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!
** READ THE ENTIRE BLOG POST (with my tips and tricks) BEFORE MAKING THE ICE CREAM.
Temper the eggs.
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, combine the eggs and 1/2 cup sugar and whisk well.
When milk reaches 165 degrees, take a small measuring cup and pour into the egg 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.
Remove from heat and let cool. Refrigerate.
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 slightly
Make ice cream.
If using KitchenAid attachment, place the bowl into the freezer a full day in advance (or at least 15 hours) before churning.
In a large measuring bowl, combine the cooled tempered egg mixture (whole milk, eggs, and sugar), the cooled coffee, the heavy cream, vanilla, the remaining sugar, and a pinch of salt. Mix well and refrigerate until VERY cold (several hours).
If using a KitchenAid attachment (as pictured in blog post), 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.
Use a rubber scraper to help pour the ice cream out of the bowl into a freezer-safe container. Add chopped toffee bars and mix into the ice cream.
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!