Caramelized White Chocolate Ice Cream

Tastes like magic: white chocolate is caramelized for a toasty caramel flavor.  Unbelievably creamy no-churn ice cream made with just two ingredients. All you need for this is a hand mixer and a loaf pan. 

How she came to be (and some other CWC recipes) 

I couldn’t believe how well this turned out and I’m writing this in early June knowing it’s going to be months before it gets published but golly, how am I going to hold myself to that? I’m so excited to share it with you all! 

Y’all already know about my obsession with caramelized white chocolate….

There were cookies. And other cookies. 

There was a buttercream (american) and another buttercream (swiss). 

There was a fudge (also two-ingredients!) 

And I love adding it to this apple cider ice cream. And these cider mallows! 

There was a cheesecake too! 

And, these POPSICLES!! 

So you know, a caramelized white chocolate ice cream recipe was bound to happen here. The idea has been creeping on me for too long now. 

But before we get into this, you might be asking: how do I caramelize white chocolate? 

How to Caramelize White Chocolate 

I have a step-by-step photo series on this page here. Basically, you chop or break up white chocolate (I like using Lindt bars) and toast them on low heat. The chocolate melts and then begins to change color, caramelizing. You need to stir it every 10-15 minutes to ensure that it caramelizes evenly. 

Once it is done, you’ll notice that it stops changing color and it might begin to smooth out (after being quite stiff). Scrape it all into a food processor and blend it on high to smooth it out and remove lumps. 

From here you can proceed to making the ice cream directly. Alternatively, make the chocolate ahead of time: pour it onto a baking pan lined with parchment paper and let it harden. It will take time, overnight usually. 

Why we needed this No Churn Caramelized White Chocolate Ice Cream 

David Lebovitz has a very popular custard based ice cream recipe so I figured I needn’t go there. I’ve never made that recipe but since he basically taught me how to make cwc years ago, I trust that it’s wonderful. 

I began dabbling in the no-churn ice cream last year. I explain why it’s called a no churn (it doesn’t need a machine to churn it!) and why it works (the air is whipped in before it freezes rather than during) in this peanut butter brown butter ice cream recipe. 

I reasoned that to make a no-churn caramelized white chocolate recipe I would need, well… very, very few ingredients. Consider that white chocolate comes packed with sugar and fat already (both which not only lend a ton of flavor but will keep the ice cream nice and soft when frozen). Caramelized? The chocolate & cocoa butter flavors are amplified in the very very best of ways.

Bonus to keeping it simple: the flavor of cwc comes through and is SO pronounced you can’t miss it (and you will never be the same once you’ve tried it). A little salt and vanilla enhance the flavor of the ice cream (I won’t negotiate on the salt, but if you must you can leave the vanilla out). 

Notes on No Churn Caramelized White Chocolate Ice Cream 

• I’ll ask you to caramelize 20oz but you only need 15 oz for the ice cream. I do this because a lot of chocolate is lost as it’s moved from pan to food processor and from food processor to bowl. If you are an obsessive scraper, you might have leftovers and I suggest you let them harden and use them as ‘chips’ in cookies. Like these! That is, if you don’t snack on them all. 
• You can make the caramelized white chocolate ahead of time – days or even months! 
• Heavy whipping cream & heavy cream are basically the same and you can use either here. 
• This makes enough ice cream to fit into a large loaf pan. Use any container you like, it won’t matter too much. 
• Whatever chocolate you buy for this make sure it has cocoa butter in it; avoid a chocolate that is mostly sugar and oil. I use white chocolate lindt bars to make mine. 

No Churn Caramelized White Chocolate Ice Cream Recipe 

For the chocolate: 

20oz white chocolate, chopped (to be caramelized) 

For the Ice Cream: 

• 15 oz caramelized white chocolate 
• 2 ½ cups heavy cream, divided 
• 1 teaspoon fine sea salt 
• 1-2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract (to taste) 

Method 

How to make caramelized white chocolate: 

Preheat the oven to 250 and set the chopped white chocolate on a very clean, large cake pan. 

