Caramel Glazed Kahlua Gingerbread Loaf with Peppermint Ice Cream

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line two loaf pans with parchment paper, leaving a few inches of overhang on the long sides. Lightly butter and flour them.

Combine first 13 ingredients and whisk together in a large mixing bowl. In a separate mixing bowl, beat the butter, dark brown sugar, granulated sugar, cream cheese, and Greek yogurt until thoroughly incorporated. Add the eggs and mix well. Stir in the molasses, coffee, Kahlua, and vanilla and mix well. Add the wet mixture to the dry mixture and combine until mixed well. Pour into prepared loaf pans until they are just over half full. There will be a small amount of batter left—enough for one large muffin.

Bake the loaves for 50 to 60 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Transfer to a wire rack. With a skewer or toothpick, poke several holes across loaves and pour caramel sauce over. Let them cool in the pan. In an airtight container, the loaves can be frozen for up to three months.

For the Easy Caramel Sauce:

Combine the sugar, butter, and cream in a small saucepan and bring to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring until smooth. Reduce the heat and simmer for five minutes, stirring constantly. Remove from heat and stir in the butterscotch liqueur, if using, and the vanilla and sea salt. Cooled and covered, the caramel sauce will keep in the refrigerator for up to a week. Reheat in a microwave for approximately 30 seconds.

For the Peppermint Ice Cream:

In the bowl of a food processor, grind the hard candies until they are dust. Set aside. Hand chop the soft candies into small pieces for the topping.

Combine the cream, milk, sugar, and both extracts in a large mixing bowl and whisk until the sugar is dissolved. Stir in the hard candy dust. Transfer to an ice cream maker and freeze according to the manufacturer’s instructions. Serve from the churn or transfer to a container and freeze for up to one week. When served, top with the chopped soft candies.