Ice Cream Taffy Recipes

MAPLE TAFFY

Steps:

• Pack a rimmed baking sheet with snow and place in freezer (or outside, if temperature is low enough). Meanwhile, bring syrup to a boil in a small saucepan with a candy thermometer clipped onto it; cook until thermometer registers 240 degrees. Carefully pour syrup into a liquid measuring cup and let cool about 5 minutes.
• Drizzle syrup in a few 6-inch lines across snow. Let set 25 to 30 seconds (they should be cool and firm, but not hard). Place a 9 1/2- inch skewer or dowel, or an ice-pop stick, at one end; roll up taffy around skewer. Repeat with remaining syrup and snow. Eat immediately, or store, frozen in a single layer in an airtight container, up to 2 days.

SALTED CARAMEL ICE CREAM

Steps:

• Heat the sugar in a dry heavy-bottomed sauce pan over medium heat, stirring with a fork to heat the sugar evenly, until it starts to melt, then stop stirring and swirl the pan so the sugar melts evenly, and continue cooking until it is a dark amber color.
• Carefully add the heavy cream (the mixture will splatter) and cook, stirring until all the caramel has dissolved. Transfer to a heat-proof bowl and stir in the sea salt. Set the caramel mixture over a bowl filled with ice water and stir until chilled to room temperature. Combine the caramel mixture with the Ice Cream Base and add the vanilla.
• Freeze in an ice cream machine according to manufacturer's directions.
• Heat the milk in a sauce pan over medium-low heat.
• Prepare an ice bath by setting a 2-quart bowl over a larger bowl partially filled with ice water.
• Set a strainer over the smaller bowl and set aside.
• In a separate bowl, whisk together the egg yolks and sugar until pale yellow in color and the sugar has dissolved. Gradually pour the warmed milk into the yolk mixture, whisking constantly. Pour the mixture back into the same saucepan you used to warm the milk. Cook for 3 to 5 minutes, stirring constantly, until the custard thickens and coats the back of a wooden spoon.
• Strain the custard into the top bowl of the ice bath to stop the cooking process. Add the heavy cream and stir over the ice bath until cool. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and chill thoroughly, preferably overnight.

SALTED CARAMEL ICE CREAM

Steps:

• In a medium pot over medium heat, melt 3/4 cup sugar with 3 tablespoons water, swirling skillet frequently, until sugar turns mahogany brown in color (it should be almost but not quite black).
• Add heavy cream, milk, remaining 1/2 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.
• 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).
• Strain through a fine-mesh sieve into a bowl. Cool mixture to room temperature. Cover and chill at least 4 hours or overnight.
• 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.

HONEY CREAM TAFFY

Steps:

• Grease a 15x10x1-in. pan with butter; place in the refrigerator. In a large deep heavy saucepan, combine cream and honey. Add sugar; cook over medium heat and stir with a wooden spoon until sugar is melted and mixture comes to a boil., Cover pan with a tight-fitting lid and boil for 1 minute. Uncover; cook, without stirring, until a candy thermometer reads 290° (soft-crack stage). Remove from the heat and pour into prepared pan (do not scrape sides of saucepan). Cool for 5 minutes. Using a wooden spoon, bring edges of honey mixture into center of pan. Cool 5-10 minutes longer or until cool enough to handle., Using buttered hands, pull and stretch taffy until ridges form. (Taffy will lose its gloss and become light tan in color.) Pull into ropes about 1/2 in. thick. With a buttered kitchen scissors, cut into 1-in. pieces. Wrap individually in plastic wrap or waxed paper.

EASY ICE CREAM PIE WITH BUTTERMILK CARAMEL

Steps:

• Gently stir the ice cream and caramels-reserving a few caramels to sprinkle on top-in a large bowl, then transfer the mixture to the crust and sprinkle the remaining caramels on top. Cover with plastic wrap or a lid and freeze until very hard, at least 2 hours.
• Meanwhile, in a large saucepan over low heat, combine the sugar, butter, corn syrup, baking soda and 1/2 cup buttermilk and bring just to a boil, stirring constantly. Attach a candy thermometer to the pan and continue to cook and stir until the mixture boils, becomes a deep amber and reaches 220 degrees F, about 10 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat. Whisk in the remaining 1/2 cup buttermilk, then the vanilla and salt-the mixture will bubble and foam, so be careful! Once smooth, return to the heat and cook until it has returned to a deep amber color and thickened slightly, another 3 minutes. Let cool completely.
• Remove the pie from the freezer. Remove the pie from the metal pie plate to a platter. Slice and pour the caramel over the slices. Serve immediately.

CARAMEL ICE CREAM

Steps:

• In 2-quart saucepan, heat sugar over medium heat until sugar begins to melt. Stir until sugar is completely dissolved and becomes deep golden brown to amber in color. Remove from heat; gradually stir in 1 cup of the whipping cream (mixture will boil and splatter at first). Heat over low heat, stirring frequently, until any hardened sugar bits dissolve; remove from heat.
• With whisk, stir in remaining 1 cup whipping cream, the milk, egg yolks, salt and vanilla until well mixed. Cook over medium heat just until mixture comes to a boil, stirring constantly (do not allow mixture to continue to boil or it will curdle). Immediately remove from heat.
• Pour milk mixture into chilled bowl. Refrigerate uncovered 2 to 3 hours, stirring occasionally, until room temperature. At this point, mixture can be refrigerated up to 24 hours before completing recipe if desired.
• Pour into 1-quart ice-cream freezer and freeze according to manufacturer's directions.

OH-SO-EASY CARAMEL SAUCE

Steps:

• Bring brown sugar, butter, and milk to a gentle boil and cook until thickened, 1 to 2 minutes. Remove from heat; add vanilla extract.

ICE CREAM TAFFY

Steps:

• Place all ingredients in a saucepan.
• Stir and boil until hard-cracked stage.
• While warm, pull into long strips until white.
• Place on waxed paper.
• Break into small pieces.
• Dust with powdered sugar if desired.