Halfway into the batch last night I proclaimed, “I hate this recipe. Next time I want to make this, remind me how much I hate it. I hate everything about it. I hate how much of a mess it creates, how temperamental the ingredients are and how easily it can go south. This is the worst recipe in the history of recipes!” Jonas just rolled his eyes and threw himself on the floor in a huff.

And so it goes, the love and hate, push and pull of making the coveted Salted Butter Caramel Ice Cream recipe. Mimicking the salty-sweet combination of ingredients, the preparation is just as polarizing. God I hate making it, but oh-Lordy does it taste good.

So while half of my kitchen is now smeared with hardened caramel and my hands painfully burned by the same sweet aggressor, I’m sure it’ll all be worth it later, and I’ll instantaneously forget my hasty claims. Ultimately Jonas is the winner, though. It’ll take years for him to finally lick all the crystallized sugar off the front of the stove.