By Melissa Clark
- Total Time
- 30 minutes, plus several hours’ cooling, chilling and freezing
- Rating
- 5(748)
- Notes
- Read community notes
This luxurious ice cream is the ideal balance of sweet yet salty and rich yet light. It's custard-based, which means you have to separate a lot of eggs (six), but the thick and silky results are worth a little bit of fuss. For something a little lighter, use more milk and less cream, as long as the dairy adds up to three cups. You can also cut down on egg yolks for a thinner base, but don’t go below three. Despite the rumors, making caramel is not hard, but it can be a little tricky. If this is your first time, make sure you have enough sugar for a second batch in the event your first is a bust. Also, remove the cooking caramel from the heat just before you think you need to to prevent burning.
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Ingredients
Yield:About 1½ pints
- 1¼ cups granulated sugar
- 2cups heavy cream
- 1cup whole milk
- ⅛teaspoon fine sea salt
- 6large egg yolks
- ¼teaspoon flaky sea salt (such as Maldon)
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (12 servings)
255 calories; 17 grams fat; 10 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 5 grams monounsaturated fat; 1 gram polyunsaturated fat; 23 grams carbohydrates; 0 grams dietary fiber; 23 grams sugars; 3 grams protein; 87 milligrams sodium
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
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Step
1
In a medium pot over medium heat, melt ¾ cup sugar with 3 tablespoons water, swirling skillet frequently, until sugar turns mahogany brown in color (it should be almost but not quite black).
Step
2
Add heavy cream, milk, remaining ½ cup sugar and the salt; simmer mixture until caramel melts and cream mixture is completely smooth. Remove pot from heat. In a separate bowl, whisk yolks. Whisking constantly, slowly whisk about a third of the hot cream into the yolks, then whisk the yolk mixture back into the pot with the cream.
Step
3
Return pot to medium-low heat and gently cook until mixture is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon (about 170 degrees on an instant-read thermometer).
Step
4
Strain through a fine-mesh sieve into a bowl. Cool mixture to room temperature. Cover and chill at least 4 hours or overnight.
Step
5
Churn in an ice cream machine according to manufacturer’s instructions. Sprinkle flaky sea salt into base during the last 2 minutes of churning. Serve directly from the machine for soft serve, or store in freezer until needed.
Ratings
5
out of 5
748
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Cooking Notes
Chum
The recipe asks to cook the Carmel base way too far. It should not be almost black, but medium brown when removed from the heat. It will continue to get a little darker, to the correct point, when removed from the heat.
Great recipe but tricky
This ice cream is very rich and delicious. Bee aware that the steps for the carmel may leave you thinking you've messed up when you haven't. Initially the sugar and water turn liquid and simmer, then the liquid dries up and leaves thick crumbly sugar, then the mixture begins to melt again and turn brown. This process can take awhile. At this point you add the cream, the caramel seizes up and solidifies, but with continual cooking it melts and flavors the cream mixture.
A bad cook
I don't blame the recipe for what happened. I should have stopped after dropping the eggs or after spilling half a bag of sugar. But yet. Things got really bad when making the caramel. I was using a cheap spoon made of cheap plastic. I didn't realize it was melting, because the caramel would stick to the spoon and distort the spoon. The melted plastic sort of mixed with the caramel before cementing to the pot. I owe my housemate a new pot. My tip: use a heat resistant spoon. <3
susan
This is THE most delicious ice cream ever. Be ware that carmelizing the sugar takes quite a while. It melts, bubbles, then gets hard and crumbly and then when those pebbles melt, it's getting to the right stage. I took it off when it was light caramel in color and it was PERFECT.
AMReing
Be SO careful making the caramel! I took the bubbling syrup off the burner when it reached a deep medium brown, but ever so quickly it continued to bubble and cook to dark brown / black, burnt? The end result flavor did have almost bitter edge. Not bad, but could have been better if I hadn't over cooked the caramel.
Caroline
I started with 2/3 cup sugar instead of 3/4 cup as recommended by a couple reviewers. It worked—I had no problem and I am not an experienced caramel maker. When I added the cream, I poured slowly and whisked it in so it never got hard the way some other reviewers described. This caramel sauce technique video was helpful: https://www.onlinecookingschool.com/learn/course/ice-cream-ices-and-sorbet/core-technique-videos/making-caramel-sauce
Ave
I love how matters of *OPINION* are expressed as *ABSOLUTE FACT* in these comments! It SHOULD be very dark ... if one's opinion is that that's the way one likes it! Otherwise, make it lighter. I cook it until it is VERY dark mahogany and I think it's delicious that way. And the fact is that if you add the liquid at the exact moment that it is the color you like, that is the color it will remain.
Jen
This is one of the best ice creams ever.... after several batches made (one or two with the same situation as “Great recipe but tricky”), I’ve realized that if I go a bit under 3/4 cup sugar, closer to 2/3, it never turns into pebbles, just awesome caramel
kmg
Don't stir pot until it is already caramel
Add 1 teaspoon vodka
Scott Painter
I used a non stick cephalon sauce pan with a vented glass lid. The water from evaporation condensed on the lid and dripped back into the cooking sugar syrup thus preventing crystallization. As the syrup caramelizes you can remove the lid and control the browning. An excellent recipe, I'll definitely be making this one again.
John
Please be sure to heat the dairy a bit before adding it to the caramel mixture; otherwise, the cold milk will solidify the caramel and it'll become a solid rock.
xpsteve
Excellent ice cream. Only thing, I found I needed the heat a bit higher when making the caramel. Have also made the coffee version and it also is great.
