Coffee Toffee Ice Cream
Coffee Toffee Ice Cream is my kind of dessert on a warm sunny day. This homemade ice cream recipe combines a classic sweet cream base plus strong coffee and chopped-up toffee bars. Perfect for coffee-obsessed peeps like me!
Toffee Ice Cream
Do you ever go to bed dreaming about ice cream? I do. Ever since I started this ice cream series, I’m constantly dreaming up new flavors. My freezer is actually packed with flavors from testing all of these ideas.
This idea came from my sister, Shari, who answered one of my surveys about what ice cream flavor I should make next. She mentioned coffee, so I remembered that Ben and Jerry’s has a Coffee Toffee Bar Crunch Ice Cream that I was salivating over. Boom, the rest is history. After several test rounds and struggling to get a good strong coffee flavor (espresso is the answer!), this recipe was born!
Thanks, Shari! Now send me some more ideas! 😀
My KitchenAid Ice Cream Attachment is being used to churn all the delicious ice cream recipes lately. After you try this one, try our Blueberry Ice Cream, Caramel Swirl Ice Cream, Black Forest Ice Cream, or Creamsicle Ice Cream.
PLUS, you should try our Easy Hot Fudge Sauce and add it to your favorite ice cream!
Why This Recipe Works:
- DELICIOUS CUSTARD MIXTURE – The base of this recipe is classic and uses tempered eggs to form a custard-like base. Using eggs results in the best flavor!
- FOR COFFEE LOVERS – If you’re a coffee lover like me, you’re going to love this homemade ice cream.
- FULL OF TOFFEE BITS – The chopped-up Heath bars add the best toffee flavor in this ice cream flavor. Alternatively, you could use Skor bars.
Ingredients needed:
The following simple ingredients are required to make the best coffee ice cream.
- Dairy – An even amount of heavy cream and whole milk is needed. To make this even richer, go ahead and use a greater proportion of heavy cream! (NOTE: Do not use skim milk EVER.)
- Eggs – I used four egg yolks for this recipe.
- Sugar – Just a cup of granulated sugar.
- Vanilla Extract – I always use Watkin’s Vanilla.
- Coffee – You’ll need 3/4 – 1 cup of strong coffee. Cold brew or espresso would be best, but any strong coffee will work too.
- Toffee – When the ice cream is finished churning, you’ll add chopped-up toffee bars. I used Heath candy bars.
- Plus a pinch of salt!
How to temper eggs:
You’ll want to temper your eggs so that they are safe to eat. You can also use pasteurized eggs instead if you can find them in the grocery store.
- Pour the whole milk into a small saucepan and heat over medium heat until it reaches 165 degrees, stirring often. Do not boil.
- In a small mixing bowl, whisk egg yolks and 1/2 cup of sugar.
- When the milk reaches 165 degrees, take a small measuring cup and pour it into the egg yolk mixture, whisking vigorously as you pour it in. Do not stop whisking, and continue to pour about a cup of hot milk into the eggs.
- Then pour the contents of the bowl into the saucepan and place back on heat. Continue whisking and heating until the mixture reaches 165 degrees. The liquid should coat the back of a spoon.
- Remove from heat and let cool slightly. Refrigerate.
How to make Coffee Toffee Ice Cream:
Step 1
Prep. If using a KitchenAid attachment, place the bowl into the freezer a full day in advance (or at least 15 hours) before churning. We have an extra freezer so we store ours in there 24/7/365.
Step 2
Temper the eggs. See the directions above.
Step 3
Combine ice cream ingredients. In a large measuring bowl, combine the cooled tempered egg mixture (whole milk, eggs, and sugar), the cooled coffee, heavy cream, vanilla, remaining sugar, and a pinch of salt. (You will have about six cups of the ice cream base.) Mix well and refrigerate until VERY cold (at least 3-4 hours). You need COLD ingredients for churning ice cream.
NOTE: If you’re getting impatient, you can place the liquid into the freezer for about 1/2 hour or until well chilled.
Step 4
Churn. If using a KitchenAid attachment (as pictured below), start the mixer with the attachment so that it’s turning BEFORE you pour the liquid in. Then pour in whisked ingredients and let it churn until finished. You’ll know it’s done when the mixer starts slowing down and it rises to the top of the bowl, approximately 25-30 minutes.
NOTE: If you have a different type of ice cream maker, just adjust accordingly. This recipe works for any 2-quart machine. So if using another size, just adjust the amounts in the recipe card below.
