This chunky turtle ice cream is made with salted caramel and loaded with toasted pecans, and plenty of chocolate. Not only is it delicious, but it will become a family favourite!
If you are a regular reader you know how much I adore anything "turtle" related. I have at least a couple of dozen turtle recipes on the blog. Honestly, it's a serious addiction.
As a self-professed ice cream addict, with dozen of ice cream recipes on my site, I can assure you this ice cream will knock your socks off.
Ice cream is something I could make every day and never get tired of. It's one of the few things I'm content to have a few bites of and not get tempted to eat the whole batch.
Not the case with this ice cream. It is so over the top good I could barely get photos fast enough because I kept gobbling it up while swapping out props.
Just to clarify, this is not a simple ice cream recipe. It has a complex flavour spectrum, and with that comes some step heavy instructions.
The base is clearly worth the effort but I tend to be an impatient cook so I get edgy if things take too long. I have zero patience, not even kidding.
Nevertheless, it's so worth riding the wave. If you get it right it will pay off in spades. It's salty and sweet, with just the right amount of each.
Things you should know before making this:
To be completely honest, this girl tends to like simple recipes. That said, this one is uniquely delicious and completely worth the extra effort.
The caramel process is a bit more complicated than your average caramel recipe. However, you will be glad you took the extra steps. Honestly, it takes the caramel flavour to a whole new level.
Just be sure to read through it a couple of times beforehand so you fully understand all the steps involved. I can assure you it's worth taking the time to do it correctly. The flavour will impress the most discerning ice cream aficionado.
Turtle Ice Cream Ingredients:
Be sure to scroll and read the entire recipe card for FULL ingredients and directions!
- Milk- I used whole milk for this recipe. It's best for ice cream recipes.
- Cornstarch- This will help thicken your ice cream base.
- Sugar- Granulated sugar is the type you should use for this recipe.
- Heavy Cream- A must for ice cream recipes like this one. In this case, you need the higher fat content.
- Salt- If you didn't already know, salt can enhance the sweetness of dessert recipes.
- Pecans- For this recipe, I used salted pecans in the base, in addition to unsalted in the toasted pecans. You are adding salt anyway so regular pecans are fine for both.
- Chocolate- I used semi-sweet but you could use milk or dark chocolate. Personally, I'm a huge fan of milk chocolate.
- Butter- This will help the roasting process for the pecans.
Turtle Ice Cream Directions:
Be sure to scroll and read the entire recipe card for FULL ingredients and directions!
- First, fill a bowl with ice and set aside for the ice cream base cooling process.
- Next,, make the caramel ice cream base. You are adding milk in stages so please go read the full recipe so you understand the process.
- Then, thicken the caramel base. Place in ice bath. Allow to cool.
- Place in fridge for 4 hours, or overnight.
- Next, toast the salted pecans in the oven or on the stovetop. Cool.
- Then, remove ice cream base from fridge and transfer to frozen ice cream bowl and then pop that in your ice cream maker.
- Churn the ice cream until it's thick, then fold in the pecans and chocolate too.
- Remove ice cream bowl from ice cream maker then pop in the freezer for a minimum of 4 hours, or preferably overnight.
- Finally, remove from the freezer and scoop to your heart's content.
- Serve!
Important Notes:
- First of all, the cook time does not reflect all the inactive time. Resting time is approximately 8 hours.
- So, basically you need two days to make this ice cream.
- I made my base one evening, then churned it the next day, and froze it all day and overnight.
- Time this out so you have a minimum of 1 hour prep, 4 hours of chill time, and 4 hours of freezing time.
- Again, the absolute minimum time to make this is 9 hours, 8 of it being inactive.
