Gifford's Campfire S'mores Ice Cream Recipe

My search for a copycat recipe of the s'mores ice cream we had in Maine was renewed when I found a carton of it at our local Fairway market. I bought it on the Fourth of July and we devoured it in a couple days. The thing about this ice cream was that it didn't have chunks of graham crackers in it (prone to getting soggy over time), the ice cream base itsself was graham cracker flavored. In searching online it was hard to find a s'mores ice cream recipe with a graham ice cream base; most of them had chocolate ice cream, or vanilla with s'mores mix-ins.

I found a graham cracker ice cream recipe and tried it out. It was a HUGE flop. The worst ice cream I've ever made. Seriously, it wasn't even like ice cream. It used too much milk to cream, didn't have eggs in it, and it came out icy and froze really hard so it couldn't even be scooped. It was terrible and we had to throw it out. The search continued!

I learned from the first failure that I needed a recipe with a cooked custard base to yield a more creamy ice cream that could stand up to the graham cracker crumbs. I did some research, comparing and contrasting lots of graham ice cream recipes from around the web, seeing how much of each ingredient they used, and trying to find one that had a good balance of cream to milk and a technique that would produce a creamy ice cream that didn't have too much powdery graham texture, but still a pronounced graham taste.

I found a recipe that looked like the best combination of what I was looking for, tweaked it a little and tried it out, adding my own shaved dark chocolate and marshmallow swirl. I was so nervous waiting for it to harden in the freezer, wondering if it would turn out how I was hoping. And it was INCREDIBLE!! It seriously tasted just like the Gifford's ice cream we had in Maine. I was so happy knowing I could make this any time I want. We served it to our friends at a dinner party that night and it was a huge hit! Everyone loved it. Sweet victory!

Gifford's Campfire S'mores Ice Cream Recipe

2 cups heavy cream
1 cup whole milk
3/4 cup granulated sugar
pinch of salt
5 large egg yolks
1 tsp vanilla extract
5 graham crackers, crushed into a powder
2/3 cup shaved or finely chopped dark chocolate
1/2-3/4 cup marshmallow creme (I drizzled until it looked good, not sure how much I used)


Put a glass bowl into the freezer to chill while you prepare the base. In a separate mixing bowl whisk together 5 egg yolks. Crush graham crackers in a ziplock bag. Be sure to grind them into as fine a powder as possible. You don't want any chunks.

In a sauce pan, stir together 1 cup cream, sugar, milk, salt and half of the crushed graham crackers. Heat over medium heat, stirring until all the ingredients are dissolved and the mixture steams and appears about ready to boil.

Temper the egg yolks. Slowly pour about half of the cream mixture into the eggs while whisking furiously (I use a hand mixer for this part). This warms the eggs without scrambling them. Once the hot cream and eggs have been combined, pour the egg mixture back into the sauce pan over low heat. Continue heating over low to medium low heat, until it begins to thicken slightly and coats the back of a spoon. (Good examples of what coating the spoon looks like can be found through Google images.) Remove from heat and stir in vanilla extract.

Grab the cold bowl from the freezer, and pour in 1 cup of cream. Pour the warm custard through a strainer into the cold cream, then whisk together. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate three hours or until completely chilled.

When you're ready to churn, stir the remaining crushed graham crackers into the custard base and freeze according to your ice cream maker's instructions. (Mine churns in the Kitchenaid for about 25 minutes.) After it's finished churning, transfer to a bowl and fold in drizzles of marshmallow creme and chocolate pieces. Freeze in an airtight container for 4-6 hours, until hard.

Toasted Marshmallow S'mores Ice Cream

 

On our trip to Maine, we had the best locally made s'mores ice cream at this little drive-in. It was insanely good. I knew I had to re-create it at home, especially because I wouldn't be able to get it since it's made in Maine. This ice cream was a happy accident as a result of my quest. It wasn't the same as the ice cream we had on our trip, but it was really great in it's own way.

