The secret to both is cream and sugar. If you want a real caramel swirl, use a caramel sauce not caramel candy, which is very solid and sticky, and sometimes brittle when frozen. Add cream, which, brcause of the fat, makes it harden at a lower temperature. There are any number of recipes out there, including specifically for ice cream. Same with the peanut butter. Peanut butters processed differently behave differently, so there may be some trial and error involved, and there are also recipes specifically for swirling in ice cream. Sugar neutralizes some of the sticks to the roof of your mouth-ness. Cream does the sauce for ice cream thing. Food gums might also work, but you have to be good at using them, and like eating them.

Ann T.s caramel sauce will freeze solid....but so will the ice cream, and the peanut butter as well. Are you planing on making your own ice cream or using store bought? Higher fat content will freeze less like a popcicle than a lower fat ice cream..

Not sure how you intend to make the swirls, but I have a hunch that just the action of swirling will mix enough of the icecream with the caramel and the peanutbutter that it will swirl nicely.

Now I wish you hadn't mentioned toasted almond, peanutbutter caramel swirl ice cream....I won't be able to think of much else for hours!!...But I al also imagining toasted hazelnuts instead of the almonds.....maybe in addition to? And then you could top it with chocolate sauce!! Sigh......

Thanks, plllog, for the advice!

Lindac, I'm glad you rang in here, too! Thanks!

The ice cream will be home made using a custard base.

I checked on my frozen peanut butter -- it's been about 11 hours, and it will go nicely into the ice cream as it's still creamy but not a solid. I'm sure I won't be able to use one of my squeeze jars to squeeze out a swirl--maybe gently heating it up, or adding a bit of cream to is like plllog mentioned, will be the ticket! Maybe I'll experiment some more with this, and use dulce de leche!

Hopefully, it will come out picture-worthy! :O)

Swirling stuff into ice cream

Stella Parks recipe for caramel sauce to swirl

Have you ever made magic shell at home? It is essentially coconut oil and chocolate melted together. It hardens when frozen but melts quickly in the mouth. In the past I made a pretty successful peanut butter swirl that was a mix of sugar, peanut butter and coconut oil - and maybe a bit of hazelnut liqueur. I think confectioner’s sugar was best but not too much. I may have had a bit of chocolate in the mix. Sorry I am not clearer - it was a few years ago. I was going for a smooth, melt in the mouth, not too sweet, a little salty peanutty layer. After some experimentation I was happy.

My go to person for ice cream recipes is David Lebovits. In The Perfect Scoop for peanut butter to use any commercial brand that is fully emulsified. He has 2 recipes for caramel in it also. Creamy Caramel Sauce and Salted Butter Caramel Sauce. The latter you can find online here. https://www.davidlebovitz.com/salted-butter-caramel-sauce-recipe/

I'm going to apologize ahead of time for the site. It didn't use to have all that extra ad cr*p on it.

try this link

just the recipe

LOL "Good on your shoe!!"

Photos of the caramel sauce from Stella Parks, recipe which is linked above, AND photo of the ice cream too, using David Lebovitz's recipe for vanilla ice cream. Two swirls and chopped and toasted almonds!