I don’t make a lot of desert for many reasons:
- My husband doesn’t have a sweet tooth, so I focus on things we will both eat.
- My baking skills kinda suck ass.
- I eat so much of the batter, there isn’t really anything left TO bake!
The one desert my husband DOES love is ice cream, and his favorite flavor is from Ben & Jerry’s, the Americone Dream.
Homemade ice cream is easy to make with a ICM (ice cream maker), so every now and again I’ll whip some up. May 14th was Kieran’s birthday, so I decided to surprise him and make a homemade version of Americone Dream. I also made him a homemade birthday card!
As many of you know, there are 3 components to this ice cream. Chocolate covered waffle cones, caramel, and a vanilla ice cream base. I’ve seen a TON of vanilla ice cream recipes that call for 6 egg yolks, and other ingredients, to make the ice cream more into a custard. I figured, with the chocolate waffle cone and caramel, a lighter, less rich vanilla ice cream base would be better.
To make ice cream in a ICM, you first need to freeze the freezer bowl for at LEAST 24 hours. When it’s ready, you take it out of the freezer, assemble it, turn it on, and pour the ice cream mixture into the hole on the top. I decided the hell with THAT! Who needs all these cumbersome rules? So I poured the ice cream mixture in first, then turn it on. Baaaaaaaad idea! My ICM schooled the SHIT of me!!!
When you turn the ICM on, then pour in the mixture, the paddle mechanism is already spinning, so the ice cream is constantly being moved around, and the churning of ice cream begins immediately. But, if you add the ice cream before you turn on the ICM, because the freezer bowl is frozen, the ice cream flash freezes against the sides and bottom of the bowl……and the paddle can not turn, it gets stuck!
So I had to remove as much ice cream mixture from the freezer bowl as I could, scrape the remaining frozen mixture from the sides and bottom, and start all over again. The only part not sucky about that, was being able to lick the spatula and taste some yummy, yummy, ice cream mixture. Fuck it was gooooooood!
I finally had the ICM cleaned out, assembled, and turned on. I poured the ice cream mixture BACK into it, set the timer for 20 minutes, and walked away.
20 minutes later, I come back to a ICM OVERFLOWING with ice cream. That has NEVER happened to me before! Ever see that Brady Bunch episode, where the kids put too much laundry detergent in the washing machine, and when they come back to finish the laundry, they are up to their eyeballs in suds? Imagine that but with delicious ice cream. I wish I had taken a picture, it was a mess. A delicious mess mind you. I had no problem frantically licking up the ice cream that was now spread all over my counter….now that I think of it, I “may” have looked like a deranged cocaine addict…since I face planted into a puddle of white ice cream…..on my counter. I “may or may not” have chanted, “nomnomnom” while doing so. These are the finer moments in my life that I’m grateful my husband doesn’t witness.
Did I learn anything from this mishap? Yes, yes I did. I learned when making ice cream, it’s totally cool to fuck up and have the ICM go all explodo on you, because you have “no choice” but to act like a drug addict and lick up the delicious, delicious mess. Thank you ICM, you know how much I love this ice cream, so I’m certain you exploded because you love me, and wanted me to “lick the batter” so to speak. You are a true, true friend.
After the waffle cones and caramel were added, I must say, this recipe is slap yo Grandma good.
- 2 cups heavy cream, preferably pasteurized rather than ultra-pasteurized
- ¾ cup brown sugar
- 2 vanilla beans, split lengthwise
- 1¾ cups whole milk
- Cap full of rum (optional)
- 4oz Ghirardelli semisweet chocolate bar
- 2-4 waffle cones, broken into bite sized pieces
- ½ cup packed brown sugar
- ¼ cup heavy cream (substitute half and half)
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- Add the cream and brown sugar to a medium saucepan. Scrape the seeds from the vanilla beans into the pot. Warm over medium heat, whisking until the sugar has dissolved and any clumps of vanilla seeds are broken apart. Remove the mixture from the heat and add the milk and rum (if using).
- Chill mixture thoroughly in the refrigerator, for at least four hours or overnight.
- An hour before you’re ready to churn, place the mixture in the freezer, then freeze in your ice-cream maker according to the manufacturer’s instructions (I have to freeze mine for at least 24 hours)
- Melt chocolate in the microwave or a double boiler and toss in the cone pieces. If the chocolate is too thick, thin it out with a bit of heavy cream and/or butter. Coat waffle cone pieces well using a spoon and pour pieces onto a wax paper lined baking sheet.
- Freeze until hard, can be done 24 hours in advance.
- Mix the sugar, cream, butter and salt in a saucepan over medium-low heat. Cook while whisking gently for 6-7 minutes, until it gets thicker. Turn off the heat and add the vanilla. Refrigerate until cool.
- Make sure your ice cream maker and the storage container you are using have been in the freezer for at LEAST 24 hours.
- Turn on the ice cream maker and pour in the ice cream base, and churn according to the manufacturer’s directions (mine takes 19-20 minutes).
- At the very end, add the chocolate covered waffle cones and mix for a few seconds, until they are evenly distributed.
- You will want to layer the ice cream and the caramel. Start by adding the ice cream first, then a generous drizzle of caramel, then ice cream, then more caramel, ect. Repeat until you are out of ice cream.
- Freezer for a couple hours before enjoying.
- Then, get ready to munch your face off!
Also, be sure to freeze the container you are storing the ice cream in, for 24 hours beforehand as well. Otherwise, the ice cream will start melting, and when you freeze it, it messes with the texture.
This recipe was adapted from beakersandbouillabaisse.wordpress.com
I love Ben & Jerry’s icecream and this looks gooooood
Thanks! My husband and I FREAKED out after we tasted how good the ice cream was. I typically only have 1 bowl of ice cream when I’m indulging….but this ice cream does not allow you to do that. It’s yummyness FORCES you to have 2 bowls (or more…cough). You either have to be allergic to dairy or have the will power of a super hero to resist it’s tasty, tasty temptation!