My son is off to Yosemite for a boys’ camping trip with his dad. The boy has never camped before, and he’s not a typical boy that enjoys getting dirty. His exact words were, “I don’t like camping. It’s not my thing.” I told him that he won’t know until he tries it (but the truth is, he and I both know it’s not likely going to be his “thing”). He asked me, “How am I going to sleep in a tent with four boys?”. (Hmmmm…Is it better to lie or tell the truth?) I opted for the truth and responded with, “You’re not… at least not well” I refrained from saying the following… It’s called camping. You get dirty. You spend your day hiking in the dirt. You eat every meal in the dirt. You go to bed dirty, and wake up way too early in the morning and start it all over again, only dirtier. I did tell him that Yosemite is worth a few nights without sleep. Before my boy was born, I camped with his dad. Guess what, it’s not my thing either, but I absolutely love it there. I’m sending him with a batch of homemade chocolate chip cookies because  I believe you can get through just about anything life throws at you, with a batch of chocolate chip cookies.

While the boy is sitting around a campfire toasting marshmallows, I’ll be home in my air-conditioned house, freshly showered, making a batch of this s’mores ice cream. I made this last weekend, and it didn’t last very long. Back in July, when I had the ice cream maker give-away, someone suggested I create a recipe for s’mores ice cream, and I’ve been thinking about it ever since.

This has everything you expect from s’mores, and a little bit more. The ice cream base is made with marshmallows and cream, giving it a nice texture. Ripples of fudge are layered into the container, with bits of graham crackers sprinkled in. As an added bonus, Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup pieces are mixed in. A while back, I created this s’mores pie with Reese’s and discovered that they’re perfect with s’mores.  

The next time around, I will add more vanilla to the base. This was a thick, creamy ice cream. If you decide to make your own, I’d love to hear any changes you make. I know we all have preferences for homemade ice cream, some like it thicker, some more like soft-serve, some like the icy ones. What I’ve learned is that ice cream is pretty forgiving. You can change the ratios slightly, and still come up with a great dessert.

A few people have asked if there’s a way to enjoy homemade ice cream without an ice cream maker? Here are a few great resources that walk you through the process. 

David Lebovitz’s tutorial

Serious Eats Food Lab Experiment

S’mores Ice Cream

1.5 cups whole milk

1.5 cups whipping cream

20 large marshmallows

2 tsp. vanilla*

hot fudge sauce

3/4 cup chopped Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups

*the first time around I used 1 tsp. vanilla. I will add 2 tsp. next time.

Heat the milk and marshmallows in a saucepan on medium heat until smooth. Place in an ice bath to cool it down quickly. Stir in the cream and vanilla. Refrigerate for at least four hours. Remove from the refrigerator and stir well. Prepare in ice cream maker according to the manufacturer’s directions. Stir in graham cracker bits and Reese’s the last minute of churning (or after).  Scoop ice cream into container, layering in between with fudge sauce. (It might be hard to spread and will look like this below. That’s fine, it’ll look great when you scoop it.) Freeze for several hours until ready to serve. Garnish with a graham cracker and mini marshmallows toasted on a skewer.