Churn This: The Great Candycopia

For this one, we channeled our inner child and metaphorically emptied our candy bags into ice cream. Unlike the Halloweens of our youth, instead of going door to door, we decided to go pot to pot, making our favorite treats (Twix, Reeses, Snickers, and Heath Bars) ourselves. It takes us 23 days to do it at Salt & Straw, with over 9 lbs of candy going into every single tub!

By using our ice cream cookbook at home, it'll take a bit less time to raid the store for our top picks, then pack them so generously into your own homemade salty butterscotch ice cream. Make sure to tag us in your homemade scoops on social.

The Great Candycopia:

Makes about 2 ½ pints

¼ cup (lightly packed) light brown sugar
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
1 tablespoon light corn syrup
2 tablespoons bourbon
¼ cup heavy cream
1 teaspoon unsalted butter
⅛ teaspoon vanilla extra
⅛ teaspoon kosher salt
3 cups Ice Cream (recipe follows), very cold
¾ cup frozen chopped Snickers (from 2 regular bars)
¾ cup frozen chopped Reese's Peanut Butter Cups (from 6 peanut butter cups)
½ cup frozen chopped Heath Bars (from 2 regular bars)
½ cup frozen chopped Whoppers (from one 1.75 ounce bag)

In a small saucepan, combine the brown sugar, granulated sugar, corn syrup, and bourbon. Stir until all of the sugar looks wet. Put the pan over medium heat and cook until the sugar is completely melted and is beginning to boil, 2 to 3 minutes. Continue to cook, without stirring just until the sugar begins to smoke a bit (you do want a little bit of the burn!), another 5 to 7 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat and immediately add the cream to stop the burning. Stir until everything is completely melted together into butterscotch sauce. Stir in the butter, vanilla, and salt and cool to room temperature before using. (You can store it, refrigerated, for up to 1 week, but let it come to room temperature before using.)
Put the ice cream base and the butterscotch sauce into a bowl and whisk to combine. If you're using a frozen-bowl type of machine, cover and chill in the fridge until cold. Pour the mixture into an ice cream make and turn on the machine. Churn just until the mixture has the texture of soft-serve.
Quickly transfer the ice cream, scraping every last delicious drop from the machine into mixing bowl. Quickly and gently fold in the Snickers, Reese's, Heath Bars, and Whoppers into the ice cream so they're well distributed. Transfer to freezer-friendly containers and cover with parchment paper, pressing it to the surface of the ice cream so it adheres, then cover with a lid. It's okay if the parchment hangs over the rim. Store it in the coldest part of your freezer (farthest from the door) until firm, at least 6 hours. It will keep for up to 3 months.

Ice Cream Base:

Makes about 3 cups

½ cup granulated sugar
2 tablespoons dry milk powder
¼ teaspoon xanthan gum
2 tablespoons light corn syrup
1 ½ cups whole milk
1 ⅓ heavy cream

Combine the sugar, dry milk, and xanthan gum in a small bowl and stir well.
Pour the corn syrup into a medium pot and stir in the whole milk. Add the sugar mixture and immediately whisk vigorously until smooth. Set the pot over medium heat and cook, stirring often and adjusting the heat if necessary to prevent a simmer, until the sugar has fully dissolved, about 3 minutes. Remove the pot from the heat.
Add the cream and whisk until fully combined. Transfer the mixture to an airtight container and refrigerate until well chilled, at least 6 hours, or for even better texture and flavor, 24 hours. Stir the base back together if it separates during the resting time. The base can be stored in the fridge for up to 1 week or in the freezer for up to 3 months. (Just be sure to fully thaw the frozen base before using it.)