Heat the sugar in a small saucepan over medium heat, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon until it turns into an amber-colored liquid.
Once the sugar is completely melted, stir the butter in until it is completely melted, about 2-3 minutes.
Slowly, drizzle in ¼ cup of heavy cream while stirring constantly.
Allow the mixture to boil for 1 minute.
Remove from the heat, transfer to a heat-safe bowl and stir in the salt.
In the meantime, combine a can of sweetened condensed milk and vanilla extract in a medium bowl, set aside.
Use a stand mixer, or electric hand mixer, to whip the heavy cream on medium-high speed until form peaks form, about 3-4 minutes.
Fold the condensed milk mixture into the whipped cream with a rubber spatula until combined.
Transfer to a 2 quart container, preferably metal, a 1 pound metal loaf pan is perfect for this.
Use a spoon to drizzle the salted caramel over the ice cream, then swirl the caramel throughout the ice cream.
Cover and freeze for 5 hours, or overnight.
Notes
Freezing the ice cream in a metal container will make it freeze faster. If you want your salted caramel ice cream ASAP, pour the ice cream into a metal container to freeze.
Place the ice cream as far back in the freezer as you can for a quicker freeze. You never want to store ice cream in the door, as it is the warmest place in the freezer. But I have also found for homemade ice cream, the further back in the freezer you place it, the quicker it will freeze.
This recipe makes approximately 1/2 gallon of ice cream, which equals 4 pints, or 12 scoops of ice cream.
Do NOT make substitutions. This recipe works perfectly with the simple combination of heavy cream and sweetened condensed milk. Substituting either of these ingredients can vary the final result of the ice cream taste and texture.
Use a wet ice cream scoop to scoop out the ice cream after it’s frozen. I actually learned this trick at my first job, working at a frozen custard shop. A wet ice cream scoop means the ice cream will come out of the scoop and into your bowl much easier!
This recipe is naturally gluten free.
This ice cream will stay good in the freezer for 6 months. Always seal the ice cream in an airtight container to avoid freezer burn. I like to use these glass containers to store the ice cream. This recipe will perfectly fit into two of these containers.