Ice cream made from toasted marshmallows is blended with chunks of graham cracker and homemade fudge swirl to create an insanely rich, creamy and delicious ice cream experience. I loved this and will definitely make it again.

Toasted Marshmallow S'mores Ice Cream

For the Ice Cream:
1 (10-ounce) bag large marshmallows
1 vanilla bean
2 cups whole milk
5 egg yolks
½ cup granulated sugar
Pinch of salt
1 cup heavy cream
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

For the Fudge Swirl:
½ cup granulated sugar
½ cup water
1/3 cup light corn syrup
6 tablespoons Dutch-process cocoa powder
½ teaspoon vanilla extract

1½ cups coarsely chopped graham crackers

Make the Ice Cream Base:

Spread the marshmallows in a single layer on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Place them under the broiler for 30 seconds to 1 minute, or until toasted (keep a close eye so they don't start smoking!). Take them out and, using tongs, flip them over and pop them back under the broiler for another 30 seconds or so, until the other side is toasted. (Alternately, you can use a kitchen torch to toast them right there on the pan.) Set the marshmallows aside.

 Place the milk in a medium saucepan. Split the vanilla bean down the middle and scrape the seeds into the pan with the milk, then add the vanilla bean to the milk as well. Set the pan over medium heat and bring the mixture to a simmer.

 Meanwhile, whisk together the egg yolks, sugar and salt in a large, heatproof bowl. Slowly add the warm milk mixture to the egg mixture, whisking constantly. Pour the mixture back into the saucepan, using a rubber spatula to scrape the mixture from the bowl back into the pan. Turn the heat down to medium-low and cook, stirring constantly with the spatula, until the mixture thickens enough to coat the back of a wooden spoon (it should be between 170 and 175 degrees F on an instant-read thermometer).

Strain the custard through a fine-mesh sieve into a heatproof bowl. Let the mixture cool for about 15 minutes, stirring it every few minutes to help it cool down faster.

Put the toasted marshmallows in the blender, then pour the custard into the blender as well. Puree until the marshmallows are completely broken down and the mixture is smooth. Add the heavy cream and vanilla extract and blend again for about 5 to 10 seconds to combine. Pour the mixture into a bowl, cover with a lid or plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.

 Make the Fudge Swirl:

Whisk together the sugar, water, corn syrup and cocoa powder in a medium saucepan over medium heat, whisking constantly, until the mixture begins to bubble at the edges. Continue to whisk until it just comes to a low boil. Cook for 1 minute, whisking frequently. Remove from the heat, stir in the vanilla and let cool. Chill in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours before using. It can be stored for up to 2 weeks, covered, in the refrigerator.

 Churn the Ice Cream:

Before churning, whisk the custard vigorously until it is smooth and has a pourable consistency (it will be a little spongy when it first comes out of the fridge). Freeze in your ice cream maker according to the manufacturer's directions.

When it's done churning, gently fold in the chopped graham crackers with a rubber spatula. Spoon some of the fudge swirl onto the bottom of the storage container. As you remove the ice cream from the machine, layer generous spoonfuls of the sauce between layers of the ice cream, ending with a top layer of ice cream. Do not stir the fudge into the ice cream, as it will make the ice cream muddy looking. Freeze until the ice cream is firm, at least 2 hours.

 Recipe from Brown Eyed Baker.

Double Coconut Samoa Ice Cream

It's Girl Scout cookie time once again, and this year I ordered a couple boxes each of Samoas and Thin Mints (which, by the way, when did we stop calling those Grasshopper cookies? That was a much more fun name). I love the flavors of coconut, caramel and chocolate in the Samoas, as well as the chewy texture from the caramel and coconut. When I heard about a limited-time-only Samoa ice cream made by Edy's, I knew I had to make some myself!

