Candied Bacon Caramel Ice Cream

I swear this is the last sweet bacon recipe. I just had so many Vanilla Bean Bacon Caramels left over that I had to figure out ways to use them. So, I first made the Bacon Caramel Chocolate Chunk Cookies that I just posted. And then I decided to make Candied Bacon Caramel Ice Cream. It's a sweet ice cream base with cinnamon (yum) and whiskey (double yum). Then I folded in Candied Bacon Bits and some bite-size pieces of my Vanilla Bean Bacon Caramels. I know it sounds so weird, but give it a shot. The ice cream base is good enough by itself. I feel like I'm a member of Ben & Jerry's... I just know they will be coming out with a flavor similar to this really soon. Enjoy!

Candied Bacon Ice Cream with Vanilla Bean Bacon Caramels

The Perfect Bite of Candied Bacon Ice Cream

For the Candied Bacon:

5 Strips of Bacon

2t Light Brown Sugar For Each Slice of Bacon

For the Ice Cream Custard:

3T Butter

¾C Brown Sugar

2 ¾C Half & Half

5 Large Egg Yolks

2T Whiskey

½t Vanilla

¼t Cinnamon

Pinch of Salt

Chopped Candied Bacon

50 Prepared Bacon Caramels, Cut into Bite-Size Cubes

Directions:

1. To Make the Candied Bacon: Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Lay the strips of bacon on a baking sheet lined with a silicone mat. Sprinkle each slice of bacon with 2t of brown sugar. Bake for 12-16 minutes. Midway, flip the bacon over and drag them through the dark, syrupy liquid that’s collected on the baking sheet. Continue to bake until it is as dark as mahogany. Remove from the oven and cool the strips on a wire rack. Once the bacon is cool and crisp, chop into little pieces, about the size of grains of rice.

2. To Make the Ice Cream: melt the butter in a heavy, medium-sized saucepan. Stir in the brown sugar and half of the half & half. Pour the remaining half & half into a bowl, set in an ice bath and set a mesh strainer over the top. In a separate bowl, stir together the egg yolks, and then gradually add some of the warm brown sugar mixture into them, whisking the yolks constantly as you pour. Pour the mixture into the saucepan. Cook over low-medium heat, constantly stirring and scraping the bottom with a heatproof spatula, until the custard thickens enough to coat the spatula. Strain the custard into the half & half, stirring over the ice bath, until cool. Add liquor, vanilla, and cinnamon. Refrigerate the mixture until it is thoroughly chilled. Freeze the ice cream in your ice cream maker according to the manufacturer’s instructions. Add in the bacon bits & caramel chunks during the last moment of churning, or stir them in when you remove the ice cream from the machine.

3. Freeze the ice cream in the refrigerator for 2-3 hours before eating.

source: candied bacon ice cream

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