Ultra creamy no-churn salted caramel ice cream in a crispy chocolate-coated sugar cone, dunked in dark chocolate and buttery toffee bits!
Well folks, the end of summer is almost upon us.
I’m always conflicted this time of year because I’m torn between my love for warm summer evenings and my love of ALL fall flavors. Speaking of, last week I spotted pumpkin pies at Costco, and I almost lost my s*** with excitement. It’s actually quite pathetic how ecstatic I get whenever I see stores rolling out fall-inspired treats or desserts. To say that I’m a bit obsessed would be an understatement.
So since we still have a little over a week left until the OFFICIAL first day of fall, I decided to come up with a recipe that blends both the heavenly flavors of fall with a refreshingly cool and creamy summer treat…
Salted. Caramel. Toffee. Drumsticks.
Excuse me while I wipe the drool off my chin…and keyboard.
Aside from your typical flavors like pumpkin and maple, nothing screams fall quite like SALTED caramel. As a caramel fanatic, I usually enjoy caramel all throughout the year, no matter what season it is. However, I love that salted caramel gets some of the spotlight during fall. From classic caramel apples to crispy caramel corn, it’s pretty much impossible to go anywhere without seeing some kind of yummy caramel treat this time of year.
Since my Nutella Drumsticks were such a hit, I knew I wanted to try out another flavor before summer’s end. It took me about .2 seconds to pick salted caramel as the flavor. Oh, and while we’re on the topic of caramel…
You have the option of either making caramel from scratch (from the recipe below), OR using store-bought caramel. Being that this is an easy no-churn recipe, you might as well go the extra teeny tiny mile in making the caramel. Plus, the flavor is so much better! However, if you choose to make things extra easy on yourself with store-bought caramel, I won’t judge you!
To make the ice cream, you’ll first need to make up the salted caramel (if you’re not using store-bought) so that it has enough time to cool. This salted caramel recipe is pretty much my standby for all of my recipes that involve caramel because it’s easy peasy and not the least bit finicky. Simply cook some water, granulated sugar, and corn syrup in a medium saucepan until the mixture reaches a golden amber color. Instead of using a spoon to stir, I just swirl the pan around occasionally making sure everything cooks evenly.
Once the right color is reached, remove the pan from the heat, pour in the heavy cream (it will boil up), and stir until smooth. You might need to return the pan to the stove and heat on low as you stir the caramel. The salt and vanilla are added at the very end.
After your caramel has cooled to room temperature, it’s time to get started on the ice cream. In the chilled bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment (or a large mixing bowl and beater), whip up some heavy cream until stiff peaks form. Add about a quarter of the whipped cream to your caramel, stirring until smooth and completely incorporated. Pour this mixture in with the rest of your whipped cream and fold it in until combined. Pour the custard into a freezer-safe container and chill in the freezer for at least 4 hours, or overnight.
Now that the ice cream is made, it’s time to make the chocolate coating. Melt some chocolate chips with a little coconut oil (vegetable oil works too) in the microwave until smooth and silky. The oil helps to thin out the chocolate a little, making it easier to dip the cones. But before you dip, you first have to line the cones with the chocolate.
Simply spoon 2-3 teaspoons of the melted chocolate into the cone, rotating a few times so that the entire interior is coated as well as the very top edges. You want to make sure that any part that touches the ice cream is coated in chocolate, so that the cone doesn’t get soggy from the ice cream. Allow any excess chocolate to fall to the bottom of the cone to create the chocolate “plug” which we all look forward to when we’re almost done eating the drumstick. Set the cones upright in a glass and place in the freezer for at least 5 minutes while you cut out the parchment paper cones.
To make the parchment paper cones, you’ll need to cut out a circle that’s 12 inches in diameter. I recommend finding a plate or object that’s about that size, so that you can use it to trace on the parchment paper. Once you’ve got your circle, cut it out, then cut it into four equal quarters. This recipe makes 10 drumsticks, so you’ll need to have 10 quarters.
To make the paper cone, grab one of your chocolate-lined sugar cones and wrap the paper quarter around the cone, using a piece of tape to secure it. Repeat this with the rest of the cones.
Now the real fun begins…it’s filling time! Working one at a time, remove a cone from the freezer, use a fork/spoon to fill (to the top of the parchment paper) with the softened ice cream and smooth out the top. Immediately return to the freezer, and repeat with the rest of the cones. The great thing about this no-churn ice cream is that it doesn’t melt quickly like regular ice cream. It basically gets softer the longer it sits out, so you don’t really have to rush when filling the cones. After all the cones have been filled, allow them to chill in the freezer for at least 2 hours, or until they’re frozen solid.