Other Fabulous Turtle Recipes:
- Chocolate Caramel Pecan Candies aka Turtles
- Hand Pies
- Tailgate Mix
- Caramel Turtle Apples
- Turtle Popcorn Gone Wild
- French Toast
- Waffles
- Turtle Popcorn
- Cheesecake Pizza from Crumb: A Food Blog (Guest Post)
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Chunky Turtle Ice Cream
Ingredients
For the Ice Cream Base:
- 1.5 cups whole milk, divided
- 1 tbsp cornstarch
- â…” cup sugar
- 1 ¾ cups heavy cream
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¾ cup salted pecans
- 4 ounces semi-sweet chocolate, finely chopped
For the Salted Pecans:
- 1 cup unsalted pecan pieces
- 1 tablespoon butter, melted
- ½ teaspoon salt
Instructions
For the Ice Cream Base:
- Fill a large bowl with ice water. (you are going to use it to cool the cooked mixture so you have a medium sized bowl that fits inside it, test it out ahead of time)
- In a small bowl combine 2 tablespoons (30 ml) of the whole milk with the cornstarch, whisk it until smooth, and set aside.
- Measure the sugar into a large, deep saucepan. Place it over medium heat and try not to freak out. Trust the process. Now let the edges start to melt, do not touch it until that starts to happen, no matter how tempting it is. Cook the sugar, stirring frequently and gently, until it starts to brown. You want it to turn a nice amber colour. Once it turns amber, quickly and carefully (caramel bubbles and acts a fool so don't freak out if it starts to bubble up and make some noise) add about ¼ cup (60 ml) of the heavy cream to the saucepan. Remember it's going to bubble and spit, so be careful when doing this step. Stir, the caramel will harden (and you're going to be thinking you ruined but again, trust the process), but it's okay. Add the remaining cream to the saucepan, stirring to combine it.
- Now pop the saucepan back over medium heat and add the rest of the whole milk (remember you took 2 tablespoons out of it earlier and reserved the rest), stirring while it combines. Bring the mixture to a boil and cook for about 3 minutes, you want the caramelized sugar to dissolve completely.
- Remove from the heat and add the cornstarch mixture you set aside earlier, whisking gradually till combined.
- Return to a boil over moderately high heat until the mixture thickens slightly, this should take about a minute.
- Pour the mixture into into a medium sized bowl, then whisk in the salt. Place that bowl inside the ice water bath and allow it to cool for about 20 or 25 minutes. Whisk it occasionally as it cools.
- Now cover the bowl and pop it in your fridge for about 4 hours, or overnight.
For the Salted Pecans:
- The author calls for roasting them in the oven. I actually did mine on the stove-top since I was cooking something else in my oven. I'll give you both options.
- Option #1- Oven method: Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (180 C). Combine ingredients in a medium sized bowl. Toss to coat the pecans. Spread on a rimmed cookie sheet evenly and pop in the oven for about 10 to 15 minutes. Stir them once during the cook time. They are done when they are toasted and aromatic. Your house should smell like heaven at the moment they are done. Remove from oven and allow to cool completely before adding to ice cream.
- Option #2- Stove-top method: In a large pan, melt your butter, then toss in the pecans, and sprinkle the salt over top. Cook over medium heat for about 5 to 10 minutes, stirring the pecans until they are toasted and aromatic. Your house should smell like heaven at the moment they are done. Remove from the stove-top, transfer to a plate and allow them to cool completely before adding them to the ice cream.
Putting it all together:
- Remove the ice cream base from the fridge. Pour into your ice cream maker (Please ensure your ice cream bowl has been in the freezer and ready for this step! I have two bowls and leave them in my freezer all the time so they are ready for any ice cream emergency.)
- Churn the ice cream for about 10 to 15 minutes, depending on your particular ice cream maker the time can vary. Most take from about 10 to 20 as a general rule.
- Fold in the pecans and chocolate as the last step.
- Cover your ice cream maker bowl, or attachment (whatever you are freezing the ice cream in) with plastic or tinfoil. My method of choice is tinfoil over top, then I wrap an elastic around it, makes it super easy to peek in to check on it, but also seals the top from any air getting in. Just a trick I learned from making way too much ice cream.
- Allow your ice cream to set up in the freezer for at least 4 hours, preferably overnight.
- Serve with a big old "turtle" loving smile.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
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Toodles! xx
Post originally published in 2014.
Alice F
My favorite ice cream if French Vanilla. ...such a delicious favorite.
