Ever thought of calling ‘butterscotch’ as the less-dramatic sibling of caramel? Well, whether or not, you mustn’t miss on this yummy Butterscotch Ice Cream recipe that can be made from scratch at home. Indians love their share of Butterscotch Ice Cream and it is undoubtedly one of the most well-known flavors here. And trust me, all the nutty goodness in this Praline Ice Cream makes it really apt as a winter dessert too. Try it!
What is Butterscotch Ice Cream
You may feel that the many steps of this Butterscotch Ice Cream recipe make it a tedious one. But its not that. Making this homemade Butterscotch Ice Cream is really easy and this recipe is similar to the simple Ice Cream I had shared earlier.
Begin by making the simple, literally no-fuss butterscotch praline and then just add it to the ice cream mixture. This recipe does mention the steps to make the praline. In case you want a more detailed and dedicated post, check this Praline recipe.
Addition of the nut studded butterscotch praline gives that super decadent crisp bite to this Butterscotch Ice Cream. If you feel that you are really short on time, opt for the store-bought butterscotch chips or praline instead.
Another thing that differentiates this cozy version of ice cream from the ones available in the market is that I don’t add any artificial color in my recipe as compared to the readymade ones with a yellow color.
However, if you still wish to see a yellow hue, add a bit of saffron or turmeric or a natural edible yellow food color in this Butterscotch Ice Cream recipe. Saffron will also impart a unique fragrance to this ice cream.
How to make Butterscotch Ice Cream
Make Butterscotch Praline
1. Take 10 to 12 cashews in a mortar-pestle. You can add any nuts of your choice like almonds, walnuts, pecans or roasted and skinned peanuts.
2. With the pestle, crush the cashews to a coarse mixture and keep aside. You can even chop the nuts or crush them in a food chopper or mixer-grinder.
3. In a pan, add 2 tablespoons butter. Keep the heat to a low.
4. Add 4 tablespoons sugar when the butter begins to melt.
5. Mix the sugar with the butter.
6. On low heat, cook the butter-sugar mixture. Stir at intervals and not non-stop.
7. The mixture will begin to change color. Continue to stir at intervals when the sugar starts changing color.
8. A point will come when the color will become brown and all the sugar will melt.
9. Put a few drops of the mixture in a bowl of water. It will harden and solidify. Also, when you snap it, it will break easily. This is the hard ball consistency of the sugar.
10. Switch off the heat when you see all the sugar has melted and caramelized into a brown colored molten liquid.
11. Then, add the crushed cashews immediately.
12. Mix quickly.
13. Transfer this praline mixture on a plate lined with parchment paper. You can also use a plate greased with some butter or oil (neutral tasting).
14. Let the praline harden and cool at room temperature.
15. Then break the set praline into small pieces.
16. Place the praline pieces in a mortar. You can also use a rolling pin to crush the pralines.
17. With the pestle, crush the praline pieces to a coarse mixture and keep aside. Do not make a fine powder.
Make Praline Ice Cream
18. In a large bowl or a stand mixer bowl, take 2.75 to 3 cups chilled whipping cream (30% to 50% fat). Add 1 teaspoon vanilla extract or butterscotch essence to it.
19. Begin to whip the cream at full speed, with an electric beater or with the whipping attachment of the stand mixer. Timing will vary depending on the fat content in the cream.
Make sure to be attentive while whipping and do not whip too much, as the cream may churn further to butter.
20. Whip till stiff peaks are formed. If using 25% fat cream, then you can whip till soft peaks.
21. Now, add 400 grams (about 1.6 cups) chilled sweetened condensed milk.
22. Also, add the crushed butterscotch praline. Reserve 1 tablespoon of crushed cashew praline for garnishing.
23. Fold gently, but very well. Remember not to overfold as then the ice cream mixture can fall flat.
24. Remove the ice cream mixture in a container or box and cover it tightly. Freeze till the ice cream is set.
25. Before serving, keep the ice cream container or box for some minutes at room temperature. Then scoop and serve Butterscotch Ice Cream garnished with reserved crushed praline.
