Menu

Distilled

Homemade Ice Cream with a Double Bourbon Twist

Bourbon-tinged butterscotch sauce and a bourbon-infused vanilla base deepen this rich ice cream dotted with toffee bits

By Katherine Cobbs

August 6, 2026

A tub of ice cream

Photo: Katherine Cobbs

A double dose of bourbon heightens the flavors of vanilla and toffee in this twist on the classic ice cream combo. A splash goes into the homemade butterscotch sauce, which is drizzled into the ice cream at the end of churning. Bourbon also gets mixed into the velvety crème anglaise base, dotted with vanilla bean seeds, amplifying the vanilla’s flavor while lending its own distinctive warm spice and caramel notes.

Get Our Bourbon Newsletter!
glass of bourbon with ice
Distilled is our newsletter about the South’s favorite spirit.

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Whether you chop up a toffee bar or use toffee baking bits, that’s what puts the “brickle” in this recipe. If you prefer chocolate-covered toffee, chop a traditional Heath bar (or you can also buy chocolate-coated bits). Chopped Almond Roca is another option. Add the toffee bits with the sauce during the last few minutes of churning, just to incorporate.

Serve the ice cream by itself in a cone or cup, or top a scoop with a shot of espresso, affogato-style. Or for a heady after-dinner treat, finish with a bourbon pour over for a boozy ice cream float.

Butterbourbon-Brickle Ice Cream

Yield: 1 quart

For the ice cream base

    • 1½ cups heavy cream

    • 1½ cups whole milk

    • ½ cup sugar

    • Pinch salt

    • 6 large egg yolks

    • 3 tbsp. bourbon

    • 1 (3-inch) vanilla bean, halved lengthwise

    • 1 cup chopped toffee or Heath Bits O’ Brickle English Toffee Bits

For the butterbourbon sauce

    • ¼ cup packed dark brown sugar

    • ¼ cup heavy cream

    • 2 tbsp. unsalted butter

    • 1 tsp. bourbon

    • Pinch salt

Preparation

  1. Make the ice cream base: Simmer the cream, milk, sugar, and salt in a saucepan over medium heat, stirring until sugar dissolves, about 5 minutes; remove from the heat. Whisk the yolks in a large bowl. Briskly whisk about one third of the hot cream mixture into the yolks to temper. Then whisk the yolk mixture back into the saucepan with the remaining cream to combine. Place the saucepan back over medium heat and cook, stirring, until the mixture thickens enough to coat the back of a spoon, 8 to 10 minutes. Pour through a fine-mesh sieve into a large bowl or 1-quart measuring cup. Stir in the bourbon, then scrape the seeds from the vanilla bean halves and stir into the custard. Let custard cool to room temperature, then cover and chill in the refrigerator at least 4 hours or overnight. 
  2. Make the butterbourbon sauce: Combine the brown sugar, cream, butter, bourbon, and salt in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil over high heat. Cook, stirring, until thickened and syrupy, 6 to 8 minutes. Let cool to room temperature. 
  3. Once the base has chilled, churn in an ice cream machine according to the manufacturer’s directions until ice cream reaches a soft-serve consistency. Drizzle in room-temperature butterbourbon sauce and the toffee bits. Churn several minutes more to incorporate. Transfer to a 1-quart freezer container (or to 2 pints). Freeze ice cream until firm.

tags:

A magazine cover with a cocktail
Subscribe today and save.
Get a Subscription Give a Gift Manage Your Subscription