Kim Beaulieu
I love French Vanilla.
Maureen | Orgasmic Chef
I don't think I've ever tasted turtle ice cream but I've never met a bowl of ice cream that wasn't my friend. My best friend. 🙂
Kim Beaulieu
You must try this one Maureen. It's my favourite to date.
VERONICA
ROCKY ROAD YUM !!!
Kim Beaulieu
I love Rocky Road.
Linda K.
Um... any ice cream is my favorite ice cream? Chocolate with cherries. Peach. Vanilla. Anything really. I'm not kidding.
Kim Beaulieu
Ha, me too. Love the stuff.
Kate | Food Babbles
My favorite flavor ice cream is Haagen Dazs White Chocolate Raspberry Truffle! So good. But I gotta tell ya, this ice cream is sure to become a new favorite. Love everything going on here!! I have a major salted caramel addiction so this needs to happen in my kitchen.
Kim Beaulieu
That one is the bomb. You must try this one. It's so freaking amazing.
Kim Porter
Salted caramel is on the top of my list!
Kim Beaulieu
It's so good.
John@Kitchen Riffs
Sounds like a fun cookbook! This recipe is a bit time-intensive, but I really enjoy a recipe like that from time to time. Good stuff -- thanks.
Kim Beaulieu
It really is. It's really a lot of steps but so worth it. I was so impressed, and I'm not easy to impress.
Emily @ Life on Food
Coconut Chocolate Chip
Kim Beaulieu
Love.
Lena jones
Homemade rich and creamy chocolate ice cream
Kim Beaulieu
Sounds perfect.
Amanda P
Salted caramel
Kim Beaulieu
So good.
Vickie B
I love dark chocolate raspberry truffle. Pretty much any kind of ice cream.....vanilla is my least favorite! This chunky turtle looks awesome!
Kim Beaulieu
That dark chocolate raspberry truffle sounds amazing.
Vickie Baity
It is REALLY, REALLY good......no.....IT IS AWESOME! Been trying to find a good recipe.
Kim Beaulieu
Ha, I am so glad you loved it. The depth of flavour from the salted caramel process is spectacular.
Adrienne @ Whole New Mom
The fave depends, but I LOVE crunchy stuffola like chocolate almond chip :).
Kim Beaulieu
Oh that sounds so good.
Stephanie-Oh
Butter Pecan but I never met a (Big) bowl of ice cream I wouldn't eat!
Kim Beaulieu
That was my dad's favourite.
Marcia
Ice cream is my favorite food!! Jamocha Almond Fudge is my favorite
Kim Beaulieu
Oh I love that one. Good choice.
Kayle (The Cooking Actress)
I think this is my favorite turtle recipe yet!!! oh that salted caramel ice cream and the pecans and chocolate !!!! LOVE it Kim!!!!
Kim Beaulieu
It's really good, the flavours are so intense. Absolutely spectacular.
keshakeke
I love Moose Tracks
Kim Beaulieu
Me too.
https://www.cravingsofalunatic.com/2012/07/copycat-moosetracks-ice-cream-for-ice-cream-sundays-guest-post-for-the-black-peppercorn.html
Lindsay Lee
Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough!!!
Kim Beaulieu
Such a good one.
Chris
This Ice Cream looks fantastic ... I love any kind of ice cream actually ... one of my favorites is Strawberry because every year my grandmother and I would go pick strawberries and she always made strawberry ice cream for me so it is kind of a "comfort food". I love cookie dough ice cream ... well I love anything with cookie dough.
Kim Beaulieu
I love strawberry too, especially with fresh picked berries. So good.
Debbie Bray
chocolate
Kim Beaulieu
Classic choice.
MaryAnn
My new fav flavor is one I pinned and made recently called Salted & Buttered Walnut Maple Ice cream. It was so amazingly good, I ate the whole thing by myself. Don't judge. At least I spread it out over 2 days Haha! Would love to win this ice cream book!
Kim Beaulieu
Ha, I cracked up. I would never judge. I just inhaled a party pack of reeses peanut butter cups. It's all good.