You can also pour butterscotch sauce. Alternatively, chocolate chips, grated chocolate, candied fruits or even tutti frutti can be sprinkled on top.
Expert Tips
- You can use your choice of nuts (almonds, walnuts, pecans, roasted peanuts, etc.) to make the butterscotch praline, but make sure they are fresh and not rancid. The nuts can be chopped or crushed in a food chopper or mixer grinder.
- To check the hard ball consistency of sugar, put some melted butter-sugar mixture in a bowl of water. It should solidify and when snapped, it should break easily.
- If you don’t have butter or parchment paper, you can grease a plate with butter or a neutral tasting oil and spread the praline mixture on that.
- While whipping the cream, make sure to not over whip as this may cause the cream to get churned into butter.
- The time taken by the cream to whip till stiff peaks will vary depending on the amount of fat in it.
- While folding, make it gentle. Over doing the folding may cause the ice cream mixture to loose volume and fall flat.
- If you are facing difficulty in scooping the set Butterscotch Ice Cream, then let it sit at room temperature for about 5 to 6 minutes.
More Ice Cream Recipes To Try!
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Butterscotch Ice Cream | Praline Ice Cream
Ingredients
For butterscotch praline
- 4 tablespoons sugar
- 2 tablespoons butter – unsalted
- 10 to 12 cashews or 2 tablespoons roasted peanuts – nuts like almonds, walnuts or pecans can also be used
For butterscotch ice cream
- 1 can sweetened condensed milk or milkmaid – 400 grams, cold
- 2.75 to 3 cups whipping cream 30% to 50% fat, cold or chilled
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract or butterscotch essence
Instructions
Making butterscotch praline
- Take cashews in a mortar-pestle. You can add any nuts of your choice like almonds, walnuts, pecans or roasted peanuts.
- With the pestle, crush the cashews to a coarse mixture and keep aside. You can even chop the nuts.
- In a pan, add butter. Keep the heat to a low.
- When the butter begins to melt, add sugar. Mix the sugar with the butter.
- On low heat, cook the butter-sugar mixture. Stir at intervals and not non-stop.
- The mixture will begin to change color. Continue to stir at intervals when the sugar starts changing color.
- A point will come when the color will become brown and all the sugar will melt.
- Put a few drops of the mixture in a bowl of water. It will harden and solidify. When you snap it, it will break easily. This is the hard ball consistency of the sugar.
- Switch off the heat when you see all the sugar has melted and caramelized into a brown colored molten liquid.
- Then, add the crushed cashews immediately and mix quickly.
- Pour this praline mixture on a plate lined with parchment paper or butter paper. You can also use a plate greased with butter or oil (neutral tasting).
- Let the praline harden and cool. Then, break it into small pieces.
- Place the praline pieces in a mortar. With the pestle, crush to a coarse mixture and keep aside. Do not make a fine powder.
Making butterscotch ice cream
- In a large bowl or a stand mixer bowl, take the cold whipping cream. Add vanilla extract or butterscotch essence to it.
- Begin to whip the cream at full speed, with an electric beater or with the whipping attachment of the stand mixer.
- Also, be careful while whipping and do not whip too much, as then the cream would get churned into butter.
- Whip till stiff peaks are formed in the cream.
- Add the cold sweetened condensed milk.
- Also, add the crushed praline. Reserve 1 tablespoon of crushed praline for garnishing.
- Fold gently, but very well. Remember not to over do the folding as then the ice cream mixture can fall flat.
- Remove the ice cream mixture in a container or box and cover it tightly. Freeze till the ice cream is set.
- Before serving, keep the ice cream container or box for some minutes at room temperature. Then, scoop out the ice cream.
- Serve Butterscotch Ice Cream garnished with reserved crushed praline. You can also pour butterscotch sauce. Alternatively, chocolate chips, grated chocolate, candied fruits or even tutti frutti can be sprinkled on top.
Notes
- Opt to make your own praline or buy packaged butterscotch chips or praline.
- Approximate nutrition info is for 1 scoop of Butterscotch Ice Cream.
Nutrition Info (Approximate Values)
This Butterscotch Ice Cream recipe from the archives first published on April 2018 has been updated and republished on April 2023.