After looking around online and consulting my Ben and Jerry's recipe book, I came up with a recipe I thought would work. I decided to go all the way with the coconut flavor, with a coconut flavored ice cream, toasted coconut mixed in, and the coconut in the cookies. Many recipes suggested using canned coconut cream, which I've never used and didn't have on hand. But I usually have a can of coconut milk in the cupboard and I figured that would work. Luckily I was right!



If I had more prep time, I would have added a fudge or caramel ribbon (or both?) by spreading a layer of fudge between the churned ice cream before freezing. In this case, I just decided to top the ice cream with chocolate and caramel syrup afterward. The result was very coconutty and just fantastic. A great way to enjoy my favorite Girl Scout cookie flavor!

Double Coconut Samoa Ice Cream

2 eggs
3/4 cup sugar
2 cups heavy cream
1 cup canned coconut milk (shake well before opening)
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 tsp salt
1 cup shredded coconut flakes
7 Girl Scout Samoa cookies

Make sure all ingredients are chilled, taken directly from the fridge before use. In a medium bowl, use a hand mixer on medium-high speed to beat eggs until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Beat in sugar until well blended, 30 seconds more. Blend in the cream, coconut milk, vanilla and salt.

Pour mixture into ice cream maker and freeze according to manufacturer's instructions. Usually this means churning about 20-30 minutes.

While ice cream is churning, heat oven to 350 degrees. Spread coconut flakes evenly on a baking sheet, then toast in oven until fragrant and light brown, about 5-7 minutes. Stir it around at least once to ensure even toasting, and keep an eye on it so it doesn't burn!

Chop Samoa cookies into bite sized pieces, about 8-10 pieces for each cookie.

When ice cream is finished churning, fold in 3/4 cup of coconut flakes along with chopped cookies. Pour soft ice cream into plastic containers and put in freezer to harden for at least 4 hours. (If you choose to add a fudge or caramel ribbon, pour 1/3 of soft ice cream into container, then drizzle or spread fudge sauce, then pour 1/3 of ice cream, layer more fudge, and top with last of ice cream.)

To serve, top with additional toasted coconut and chocolate and caramel syrup, if desired.

Recipe adapted from Ben and Jerry's.

Orange Dream Shakes

We've been into these shakes lately, we've made them quite a few times in the last couple weeks. They taste like an Orange Julius, or an Orange Dreamsicle. Hang onto those last fleeting moments of summer and make this. (Okay, summer is over, but you can still enjoy a nice smoothie.)

Orange Dream Shakes

3/4 cup vanilla ice cream
3-5 ice cubes
3/4-1 cup orange juice
1/4 tsp vanilla extract
3 Tbs powdered sugar

Blend all ingredients until smooth, adding enough orange juice to create your preferred thickness. Serves 2.

Jacoco Shakes

This summer we spent an amazing week on the beautiful island of St. Thomas in the Caribbean. We explored jungles, laid on white beaches, went snorkeling, sailing and hiking, and ate a lot of yummy food. One of our favorite food experiences from the trip was the St. Thomas Dairy's ice cream/shake shop called Udder Delight. We went twice on our trip because it was so good. They had the most delicious homemade coconut ice cream, and a shake called the Jacoco that was to die for. It's a coconut shake with a hint of chocolate. When we got home from our trip we were craving a Jacoco so we decided to make them at home. They've been a summer favorite at our house ever since! Make them and imagine you're on St. Thomas. They're soooo good!

Jacoco Shakes

1 can coconut milk
3-5 generous scoops vanilla ice cream
a handful of ice cubes
large squirt of chocolate syrup (2 tsp? You don't need a ton.)
1 Tbs coconut flakes

Combine ingredients in blender and blend until smooth. Add enough ice or ice cream as needed for desired consistency. These shakes don't turn out super thick and are more like milkshakes than ice cream shakes. I sprinkled a little more coconut flakes on top to make it look festive. ;)

Makes 4 shakes (depends how much each person wants!).