Butterscotch Ice Cream | Praline Ice Cream

Making butterscotch praline

1. Take cashews in a mortar-pestle. You can add any nuts of your choice like almonds, walnuts, pecans or roasted peanuts.
2. With the pestle, crush the cashews to a coarse mixture and keep aside. You can even chop the nuts.
3. In a pan, add butter. Keep the heat to a low.
4. When the butter begins to melt, add sugar. Mix the sugar with the butter.
5. On low heat, cook the butter-sugar mixture. Stir at intervals and not non-stop.
6. The mixture will begin to change color. Continue to stir at intervals when the sugar starts changing color.
7. A point will come when the color will become brown and all the sugar will melt.
8. Put a few drops of the mixture in a bowl of water. It will harden and solidify. When you snap it, it will break easily. This is the hard ball consistency of the sugar.
9. Switch off the heat when you see all the sugar has melted and caramelized into a brown colored molten liquid.
10. Then, add the crushed cashews immediately and mix quickly.
11. Pour this praline mixture on a plate lined with parchment paper or butter paper. You can also use a plate greased with butter or oil (neutral tasting).
12. Let the praline harden and cool. Then, break it into small pieces.
13. Place the praline pieces in a mortar. With the pestle, crush to a coarse mixture and keep aside. Do not make a fine powder.

Making butterscotch ice cream

1. In a large bowl or a stand mixer bowl, take the cold whipping cream. Add vanilla extract or butterscotch essence to it.
2. Begin to whip the cream at full speed, with an electric beater or with the whipping attachment of the stand mixer. 
3. Also, be careful while whipping and do not whip too much, as then the cream would get churned into butter.
4. Whip till stiff peaks are formed in the cream.
5. Add the cold sweetened condensed milk.
6. Also, add the crushed praline. Reserve 1 tablespoon of crushed praline for garnishing.
7. Fold gently, but very well. Remember not to over do the folding as then the ice cream mixture can fall flat.
8. Remove the ice cream mixture in a container or box and cover it tightly. Freeze till the ice cream is set.
9. Before serving, keep the ice cream container or box for some minutes at room temperature. Then, scoop out the ice cream.
10. Serve Butterscotch Ice Cream garnished with reserved crushed praline. You can also pour butterscotch sauce. Alternatively, chocolate chips, grated chocolate, candied fruits or even tutti frutti can be sprinkled on top.