Think about it. Peanuts. Caramel. Shortbread. Ooey and Gooey. There was nothing else I could do with these gooey bars. I had to make some ice cream.
It’s been a while since I broke out the ice cream maker. The last time I did, I believe I was making gelato and sorbet and trying to stay on the healthy side of frozen confection. Last week I had purchased some heavy cream and whole milk for a cake I never made, and while I was going to make that cake later this week, I changed my mind. Heavy cream plus whole milk plus ooey gooey caramel peanut bars equals something delicious to be sure.
But first I needed an ice cream base.
I purchased my ice cream maker about 4 years ago as a reward to myself. I’d won a little prize money in a local food competition and I blew it all on frivolous fun for the family. I think everyone got something that day, and my treat to myself was the ice cream maker. I immediately started churning out ice creams looking for the perfect recreations of my good friends Haagen Dazs and Ben & Jerry’s. Alas, as anyone with an ice cream maker quickly learns, freshly churned is not the same as store bought. It took awhile to get used to the texture of homemade ice cream, and quite honestly, I just haven’t used the machine as much as I thought I would. While I’m sure my waistline approves of my decision, my husband does not. He adores his ice cream and will eat an entire pint in one sitting if given the opportunity. Since he’s been working hard out of town, I thought it would be fun to surprise him tomorrow night with some homemade ooey-gooey ice cream, and I found just the thing.
Brown Sugar Ice Cream would be my base. I found this hiding away on the CLBB in an older thread, and the description of it says “what vanilla ice cream wants to be when it grows up.” I just knew this would be perfect. So I followed the directions and made the custard mixture yesterday. I made two changes to the recipe as written. For the first change, I added a healthy pinch of fleur de sel, and for the second change I added about 2 teaspoons of light corn syrup. I just find that I prefer the texture of homemade ice cream if I add a touch of corn syrup. 2 teaspoons for an entire batch of ice cream is forgivable and doable, unlike the gallons used in the commercial process. I guess I made other changes regarding the dairy products used, but I think as long as you stick to the general 4 cups you will be just fine. 
And as I suspected, the brown sugar ice cream is delicious all on it’s own. However, adding my chopped up Chewy Peanut Caramel Bars was inspired. The ice cream is fantastic. It’ll ripen overnight in the fridge, and I daresay, I feel a little like Ina Garten, preparing something special for my husband while he is away. I think he’ll like it.
Brown Sugar Ice Cream
4 egg yolks 1 cup light brown sugar packed 1 pinch fleur de sel1 cup heavy cream (can substitute whole milk) 3 cups half & half or light cream (if using whole milk above — substitute heavy cream) 1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
In a heavy, medium nonaluminum saucepan, whisk together the egg yolks, the brown sugar, and fleur de sel until thick.
In another medium saucepan, bring the cream and half-and-half just to a boil over moderate heat. Gradually whisk the hot cream into the egg yolk mixture in a thin stream.
Cook over low heat, stirring constantly, until the custard is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon, about 6 minutes; do not boil.
Immediately strain the custard into a medium bowl. (DON’T skip this step—because you mixed the yolks with the brown sugar, inevitably some of the yolks won’t blend, and will turn instead into little teeny flecks of scrambled eggs. You need to strain those out)
Stir in the vanilla and let cool to room temperature, stirring occasionally, about 30 minutes. Cover and refrigerate until very cold, at least 5 hours. Pour the cold custard into an ice cream maker and freeze according to the manufacturer’s instructions. Let the ice cream soften slightly before serving.
**Note: I used 1 cup heavy cream and 3 cups whole milk to good effect. I think as long as you maintain the four cups of dairy you will be fine.