Lisa
I substituted (I think it was also Melissa Clark's original idea in the raspberry chocolate flake ice cream) powdered buttermilk and vodka for the egg yolks. Delivers a great result without the eggs and the leftover egg whites. I was always a fan of the egg based and this approach is soooo much faster and the result is equally good. I also subbed buttermilk for the whole milk.
D
This ice cream is easy and delicious, halved the recipe and it was perfect with apple almond tart for 4.
philly girl
The comments about how hard it is to make the caramel are all too true. And when I added the liquid to the caramel, it turned into concrete in the bottom of the pan. I finally got it melted again, but the temperature was 190 at that point. Have no idea what this will be like once it’s fully chilled. Definitely not a recipe for the faint of heart or those with limited time.
Jonny
For my taste, 1/8 tsp of salt was way too little. I added (by sight) what probably amounted to 1 tsp. I suggest you taste the custard before settling on tge saltiness. That said, I haven’t made the ice cream yet, not added the flakes at the end, but I still believe the base needs to be saltier.
magnamosa
caramel is tricky as others noted but i warmed up the cream and milk so didn't get too much hard clumps which melted down nicely. also just swirled the pan around a bit so i didn't burn a spoon. once it goes dark it goes quick so keep an eye out. great texture and flavor. next time i'll add some mini chocolate chips to make it like talenti. also while cooling the top gets a gelled layer but it blends right in when freezing.
RJ
My hard-to-impress nephews went crazy for this ice cream, enjoying it enormously even after being stuffed with a big Thanksgiving dinner. It's a winner, and ridiculously easy to make. Indeed, making it with a child is the only possible way of improving on it.
Paul
I believe that if sin had a taste, this would be it.
swessley
I think the caramel needs to get to almost bitter in order for the amount of sugar to work, and then it gets nice coffee/mocha flavors. Otherwise it ends up too sweet if you stop the caramel at what might seem the typical color.
Aleta
After reading the comments, I cut my sugar for the caramel to 2/3 cup, and cooked it until it was the color of bourbon. I warmed the milk and cream before adding it till it was steaming, and the caramel,didn’t seize up. Just for a little added depth of flavor, I added a couple teaspoons of vanilla extract. It came out perfect.
Kristen
I found it helpful to watch the video with this recipe. Melissa recommends the caramel be the color of «an Irish Setter» (not a Golden Retriever or a Chocolate Lab!). I used a small Dutch oven with a white enamel interior - provided slow even heat with an easy background to monitor the color change. Don’t stir it until you add the milk - gently swirl on low heat. I also used half and half instead of milk plus cream - simpler. And - I added a splash of bourbon at the end. Delicious!!
Susan
I should know better than to try a recipe before reading the comments. First try, I thought I screwed up when my syrup became crumbly, so tossed it out. Then I went back, read the helpful comment from a reader, and gave it another try. Success! Churned the ice cream this morning and I can't wait to serve it for dessert tonight. I MAY have left extras on the paddle for myself. Saving this one for sure.
JJ
I have made this recipe many times, and it is my favorite ice cream. When I saw the picture accompanying today’s recipe, I noticed the apparent presence of chunks of caramel in the ice cream, so I thought that perhaps this was an updated recipe. But it’s not. This recipe does not produce an ice cream with chunks of caramel. It is excellent, but it is a smooth ice cream. Of course, since it is poured through a sieve.
Patrick
Some of the best ice cream I’ve ever had. I took the caramel relatively dark before adding the cream. When I tasted the finished base, I thought it might’ve gone too far. But no. The churned and frozen ice cream was perfect. Creamy and rich, sweet without being cloying. Morale of the story: take the caramel all the way, it’s worth it
Halina
Mine came out perfect but didn’t take it to the crumbly very dark stage. It was still bubbling but darkening in areas (maybe it was gas cooktop with heavy revere stainless pot that created unevenness in color change). Quick stir then added 3 c milk/cream even split. Candy-hard caramel melted beautifully after about 12 min on medium simmer. It’s a gorgeous taste and color. The bit of egg whites I let slip in strained out nicely. It’s rich, custardy, and perfect caramel flavor!
Avery Bargar
I cooked the caramel just to the edge of almost burnt. And it was delicious! Such a deep, rich flavor. I would give this 4.5 stars but the rating does not allow that. My one recommendation is: add fresh vanilla bean! I used one and a half pods and it was sensational. The texture wound up like gelato, possibly from the amount of extra salt I added, but it's still delicious! Next time I would go for a firmer texture, though.
Foote Notes
Always aim for the color of brick when making caramel. Four and Twenty Blackbirds pie shop has a great easy step by step recipe for caramel in their caramel apple pie recipe. never fails.
Aaron S
Fantastic recipe. Multiplied 5x to make a gallon. Followed steps to a T, made delicious base. Take your time inching up to caramel stage, tempering eggs into mixture and heating to simmer. Wish I had a homemade ice cream contest to enter this into!
Lynn
I'm sending a great big shout out to Melissa! This recipe is genius, and 'though I didn't make her salted caramel ice cream yet I've been craving chocolate peanut butter ice cream. I followed her basic recipe and winged it. This ice cream turned out yummy. Next time I'll add more sugar which was the only ingredient somewhat lacking. I added perhaps a bit too much cocoa and too little sugar, along with vanilla extract, sea salt, and creamy peanut butter and it is excellent!
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