Chai Spice Ice Cream With Salted Caramel Swirl

Shawn Gavin May 22, 2024

Chai Ice Cream with Salted Caramel and Dark Chocolate Magic Shell

The warm, spicy notes of chai tea are the perfect complement to this 2-ingredient, no-churn ice cream base!

Toast your spices and infuse the heavy cream prior to whipping. An easy salted caramel is swirled through, and it’s all topped off with a decadent dark chocolate magic shell!

Chai Ice Cream with Salted Caramel and Dark Chocolate Magic Shell

Ingredients

• 2 14-ounce cans of sweetened condensed milk
• 2 teaspoons whole black peppercorns
• 8 whole cloves
• 8 whole green cardamom pods, crushed
• 2 cinnamon sticks
• 1 whole star anise
• 2 cups heavy cream
• 12 slices fresh ginger
• 1/4 cup loose black tea leaves
• 1 vanilla bean, split lengthwise or you can use vanilla bean paste
• Flaky sea salt
• 4 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped
• 1 tablespoon refined coconut oil

Procedure

For the caramel:

1. Place one of the cans of sweetened condensed milk – unopened – into a medium saucepan and fill with enough water to cover.
2. Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer, and simmer for 2 hours – watch the water level and replenish as needed to keep the can completely submerged.
3. Use tongs to transfer the can to a wire rack to cool completely.
4. Once cool, transfer to a covered container and keep in the fridge till ready to use.

For the ice cream:

1. Place the peppercorns, cloves, crushed cardamom pods, cinnamon sticks, and star anise in a skillet.
2. Toast over medium-high heat, stirring frequently, till fragrant (2 – 3 minutes).
3. Transfer to a saucepan and add the heavy cream and ginger.
4. Bring to a boil, remove from heat and let stand covered for 45 minutes.
5. Remove the cover, add the black tea leaves, split vanilla bean and bring to a boil again. Remove from heat and let stand covered for 10 minutes.
6. Pour the mixture through a strainer into a medium bowl, pressing hard on the solids to extract all of the liquid.
7. Scrape the seeds from the vanilla bean and add to the liquid – discard the solids.
8. Place the cream in the fridge and chill till cold.
9. Place the remaining can of sweetened condensed milk in a large bowl.  Whip the chilled cream till stiff peaks form. Fold one-fourth into the sweetened condensed milk to lighten. Add the remaining whipped cream and fold till incorporated.
10. Pour 1/3 of the ice cream base into a bowl or pan. Place a few dollops of caramel over; sprinkle with a bit of flaky sea salt. Repeat two more times. Use a thin knife to swirl, place in the freezer, and freeze overnight.
11. Make the magic shell: In a small heatproof bowl set over barely simmering water, melt the chocolate and coconut oil, stirring occasionally. Let cool to room temperature.
12. To serve, place a few scoops of ice cream into serving dishes. Pour the magic shell over and top with a bit flakier sea salt.