Step 5
Remove. Use a rubber scraper to spoon the churned ice cream out of the bowl into a freezer-safe container. I occasionally use a loaf pan for ice cream (but that is normally temporary).
Step 6
Add the chopped toffee. Add the chopped toffee bars to the ice cream, and stir well. You may want to reserve a few bits for serving.
Step 7
Freeze. Freeze the ice cream until ready to serve. The ice cream will be a bit soft so it needs a couple of hours to firm up.
Step 8
Serve ice cream. Serve coffee toffee ice cream in small serving bowls or pile it high on top of sugar cones or waffle cones
Coffee Toffee Ice Cream will last for 2-3 months in your freezer. Storing it longer may cause ice crystals to form on top of the ice cream.
Tips for using a KitchenAid Attachment:
- Place bowl attachment in freezer. You’ll want to be sure to store the bowl in the freezer for AT LEAST 15 hours before using. Since we have an extra freezer in our laundry room, I keep ours in there all the time. That way we can make ice cream on a whim!
- Run mixer in advance. Attach the bowl to the KitchenAid mixer and add the attachments. Start the mixer on the lowest setting BEFORE adding the ice cream mixture. This will prevent the bowl from freezing up.
- Add liquid while the mixer is running. Then carefully pour the liquid into the bowl attachment while it’s running.
- Let it slow down slightly. The ice cream is done when you see it expanding to the top of the bowl and the mixer starts to slow down.
Recipe Tips:
- After trying both cold brew coffee and espresso, the clear winner was espresso. We use the machine listed below, and I usually alternate between drinking cold brew and espresso with milk all year long! While you can use any STRONG coffee for this recipe we prefer the stronger coffee flavor in this delicious ice cream.
- Make sure your ingredients are nice and cold before adding them to the machine. I occasionally will make it one day and churn it the next. Just a little advance planning will help so much!
- After you mix in the toffee bars, you’ll want to quickly place the ice cream in the freezer for a couple of hours before serving. The consistency is quite soft, and if you let it harden slightly, you’ll enjoy it more (before it melts)!
Kitchen Items Used: (affiliate links)
xoxo ~Sue
Coffee Toffee Ice Cream Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 cups whole milk
- 4 large egg yolks
- 1 cup granulated sugar – divided
- 3/4 – 1 cup strong coffee – I use espresso
- 2 cups heavy cream
- 2 Tablespoons vanilla
- 8 oz. toffee candy – chopped
- a pinch of salt
Instructions
- PREP. If using a KitchenAid attachment to make this ice cream, be sure to place the bowl into the freezer for at least 15 hours prior to churning.
- Temper the eggs. Combine the egg yolks and 1/4 cup of sugar in a mixing bowl. Add the whole milk to a saucepan and heat over medium heat to a temperature of 165 degrees. (Do not boil.) When the milk is hot, drizzle about one cup of it into the eggs/sugar mixture, whisking constantly. Then pour the egg mixture back into the pan, plus another 3/4 cup sugar, and heat to 165 degrees. The mixture should be thick and easily coat the back of a spoon.4 large egg yolks, 1 cup granulated sugar, 2 cups whole milk
- Make strong coffee. You can use whatever strong coffee you have. I prefer to make espresso, but I have also used cold brew in this recipe. Let coffee cool slightly3/4 – 1 cup strong coffee
- Combine mixture. In a large measuring bowl, combine the tempered egg mixture, cooled coffee, heavy cream, vanilla extract, and a pinch of salt. Mix well and refrigerate for at least four hours before churning. The mixture should be VERY COLD!2 cups heavy cream, 2 Tablespoons vanilla, a pinch of salt
- Churn. If using a KitchenAid attachment, start the mixer with the attachment so that it’s turning BEFORE you pour the liquid in. Then pour in whisked and chilled ingredients and let it churn until finished. You’ll know it’s done when the mixer starts slowing down and it rises to the top of the bowl, approximately 25-30 minutes.
- Add to container. Use a rubber scraper to help transfer the coffee ice cream out of the bowl into a freezer-safe container. Add chopped toffee bars and mix into the ice cream.8 oz. toffee candy
- Freeze the ice cream until ready to serve. The ice cream will be a bit soft so it needs a couple of hours to firm up.
