S'mores Ice Cream

Creamy S'mores Ice Cream is a fun twist on the traditional campfire treat.  It begins with a graham cracker custard base and has toasted marshmallows and chopped chocolate mixed in.  It's a frozen treat to enjoy all summer long.

I love s'mores! The delicious flavor is a combination of graham crackers, chocolate, and marshmallows for a fun and gooey treat.  Not only do I love the taste, but I also enjoy the combination of textures.  It's a dessert that can be transformed into so many variations like s'mores cookies and s’more crème brûlée.

For this recipe, I have created a graham cracker French-style ice cream base.  Once it's churned I add toasted marshmallows and chopped chocolate to create my variation of s'mores in frozen form.

Why this recipe works

• It's a fun frozen take on traditional s'mores.
• It's made with egg yolks for a creamy custard.
• Makes delicious ice cream sandwiches.
• It's a refreshing summer treat.

Before you begin

Take out the following baking equipment.

Digital kitchen scale
Medium saucepan
Whisk
2 medium bowls
Large bowl
Wooden spoon
Fine mesh sieve
Baking sheet pan
Parchment paper
Ice cream maker

Read the recipe through from start to finish.

Understanding Ingredients

Whole milk and cream are two essential ingredients in making ice cream.  The butterfat found in these two ingredients contributes to the texture, firmness, and richness of ice cream.  Having too high of a butterfat percentage can result in a grainy texture.  Using a combination of heavy cream and whole milk gives the ideal balance of butterfat to create rich, smooth ice cream.

Eggs add to the smoothness, richness, flavor, color, and fat content of ice cream.  The lecithin in egg yolks is an emulsifier that helps keep the butterfat from separating during the freezing process.  However, not all ice cream bases call for egg yolks.  This custard-based recipe does use egg yolks, which are cooked with cream and sugar to produce a rich and creamy ice cream.

I highly recommend using good quality chocolate, as the flavor is unmatched with chocolate that has fillers and additives.  Using a chocolate baking bar or a good quality chocolate bar is ideal.  I prefer semisweet chocolate, but dark chocolate is also delicious.

How to make S' mores ice cream

Heat the cream.  In a medium saucepan, heat heavy cream, milk, graham cracker crumbs, and half of the brown sugar over medium heat and bring to a simmer.

Temper the egg yolks.  Whisk together the egg yolks and remaining brown sugar.  Temper the yolk mixture by vigorously whisking half of the hot cream mixture into the eggs.  Whisk the mixture back into the saucepan with the remaining cream mixture and reduce heat to low.  Use a wooden spoon to stir the mixture until it reaches 175°F/80°C.

Cool the mixture.  Prepare an ice-water bath.  Pour the cooked custard into a medium mixing bowl and set over the ice-water bath continuously stirring the mixture until it has cooled.

Refrigerate.  Pour the custard through a fine-mesh sieve into a clean bowl.  Cover and refrigerate for at least 4 hours or overnight to fully develop the flavors.

Toast marshmallows.  Preheat the broiler.  Line a baking sheet pan with parchment paper and place the mini marshmallows in a single layer.  Place under broiler just until the marshmallows are toasted and golden brown.

Churn.  Churn the custard in an ice cream machine according to manufacturers' instructions. Fold in the toasted marshmallows and chopped chocolate until evenly combined.  Freeze until ready to serve.

How to serve S' mores Ice Cream

This ice cream is delicious, as is. It's the perfect summertime treat served in a cup or cone, but here are some other fun ideas too.

• In a blender, add about 1 ½ cups ice cream plus ¼ cup cream or milk and blend into a milkshake.
• Sandwich together with S'mores Cookies for an extra tasty ice cream sandwich.
• Make a s'mores cake with a layer of chocolate cake, a layer of the ice cream, and toasted meringue for topping.
• Freeze into ice cream pops and dip into chocolate.

How to store ice cream

Properly storing your ice cream will maximize the shelf life of your frozen confection.  Here are some tips.

• Use a freezer-safe airtight storage container.  Shallow, flat containers work well.
• Press a piece of plastic wrap against the top surface of your ice cream to prevent the formation of ice crystals.
• Always store ice cream in the back of the freezer to help prevent its temperature from fluctuating when the freezer door is opened.  The more change in temperature, the more ice crystals will form on your ice cream.
• Avoid storing your ice cream on the door of the freezer where the most fluctuation of temperature occurs.  Changes in the temperature of ice cream will also create an undesirable grainy texture.

Tips and takeaways

• After your ice cream base has cooked to the correct temperature, it's essential to cool down the mixture.  Doing this will prevent the custard from continuing to cook and thicken, and it will cool the base down safely so that you can finish cooling it in the refrigerator.  Use an ice water bath adding just enough water so it will not overflow into your ice cream base.
• Do not skip the step of pouring your ice cream base through a fine-mesh sieve.  It will remove any traces of cooked egg in your mixture.
• Time permitting, refrigerate the ice cream base overnight to develop the flavors fully.
• If you have regular size marshmallows on hand, you can cut them in four and toast under the broiler.  However, once you cut the marshmallows, they become sticky and messy. It's easier to use mini marshmallows, and there is less clean up.

If you love ice cream, try these other recipes...

• Homemade Vanilla Ice Cream
• No Churn Cherry Chunk Ice Cream
• No Churn Chocolate Brownie Ice Cream
• Roasted Strawberry Ice Cream

Make sure to tag me @thesweetoccasion on Instagram and leave me a review below if you make this S' mores Ice Cream. I'd love to see your creations and read your feedback.  And if you would like to make this recipe later, be sure to pin this recipe using the button on any of these images. Let's make every occasion a sweet occasion!

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