Inspired by Ben and Jerry’s Coffee Heath Bar Crunch ice cream, this coffee-infused ice cream is mixed in with chopped Heath Bar toffee.
My absolute most favoritest (yes I meant to say that) of all candy bars growing up was the Heath Bar. To this day I have what one might call “self control issues” when confronted with them, or any English toffee for that matter. (You know those cute little crunchy toffee bars in a box of See’s? Same thing.)
So when my friend Audrey came by this week to help me with some cooking and mentioned she had been making a homemade version of Ben and Jerry’s Coffee Heath Bar Crunch, my brain practically short-circuited, the synapses were so lit up with their version of a happy dance.
Here’s her recipe, a classic custard base, infused with coffee, churned and then mixed in with broken up Heath bars before freezing. Enjoy!
Coffee Heath Bar Ice Cream Recipe
- Yield: Makes a little more than a quart
The « via » instant coffee packs at Starbucks work great for this recipe.
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups milk
- 2 1/2 cups cream
- 1/3 cup white granulated sugar
- 1/3 cup brown sugar
- 2 teaspoons instant coffee granules
- 1/2 teaspoon espresso powder (optional)
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Pinch of salt
- 4 egg yolks
- 4 ounces of Heath bars or other English toffee
Method
1 Combine the milk, 1 1/2 cups of the cream, sugar, brown sugar, instant coffee, espresso powder (if using), vanilla and salt in a medium saucepan. Heat the base until it begins to steam, whisking continuously.
2 Whisk the egg yolks in a medium bowl. When the base begins to steam, pour 1/2 cup out of the pan and into the egg yolks, whisk immediately. This step tempers the eggs so that they don’t curdle when adding them to the hot milk cream mixture in the next step.
When completely combined, add the yolk mixture back into the rest of the of the base, and heat until the mixture reaches 170°F, or until it coats the back of a spoon.
3 Remove immediately from heat and pour through a fine mesh sieve. Add in the remaining cup of cold cream and let chill for several hours, preferably overnight.
4 Hit heath bars (still in their wrappers) repeatedly with the back of a wooden spoon, until they are thoroughly crushed. (You can also put the toffee into a plastic or paper bag and do the same.) Place heath bar pieces into a container and freeze while you churn the ice cream.
5 Pour the base into an ice cream maker and churn according to your ice cream maker manufacturer’s instructions. Remove ice cream and stir in heath bar pieces.
Links:
How to make ice cream without a machine – great instructions by David Lebovitz
