My absolute favorite summer treat is a scoop of ice cream. My second fave is s'mores!
Combining a homemade version of ice cream with the flavors of s'mores brings the very best of summer together in one amazingly delicious frozen dessert, S'mores Ice Cream!
This homemade s'mores ice cream starts with a toasted marshmallow custard base, then gets loaded with graham cracker pieces and chunks of Hershey's chocolate. It tastes like a campfire s'more, only cold.
I've made lots of homemade ice cream recipes over the years, and this one is still the family favorite. If you don't have a machine, my no-churn vanilla ice cream without egg is the easy way in.
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Why this one's worth the wait
- Serve it how you want. Pile it on a cone, sandwich it between cookies for ice cream sandwiches, or eat it soft straight from the machine.
- Real toasted marshmallow flavor. You toast the marshmallows and blend them right into the base, so every bite tastes like the campfire.
- You control what goes in. No corn syrup, gums or stabilizers. Just cream, milk, sugar, yolks and marshmallows.
- Layered, not just stirred. Graham crackers and chocolate go in between layers of ice cream, so you get crunch in every scoop.
I've been churning ice cream for 20+ years
I bought my first ice cream maker right after college. It cost under 50 bucks and lasted about 20 years. When it finally died, I bought the exact same model again. It's still about $50 and worth every penny.
Homemade ice cream is way easier than people think. The only hard part is waiting for the base to chill.
Ice Cream Maker
1.5-Quart Ice Cream and Sorbet Maker, Double Insulated Freezer Bowl elminates the need for Ice and Makes Frozen Treats in 20 Minutes or Less
What goes into it (and what you can swap)
- Heavy cream + whole milk: fat = creamy. Half-and-half works, but the ice cream won't be as rich. Lower-fat milk tends to make it icy, so I stick with whole milk.
- Egg yolks: six of them. Yes, six! The yolks make the custard thick and rich. Save the whites for egg white breakfast sandwiches.
- Marshmallows: regular marshmallows, not fluff or creme. Minis work in a pinch.
- Hershey's chocolate: classic s'mores chocolate. Dark chocolate or chocolate chips are fine swaps.
- Graham crackers: crushed into small pieces, not crumbs, so they stay crunchy.
- Salt: just a little, to wake up all the other flavors.
How to make homemade s'mores ice cream
- Make the custard (ice cream base). Heat the cream, milk, sugar and salt. Whisk the yolks in a separate bowl, temper them with some of the hot cream, then return everything to the pot and cook until it coats the back of a spoon. Strain it.
- Toast the marshmallows. Warm them in the oven for a few minutes, then brown the tops and sides under the broiler or with a kitchen torch. This is the best part!
- Blend. Blend the toasted marshmallows into the warm custard until smooth. That's your marshmallow ice cream base.
- Chill. At least 4 hours in the fridge. Overnight is better.
- Churn, then layer. Churn the base, then layer it into a parchment-lined 8x8 pan with the graham crackers and chocolate. Freeze until firm, or eat it right away as soft serve.
Full measurements and step-by-step instructions are in the recipe card below.
Don't torch on parchment. Parchment + kitchen torch = a real fire risk. (That's the mom in me talking.) Torch the marshmallows on an unlined baking sheet instead. They'll stick a little, but I'd rather lose a bit of marshmallow than start a kitchen fire. A silicone mat has worked fine for me too.
Tips for the creamiest marshmallow ice cream
- Temper the eggs slowly. Whisk the yolks nonstop while you pour in about ½ cup of the hot cream, a little at a time. Then whisk that mixture back into the pot. If you rush this step you'll get scrambled eggs.
- Watch the broiler. It goes from golden to burnt in seconds. Stay right there, and plan on 2–3 minutes at most.
- Store it smart. Keep it in an airtight container and press parchment on the surface before freezing. That keeps ice crystals from forming.
Plan ahead: cold base, frozen bowl. Your ice cream won't set if the base is even a little warm or the machine bowl isn't frozen solid. Freeze the bowl overnight and chill the base for at least 4 hours (overnight is best). A little patience here is the difference between ice cream and sweet soup.
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More s'mores, please
If you love s'mores as much as I do, try my s'mores truffles, caramel s'mores bars and s'mores Rice Krispie treats.
FOR ALL MY FAVORITE BAKING TOOLS INCLUDING THOSE USED TO MAKE THIS RECIPE, CHECK OUT MY BAKING RESOURCES PAGE!
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Ingredients
Ice cream base
- 2 cups heavy cream
- 1 cup whole milk
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 6 large egg yolks
Toasted mashmallows
- 10 ounces marshmallows
Mix-ins
- 4 Hershey's Bars 1.55 ounce size
- 4 sheets graham crackers
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350ºF. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or silicone baking mats. Set aside.
- Make the ice cream base: In a small pot, simmer cream, milk, sugar and salt until sugar completely dissolves, about 5 minutes. Remove pot from heat.2 cups heavy cream
- In a separate bowl, whisk egg yolks.6 large egg yolks
- Whisking constantly, slowly whisk about a third of the hot cream into the yolks, then whisk the yolk mixture back into the pot with the cream.
- Return pot to medium-low heat and gently cook until mixture is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon (about 170ºF on an instant-read thermometer).
- Strain through a fine-mesh sieve into a bowl and set aside to cool for a few minutes.
- Toast the marshmallows: Spread the marshmallows out on prepared baking sheet. Place marshmallows in oven for 5 minutes. 10 ounces marshmallows
- Note: for the next step, you can either use the broiler or a kitchen torch to toast the marshmallow. Boiler: place the oven rack as high as possible and watch the marshmallows very closely to ensure they don't burn. This should take about 2-3 minutes at most.Kitchen torch: toast the tops and sides of the marshmallows, then rotate so that they are evenly toasted on each side.
- In a blender, add the ice cream base and the toasted marshmallows and puree until smooth.
- Pour mixture into a clean bowl, cover and chill completely in the fridge, at least 4 hours or overnight, until completely cool.
- Once ice cream base is completely cool, churn in an ice cream maker according to manufacturer’s instructions.
- While the ice cream is churning, chop the chocolate bars in bite-sized pieces and crush the graham crackers into small pieces. You can do this by placing the graham crackers in a sealed zip-top bag then rolling over them with a rolling pin or you can pulse in a food processor a couple of times. You want pieces of graham cracker, not crumbs. 4 Hershey's Bars
- Once ice cream has finished churning, pour half into an 8x8-inch baking pan lined with parchment paper or wax paper.
- Sprinkle half the graham cracker crumbs and half the chocolate over top. Repeat with remaining ice cream, graham crackers, and chocolate.
- Serve directly from the machine for soft serve, or store in freezer until hardened.
Notes
- To store: Ice cream should be stored in an airtight, freezer-safe container in the freezer for up to 3 months.
- Total time does not include time required to freeze the bowl of your ice cream maker. This needs to be frozen overnight or at least 12 hours. TIP: if you have room, wash the ice cream maker bowl well after using it and place it back in your freezer so it's ready whenever you want to make ice cream!
- Ice cream base recipe adapted from NYTimes.com.
Nutrition
