir to get it back to the smooth texture that it had when it first came off of the stove.  

I served this along with a vanilla ice cream to friends, and I think the overall consensus was that this one was the favorite!  

Caramel Ice Cream (and Topping)

Recipe by patsyk Original

Ingredients

• 1 and 1/2 cups heavy cream
  
• 1 and 1/2 cups whole milk
  
• 6 large egg yolks
  
• 3/4 cup sugar
  
• 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste (or extract)
  
• 2 cups granulated sugar
  
• 1/2 cup water
  
• 3/4 cup heavy cream
  

Cooking Directions

1. In a heavy saucepan over medium heat, warm the heavy cream and milk; stirring frequently. Once warmed, remove from heat.
   
   
2. In a glass bowl, whisk the egg yolks and sugar together until thoroughly combined.
   
   
3. Slowly add the warmed milk and cream in a steady stream to the egg yolk mixture, stirring continuously.
   
   
4. Add mixture back to the saucepan and cook over medium heat, stirring continuously until thickened. The mixture will coat the back of a spoon or spatula after about 6-8 minutes. DO NOT ALLOW THE MIXTURE TO BOIL.
   
   
5. Pour the custard through a fine strainer or sieve into a glass bowl. Place bowl inside of another bowl that has ice and cold water in it to help it cool down faster. Then, add vanilla bean paste and stir until it's close to room temperature. Cover and refrigerate for 2-4 hours.
   
   
6. Prepare the caramel sauce: combine the sugar and water in a saucepan and heat over medium heat. Stir until the sugar dissolves.
   
   
7. Once the sugar has dissolved, increase the heat to allow the mixture to boil. Use a wet pastry brush to brush the sugar from the sides of the pan occasionally. Continue to boil without stirring until it reaches a dark amber color; approximately 13-18 minutes.
   
   
8. Remove from heat and add the remaining 3/4 cup heavy cream - mixture will bubble up when the cream is added. Stir the caramel until it is smooth. Refrigerate, covered, until ready to use.
   
   
9. Remove the custard from the refrigerator and add 2/3 cup of caramel sauce to the custard. Stir to combine.
   
   
10. Add custard mixture to ice cream machine and churn according to manufacturer's instructions. In my machine, I churned for 40 minutes. 

Please note that all photos and content belong to Patsy Kreitman, unless otherwise noted. If you want to use something please ask first.