Let it toast for a total of 45 minutes, stirring with a rubber spatula (ensuring that you scrape it up from the bottom and the corners to get an even toast) every 10 minutes. The chocolate will melt first, then it will get stiffer and stiffer as it caramelizes and at some point toward the end it will smooth out again. Once it gets to a point where the color doesn’t change much when you scrape it, it’s done. 

Pour it into a food processor and process it until it’s smooth. 

If you are moving straight to making the ice cream, measure out 15 oz of the melted chocolate. If you have any left, spread it onto a sheet of parchment paper and let it solidify. You can break it up and use it in something else later. 

If you aren’t making the ice cream straight away, pour all the melted chocolate in a pan lined with parchment paper. Let it solidify (will take at least a few hours, usually overnight) and then break or chop it up and store in an airtight container. 

How to make no churn caramelized white chocolate ice cream: 

If your 15 oz of caramelized white chocolate is solid, heat it in the microwave – stopping when it’s mostly melted and stirring until smooth. 

Warm 1 cup of the heavy cream until it’s warm to the touch. Pour it into the melted chocolate and stir until you have a smooth ganache. Let it cool slightly (we don’t want to add whipped cream to hot ganache or it will melt it). 

Whip the remaining 1 ½ cups heavy cream and salt and vanilla in a stand mixer or with a hand mixer until you have medium-stiff peaks (they should mostly hold shape). 

With a rubber spatula, fold the whipped cream into the ganache. You will have a very runny mixture. Pour it into a loaf pan, cover it with plastic wrap and set it in the freezer overnight. 

Note: if after a few days in the back of the freezer this hardens, take it out 10 minutes before serving to soften. 

No Churn Caramelized White Chocolate Recipe 

No Churn Caramelized White Chocolate Ice Cream

Cook Time: 45 minutes mins

Chill Time: 6 hours hrs

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Ingredients

For the chocolate:

• 20 oz white chocolate chopped (to be caramelized)

For the Ice Cream:

• 15 oz caramelized white chocolate
• 2 ½ cups heavy cream divided
• 1 teaspoon fine sea salt
• 1-3 teaspoons pure vanilla extract to taste

Method

How to make caramelized white chocolate:

• Preheat the oven to 250 and set the chopped white chocolate on a very clean, large cake pan.
• Let it toast for a total of 45 minutes, stirring with a rubber spatula (ensuring that you scrape it up from the bottom and the corners to get an even toast) every 10 minutes. The chocolate will melt first, then it will get stiffer and stiffer as it caramelizes and at some point toward the end it will smooth out again. Once it gets to a point where the color doesn’t change much when you scrape it, it’s done.
• Pour it into a food processor and process it until it’s smooth.
• If you are moving straight to making the ice cream, measure out 15 oz of the melted chocolate. If you have any left, spread it onto a sheet of parchment paper and let it solidify. You can break it up and use it in something else later.
• If you aren’t making the ice cream straight away, pour all the melted chocolate in a pan lined with parchment paper. Let it solidify (will take at least a few hours, usually overnight) and then break or chop it up and store in an airtight container.

How to make no churn caramelized white chocolate:

• If your 15 oz of caramelized white chocolate is solid, heat it in the microwave - stopping when it’s mostly melted and stirring until smooth.
• Warm 1 cup of the heavy cream until it’s warm to the touch. Pour it into the melted chocolate and stir until you have a smooth ganache. Let it cool slightly (we don’t want to add whipped cream to hot ganache or it will melt it).
• Whip the remaining 1 ½ cups heavy cream and salt and vanilla in a stand mixer or with a hand mixer until you have medium-stiff peaks (they should mostly hold shape).
• With a rubber spatula, fold the whipped cream into the ganache. You will have a very runny mixture. Pour it into a loaf pan, cover it with plastic wrap and set it in the freezer overnight. If it's gone very hard, give it 10 minutes at room temperature before scooping.

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