Buttery caramel ice cream is infused with smoky bacon & studded with crunchy cashews in this creamy Caramel Bacon Cashew Ice Cream...
I am going to take a brief pause in Crock Pot Week today to focus on another foodie cause that is near and dear to my heart. Yes, folks. I am talking about Bacon Month. ;)
During the first week of Bacon Month, I shared with you all my recipe for Bacon & Egg Angel Hair Pasta. Seriously, folks. If you haven't already checked that one out, you may want to after you done drooling over this new bacon laced recipe of mine. ;) My pasta dish is breakfast for dinner elevated to an entirely different level.
I really wanted to challenge myself with at least one dessert recipe during this month-long celebration of all things bacon. The savory dishes would be crazy easy. But sweets were more of a stretch. Even for me.
I once tried dark chocolate covered bacon from a swanky chocolate shop... I wasn't impressed. So I have kind of steered clear of adding bacon to any desserts since then.
Well, until now.
Behold. Bacon in sweet, creamy ice cream form!
I knew I wanted to create a buttery, caramely ice cream infused with the smoky & salty flavor of bacon, but not with actual pieces of bacon. I love bacon, but only when it is nice and crispy and I knew the bacon would get weird & chewy in the ice cream.
It is a texture thing for me, folks. I am that person who goes to a restaurant & always ask for my bacon to be cooked extra crispy.
If you don't have a texture thing like me, you can feel free to keep the bacon pieces in after infusing the ice cream base.
I still wanted the crispy bacon though, so I topped mine with fresh, delicious bacon chunks when scooping it out to serve. ;)
I kept the the caramel flavoring simple by stirring in one of those new (and pretty cool, if you ask me) Duncan Hines Frosting Creations flavor mix-ins. They are supposed to be used for flavoring plain frosting, but I took a chance and tried it in my ice cream base, and the results were amazing...
Caramel Bacon Cashew Ice Cream
by
Prep Time: 2 hours, 45 minutes
Cook Time: Overnight- to freeze
Ingredients (6-8 servings)
- 1 pint (16 oz) heavy cream
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 3 slices of crispy bacon, chopped
- 1 packet of Duncan Hines Frosting Creations Caramel Flavor Mix
- 1/2 container (4 oz) whipped topping, thawed
- 1/2 cup chopped cashews
Instructions
Crisp your bacon using your cooking preference. (I like to bake mine for 15-20 minutes at 400 degrees on a rimmed baking sheet.) Set aside and allow to cool.
In a medium saucepan, combine the heavy cream and brown sugar. Heat over medium heat, stirring often until the sugar dissolves- about 3-5 minutes.
Add in the caramel flavor mix and continuing heating over medium heat another 2 minutes, whisking constantly.
Remove the mixture from the heat.
Chop your bacon slices and then add them to caramel mixture. Allow the bacon to steep in the hot mixture for at least 30 minutes.
Strain the mixture through a colander or mesh strainer into a large bowl. Discard the bacon pieces (or set them aside and eat them- they are no longer crispy, but are sweet and salty! :) ).
Chill the ice cream base in the fridge for at least 2 hours.
After chilling, beat in the half container of thawed whipped topping until smooth and creamy. Transfer it to a freezer safe container and then place in your freezer. After 2 hours of freezing, give the ice cream a mix and then stir in the chopped cashews. Freeze overnight.
Be sure to allow the ice cream to sit out at room temperature for at least 10 minutes before serving.
Enjoy!
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So what do you think, folks? Have I sold you on bacon ice cream?? ;) Don't knock it til you try it... trust me.
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Have a mean sweet tooth? Satisfy it daily by joining the Desserts First recipe group on Facebook! :)
