Chocolate Pretzel Caramel Ice Cream

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Chocolate Pretzel Caramel Ice Cream

This no churn Chocolate Pretzel Caramel Ice Cream is unbelievably creamy, easy to make and even easier to eat. Five ingredients and 30 minutes or less and it's ready for the freezer.

Prep Time45

Total Time45

Course: Ice Cream

Cuisine: American

Keyword: Chocolate Pretzel ice Cream, No Churn Ice Cream, very easy to make

Servings: servings

Calories: 340kcal

Author: Helen S. Fletcher

Equipment

9x9x2" square pan
Stand or hand held mixer

Ingredients

Caramel

½ cup water
¼ cup corn syrup
⅔ cup granulated sugar (130 grams)
2 tablespoons unsalted butter (30 grams)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

No Churn Chocolate Pretzel Ice Cream

1 ⅓ cups heavy cream
⅔ cup condensed milk
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 to 1 ½ cups chocolate covered pretzels (100 to 150 grams)
Caramel from above

Instructions

Caramel

In a heavy saucepan that is at least 4 times as big as the ingredients, place the water, sugar and corn syrup, stirring until combined.
When it begins to boil, wash down the sides of the pan with a brush dipped in cold waterBoil until it becomes a deep golden color, swirling the pan so the color is even.
Remove from the heat immediately and add the butter, stirring until it is melted.  Stir in the cream and vanilla carefully as it may boil up.
Return the pan to the heat and boil, without stirring, to 218°F. This will happen very quickly after returning to the heat. It will be very thin but thicken as it cools.
Pour into a container and let it come to room temperature undisturbed.
Store at room temperature for several days or refrigerate if holding longer.
Yields: 1 cup

No Churn Chocolate Pretzel Caramel Ice Cream

Lightly spray a 9x9x2" square pan with a non-stick baking release. Set side.
In the bowl of a mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, whip the heavy cream to medium peaks. Add the vanilla and then beat until stiff.
Pour the condensed milk over the whipped cream and fold together by hand so you don't knock the air out of the cream.
Coarsely chop the chocolate pretzels into bite size pieces. 1 cup is fine but I used 1 ½ cups for maximum effect. Fold them into the cream mixture.
Pour half of this mixture into the prepared pan. Briefly microwave the caramel if it too set to drizzle off of a spoon. Using a large serving spoon, drizzle as much or as little of the caramel as shown in the photo around the edges and center of the ice cream.
Add the remainder of the ice cream to the pan and repeat the drizzling. Using a skewer swirl everything together reaching to the bottom layer.
Freeze at least 6 hours until hard or overnight. To serve, let it sit at room temperature for 5 to 10 minutes to make it easier to scoop.
Store, covered, in the freezer for 2 months.

Notes

There is always an abundance of photos to guide you in the post above. If you have questions, look at the photos or read the header of the article. Many of them will be answered there.

As always, I recommend using a scale for accuracy and consistency. Flour, in particular, is difficult to measure by volume. For my recipes, I use 140 grams per cup of unsifted all-purpose, bread or whole wheat flour and 125 grams of cake flour. Others may use different weights so use whatever they suggest.

Unless otherwise noted, salt refers to table salt.

Nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and brands of ingredients used.

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Heavy cream should be used. Do not substitute whipping cream or half and half. Heavy cream whips up thicker and is more stable.
Corn Syrup is used in the caramel to prevent the sugar from crystalizing and becoming grainy. Consumer corn syrup is not high fructose. The caramel can be made without it but extreme care must be taken to make sure all of the sugar, including that which sticks to the sides of the pan must be washed down so not one grain is left or it can crystalize the entire batch.
Sweetened condensed milk - All condensed milk is sweetened. Evaporated milk is also condensed but it is unsweetened and a completely different product. It is much more liquid and cannot be substituted for the sweetened condensed milk.
Chocolate covered pretzels can be found in milk chocolate or dark chocolate. I chose the milk chocolate to better balance the flavors. Trader Joe's has both in a big bag.
When making the caramel the darker the initial sugar syrup the stronger the taste. Be careful not to take it too far or it can become bitter.

Nutrition