Before you dip the cones, make sure that the rest of the ingredients are ready to go. If the chocolate has solidified, re-melt it and pour it into a small, preferably flat-bottomed dish. Pour the toffee bits into another small bowl. Then, working one at a time, peel the paper off of one cone, dip the top half of the ice cream into the melted chocolate, and then immediately into the toffee bits. Place the cone back upright into the glass you had it in and into the freezer. Repeat with the rest of the cones!
While it might seem like there’s a lot of steps involved, these drumsticks are really not that hard to put together. In fact, they’re actually a lot of fun to assemble! Plus, the store-bought drumsticks don’t even come close to how divine these homemade ones are. With the creamiest salted caramel ice cream and a beautifully bedazzled chocolate toffee shell, these Salted Caramel Toffee Drumsticks are BEYOND heavenly!
Salted Caramel Toffee Drumsticks
Equipment
- Parchment paper
- An object 12 inches in diameter (for tracing)
- Pen or Pencil
- Scissors
- Tape
Ingredients
Salted Caramel:*
- ⅓ cup water
- 1 cup + 2 Tablespoons granulated sugar
- 1 Tablespoon corn syrup
- ¾ cup heavy cream
- 1 ¼ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon vanilla
Salted Caramel Ice Cream:
- Caramel from recipe above*
- 2 cups heavy cream
Drumsticks:
- 10 ounces semi-sweet chocolate chips
- 3 Tablespoons coconut oil or vegetable oil**
- 10 sugar cones
- ¾ cup Heath toffee bits
Instructions
Make the Salted Caramel:
- Pour the water into a medium saucepan. Pour the sugar into the center of the pan, making sure none of the sugar crystals hit the sides. Add the corn syrup.
- Place pan over medium heat, leaving it alone for the first 5 minutes or until it the color begins to turn yellowish. Once you see some color, gently swirl the pan around occasionally as it boils. Continue boiling until the caramel reaches a golden amber color, about 8 to 10 minutes.
- Remove pan from the heat and carefully whisk in the heavy cream. Caramel will sizzle and bubble up. Stir in the salt, and continue whisking until caramel is smooth. If needed, return pan over medium-low heat, stirring until caramel is smooth. Transfer to dish or glass measuring cup to cool completely. Caramel will continue to thicken as it cools.
Make the Ice Cream:
- In the chilled bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, whip the heavy cream until stiff peaks form. Stir 1 cup of the whipped cream into the cooled caramel until combined. Pour this mixture in with the rest of the whipped cream and fold together until no more white streaks remain.
- Pour mixture into a freezer-safe container, covering the top with aluminum foil. Freeze for 4-6 hours or overnight.
Assemble the Cones:
- Place the chocolate chips and oil** in a medium microwave-safe bowl, and heat in the microwave until smooth and melted--I recommend removing the chocolate and stirring every 30 seconds so that you don't risk burning the chocolate.***
- Drizzle 2-3 teaspoons of the melted chocolate into each cone, swirling to coat the interior. Allow excess chocolate to fall to the bottom of the cone for the chocolate "plug". Set cones upright in a glass and place in the freezer for at least 5 minutes. Reserve the rest of the chocolate for the tops of the Drumsticks.
Prepare the Parchment Cones:
- Trace a plate (or anything round) that is 12 inches in diameter on a piece of parchment paper. Cut out the circle, then cut it into 4 equal quarters. Repeat process until you have 10 quarters.
Assemble the Drumsticks:
- Remove cones from freezer, then wrap each one with a parchment quarter, securing with a piece of tape (see photos above).
- Working one at a time, use a small spoon to scoop the ice cream into a cone, filling almost to the top of the parchment paper. Immediately return to the freezer, and repeat with the rest of the cones. Allow cones to chill in the freezer for at least 2 hours.
- If melted chocolate has hardened, re-melt it in the microwave at 30-second increments until smooth. If possible, pour melted chocolate into a smaller, flat-bottomed bowl to make dipping easier. Place toffee bits into a small bowl.
- Again, working one at a time, remove a cone from the freezer, dip the top of the cone into the chocolate. Allow excess chocolate to drip off, then immediately dip (or sprinkle) in toffee bits. Return to the freezer and repeat process with the rest of the cones. Keep in the freezer until ready to serve.