Nothing screams “Summer!” quite like ice cream. And, sure, you can go with the traditional–vanilla, strawberry, chocolate–once you’ve mastered those, it’s time to move onto something something more adventurous.

Actually, “mastered” might not even be the right word. Did you know ice cream actually isn’t all that difficult to make? It’s true! Outside of the basic ingredients, all you need is a lot of patience. That’s it. No special skills or magic required.

Trust me. Give this coffee caramel ice cream a go and you’ll see what I mean. You’ll be able to “master” ice cream in no time!

What You Need

• 3 cups heavy whipping cream
• 1 cup milk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 cup sugar
• 6 egg yolks
• 4 ½  teaspoons ground coffee + ¼ to ½ cup water (depending on how strong you’d like the coffee taste)
• ½ – 1 cup caramel sauce (note: thicker sauce is better. Avoid anything that says “syrup” as it will dissolve into the ice cream and you won’t have thick, gooey ribbons of caramel throughout)

How You Do It

1. The night before, freeze your ice cream maker according to manufacturer’s instructions. Having a freezing bowl is crucial; without it, your ice cream won’t properly firm up before it goes it the freezer, resulting in chunks of ice. At least 12-15 hours minimum is recommended.
2. Brew coffee. I placed mine in empty tea bags. To prevent burning, use a medium temperature and let coffee brew as you make the rest of the ice cream.
3. In a medium saucepan heated to low, whisk together the heavy whipping cream, milk, vanilla, and sugar. Stirring frequently, heat until small bubbles begin to form. Remove from heat and let cool at least 5 minutes.
4. Separate the egg yolks from the egg whites and discard the egg whites. Using a fork, whisk together the egg yolks until they’re completely blended together.
5. Whisking as you go, very slowly pour the egg yolks into the heavy whipping cream mixture. Turn stove up to medium, and heat for 7-10 minutes, stirring frequently to prevent burning. Once the mixture reaches 180 F, remove from stove.
6. Stir in brewed coffee. If you used tea bags, plop them right into the mixture–this will strengthen the flavor. Let sit for at least 20 minutes, cover, and put mixture in the fridge (not freezer) anywhere from 1-3 hours.
7. Mix in ice cream maker according to manufacturer. I mixed for 20 minutes, but if it don’t begin to firm up, it’s a good indication that the bowl wasn’t cold enough.
8. When ice cream starts to firm up but is still soft, spoon into container. Layer in the caramel sauce, finishing with a drizzle on top. Cover and freeze, preferably overnight.
9. When it’s all ready to go, spoon some out into a bowl, drizzle over more caramel sauce, and enjoy!

I absolutely love the pockets of caramel–look at that!

Who knew making ice cream could be so easy? Sure, it takes a bit of time, but, with results like this, why not?

Until next time,
♥Danielle