Thursday, April 2, 2009

Heath Bar Crunch Ice Cream

Take a look at my newest kitchen toy, bought in brand-new condition off of Craigslist for significantly lower than retail price from a woman who had received it for a wedding present and never used it. Score!
I'm so excited and would highly recommend looking at CraigsList for kitchen appliances that other people might be trying to get rid of.

In order to convince Joe that it would be a worthy investment, I promised to make him something that he would love: Heath Bar Crunch ice cream. I had seen recipes on several blogs, and both Joe and I have a major weakness for anything involving toffee. Embarassingly enough, when we weren't as health-conscious, we would finish off a pint of Ben & Jerry's between the two of us on an all-too-frequent basis.Anyway, I knew this would be a hit, and it certainly was. Nothing beats homemade ice cream and knowing exactly what is going into your mouth. As the weather warms up, I'm sure I'll be using the ice cream maker more frequently!

Heath Bar Crunch Ice Cream
source: Annie's Eats

Ingredients

4 original Heath bars (1 1/8 oz. each)
2 large eggs
3/4 cup sugar
2 cups heavy whipping cream
1 cup milk
2 tsp. vanilla extract

Using a sharp knife, coarsely chop the Heath bars into large chunks. You should have about 1 cup (next time I’ll use 1 1/2 cups). Place the chunks in a bowl, cover, and freeze for about 1 hour.

Whisk the eggs in a mixing bowl until light and fluffy, 1-2 minutes. Whisk in the sugar, a little at a time, then continue whisking until completely blended, about 1 minute more. Pour in the cream, milk, vanilla extract, and whisk to blend.

Transfer the mixture to an ice cream maker and freeze according to the manufacturer’s instructions. After the ice cream has stiffened, transfer half of it to an air-tight storage container. Top with half of the Heath Bar pieces. Transfer the remaining ice cream to the container and top with the remaining Heath Bar pieces. Mix well until the candy pieces are evenly mixed throughout the ice cream. Store in the freezer until the ice cream is ready.

Note: This does contain raw eggs, so there is some risk involved if you are pregnant or otherwise immuno-compromised.