Video
Notes
- After trying both cold brew coffee and espresso, the clear winner was espresso. We use the machine listed in my blog post, and I usually alternate between drinking cold brew and espresso with milk all year long! But you can use any STRONG coffee for this recipe.
- Make sure your ingredients are nice and cold before adding them to the machine. I occasionally will make it one day and churn it the next. Just a little advance planning will help so much!
- After you mix in the toffee bars, you’ll want to quickly place the ice cream in the freezer for a couple of hours before serving. The consistency is quite soft, and if you let it harden slightly, you’ll enjoy it more (before it melts)!
- Your ice cream should take about 30 minutes to churn. If it’s taking longer than that, you probably didn’t correctly prepare. Go back and re-read the blog post!
How does the kitchen aid paddle attach to the machine? Can’t figure it out and the machine’s instructions are inadequate.
I made this without the toffee. Instead I made a fresh raspberry sauce and swirled it around.
Best ice cream ever!
Oh this sounds delicious, Todd! Thanks for your feedback!
What a great recipe! Thank you!
A few notes: I might have missed it but scanned for ratio of espresso powder to water.
I made with 1Tablespoon instant espresso powder to 1 cup boiling water. Truly it was great but next time I’m going to try 2T to see if I like even more.
I used Heath Bits from baking isle, cost per once it was less expensive than full candy bars to chop up.
My knock off ice cream set up broke during churning. I was devastated and panicked, I went ahead and froze the half churned liquid mess it left me with. The beater mechanism broke after 3 times using it. I immediately ordered a KitchenAid ice cream maker, no fooling around any more with off brand things. A few days later when the KA arrived, I thawed ice cream in fridge and rechurned it!!! You can do that! No issues, no weird texture.
I am 100% team KitchenAid ice cream maker and I can say that the $20 or so I “saved” with that knockoff was not a savings. Thankfully it broke within 30 days and I could send back.
Thank you again for your lovely recipes! I’ve made 4 flavors now, never going back to store bought again.
I’m so glad you enjoyed this, Tracie!
I don’t have a kitchenaid 😔…but I recently bought a nostalgia icecream maker so will I just need to put the mixture in my icecream maker after making the tempered egg mixture and let it churn for 30mins?
I’m so excited because I LOOOOVE Hagen Das Coffee icecream and toffee is my favorite candy and I thought it would be much cheaper to make it myself and was so excited when I found your recipe 😊.
Thanks for your help I’ve not made icecream except a couple yrs ago, but I returned that machine because it was soft and it like hard icecream 😋
I hope you love the flavor, Pamela!
If you are using espresso, how much did you use? Thanks!
I use one cup of espresso.
Can you use espresso powder instead of actual coffee?
I haven’t tried using espresso powder so I can’t really say. Let me know if you give that a try.
I made this last night after asking about the eggs yolks & whites and this is now my favourite ice cream I’ve made so far! I used espresso instead of just coffee like suggested and the coffee flavour level was perfect. I was a bit short on the toffee bits so I also added chopped up chunks from two Coffee Crisp mini bars left over from my kid’s Halloween candy. I will definitely be making this again and might even try adding some homemade salted caramel swirls in next time!
Thanks so much for your feedback, Nicole! I greatly appreciate it. 🙂
I’m n your photos it looks like you added the whole egg and rather than just the egg yolks. I am wondering if this was the case or if I do actually need to separate the whites and yolks and only add the yolks?
Sorry Nicole. That photo is wrong. Just use the yolks.
I love coffee and my hubby loves toffee! This combo was perfect for us! I thought I hid the last little bit in the freezer to have as a late night snack, but someone knew it was in there and dug around until they found it! Dang it! Ha! Ha! Guess I am going to have to make some soon! Thank you for another great recipe!
This is amazing to hear, Cathy! So glad you enjoyed it!
First time making ice cream with this recipe in my new KitchenAid ice cream maker attachment and this was so easy. It takes time with cooling down the ingredients and then freezing after it’s done churning but it’s definitely worth it! It’s the best ice cream I’ve ever had! I used espresso to add in and it had the perfect amount of coffee flavor. I also left out the toffee and it was amazing!
Thanks Karolina! Coffee Toffee is one of our favorites!
I feel like I need this in my life right now – both of my favorite things. Oh yeah.
I love coffee and I love ice cream; what a combo!
I love coffee and I love ice cream so what could go wrong. Amazing!
I love coffee and I love ice cream….. I agree let’s pair them together for an amazing recipe!