There’s nothing like the combination of sweet and salty when it comes to desserts. Our salted caramel ice cream checks all the boxes: sweet caramel, crisp sea salt flakes, and a cool and silky ice cream.
Ingredients
- 2 3/4 cups heavy cream, divided
- 1 1/2 cups sugar
- 1/2 cup water
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 teaspoon sea salt flakes, plus more for optional garnish
- 1 1/2 cups whole milk
- 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Instructions
- In a medium saucepan warm up 1 cup of heavy cream, stirring frequently, just until the first bubbles start to form. Do not boil. Remove from the heat and cover to keep warm.
- In another heavy-bottomed saucepan, combine the sugar and water. Heat over medium-high heat and cook, without stirring, until the sugar turns a deep amber color.
- Remove the caramel from the heat and immediately pour about 1/3 of the warmed cream into the caramel pan. Wear an oven mitt and use caution, as the caramel will bubble and release hot steam. Whisk to combine and carefully add the remaining warmed cream.
- Add the butter to the creamy caramel and whisk until melted and combined.
- Stir in the sea salt flakes and allow the mixture to cool to room temperature.
- Pour half of the caramel into an airtight container and set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the remaining cooled caramel from the pot, the rest of the heavy cream, the whole milk, and the vanilla extract. Cover and refrigerate until cold, at least 1 hour—the ice cream base needs to be thoroughly chilled before churning.
- When ready to make the ice cream, churn according to the manufacturer’s instructions. On average, an ice cream machine can take from 25 to 40 minutes to appropriately churn an ice cream batch.
- Once the ice cream has churned, spoon half of it into a freezer-safe container and drizzle on top half of the reserved caramel.
- Spoon the remaining ice cream on top. Drizzle with the remaining caramel and, using a knife, make a swirling motion to lightly mix the ice cream and caramel. Cover and freeze for at least 8 hours (or overnight) before serving.
- Scoop and serve with an additional sprinkle of sea salt flakes, if desired.
