Cereal milk ice cream

Cereal milk ice cream

We sat curled up on the couch, braving the steady stream of chilly air that snuck through the seams of the industrial windows. I knew those things were going to be trouble the moment I laid eyes on them, but at the time I didn't care. I was entranced by the immense amount of natural light they let into the main living area. And their ability to open downward, making them perfect for rainy days. Except we hardly ever have rainy days. This, much like the situation with the cold, I didn't conceive until after we were months deep into our lease. After I had fallen in love with our little home at the top of an old warehouse, ten times over.

That evening, our bodies were wrapped in blankets, our feet in two pairs of socks. It was cold. But not cold enough to squander his insatiable craving for ice cream. A craving I tried so hard to suffocate with copious amounts of chocolate and other sugary things, but I had no luck. As it turns out, you can't just sweep a man's ice cream craving (or any craving, for that matter) under the rug because it comes back full force days later. When it's five below zero. It's too cold for ice cream, I told him. But he didn't care. He wanted it. Bad.

I untangled our feet and went to abandon my comfy spot on the couch, hoping he'd drag me back down and make me stay. Because I like to think that the warmth from my body reigns supreme to the satisfaction that comes with eating ice cream. Turns out it doesn't, because he let me go into the cold. And so I put on an extra pair of striped long johns, his slippers, one of his thermals, a sweater, and a down parka. All of this to make ice cream for the man who complains about not getting warm waffles in the morning, but then sleeps through breakfast when I finally get around to making them (side note: I have waffles every morning, he's just not up early enough to bask in the deliciousness). Despite not getting waffles on demand, this man is loved. I hope he knows that.

Pure vanilla extract
Churnin'
cereal milk ice cream-2

When the ice cream was ready, I scooped it into pretty bowls and we shivered on the couch and laughed about the fact that our loft was 57˚ and we were shoveling spoonfuls of frozen, milky goodness into our mouths. It was then that I decided to order a space heater. Because eating ice cream next to a surge of heat seemed much more enjoyable than the current situation, which was eating ice cream on our frozen couch, swaddled in so many blankets we could hardly move.

To tide us over until aforementioned heating device arrived, I took a page from the book of a little punk I used to nanny. Let me preface this by saying it was not my proudest moment. I retrieved my hair dryer from the bathroom and used it to heat our blanket cave, to which Thom completely objected up until the moment he realized he could feel his toes again. I'm going to go ahead and say that you should not use a hair dryer as your own personal heater because it absolutely is not safe. Unless your living room is 57˚. Then I'd venture to say that keeping warm takes precedence over any risks or dangers associated with using a hair dryer for anything other than drying your hair.

But really, don't do it.

Cereal milk ice cream
Cereal milk ice cream

Notes: This recipe calls for more coconut milk than usual because the cereal absorbs a lot of the milk (about one can's worth). I've made this with light coconut milk (and almond milk - holla!), but if you do this you'll want to soak the cereal overnight. It won't be nearly as creamy as the full fat coconut milk variety, but it's pretty damn close. Growing up, I always loved fruity cereal milk so I went with Cascadian Farm Fruitful O's. But feel free to use any kind of cereal you want - a few favorite cereals are Original PuffinsPeanut Butter Panda Puffs, and Chocolate Koala Crisp.

PS - I've got a s'mores version coming at you once the temperatures start to rise. Complete with graham cracker cereal milk, fluffy marshmallows, and chunks of rich dark chocolate.

CEREAL MILK ICE CREAM

5 cups cereal
5 1/4 cups full fat coconut milk (3 cans)
1/4 cup cane sugar
1 tsp pure vanilla extract

Add the cereal to a large mixing bowl. Cover with coconut milk and stir to combine. Place a large, heavy plate on top to ensure the cereal is sumberged the entire time. Refrigerate for 2 hours, stirring every 30 minutes. Once the cereal has soaked, use a fine mesh strainer to strain the mixture over a medium saucepan; make sure to firmly press the cereal mush to get out as much coconut milk as possible. After you've pressed out as much of milk you can get, scoop the layer of thick cream that formed on the bottom of the strainer into the pot. Set the saucepan over medium heat and whisk in the sugar and vanilla extract; bring to a boil and whisk vigorously for 45 seconds. Remove from heat and transfer the mixture to a large bowl. Allow to cool for 30 minutes, then cover with plastic wrap and chill in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours. Once chilled, pour the mixture into the bowl of your ice cream machine and mix according to the manufacturer's instructions. Eat ice cream immideately (it will be somewhat soft) or transfer to a container and freeze until ready to consume. Thaw for 10-15 minutes before serving. Top with crushed cereal, if desired.

Yield: about 1 quart

34 comments:

  1. Ohmahgoodness, this sounds so incredibly yummy. I need to make it (and eat it) immediately.

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  2. I loooove drinking cereal milk [especially Lucky Charms!] so I can only imagine how delicious making it into an ice cream would be!

    M.

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  3. This has to be delicious!!!! I have a kitchenAid so I'm so asking for the ice cream attachment for my birthday!! =)

    Ergo - Blog

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  4. This is such a brilliant idea! and I love that you sprinkled it with crushed cereal!

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  5. Love this post. I was gifted the Milk Bar cookbook. They have a recipe for ceral milk ice cream. They actually sell the milk in bottles. For me the best part of eating cereal is drinking the sweet milk at the end. A brilliant idea for ice cream flavors. I so desperately want to try Captin Crunch cereal ice cream! Beautiful photos as always!

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  6. um, yes yes yes to this. such a creative idea, and makes so much sense! making this ASAP.

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  7. yes this looks awesome! I want to try this with all sorts of cereals- maybe Lucky Charms??

    FoodNerd x

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  8. This reminds me of a Christina Tosi recipe...some of her cereal milk crunchies and various things she makes using it. Love this!

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  9. What a great story :) I have totally used the hair dryer trick. I'm from the Chicago area and sometimes desperate conditions call for desperate measures.

    Fun recipe and beautiful styling. Love those spoons! Where did you find them?

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    1. Brr, Chicago - the cold is what's keeping me from agreeing to move there ;) Spoons are from Anthro.

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  10. You must really love him to go out into the cold! How sweet of you :) I love your recipes, but especially love the little essays that go with them.

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  11. ohmahgoshthislooksinsane. Stunning photos, brilliant recipe and beautiful narrative, as always. Love!

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  12. Ha, I'm reading this post curled up on my couch under a blanket and wearing two jumpers as the wind blows through our old windows and yet I totally want ice cream now. Magic.

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  13. I've been wanting to try cereal milk ice cream for ages. Might just have to make this coconut milk version now - it looks lovely!

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  14. Oh goodness! I totally made cereal milk ice cream with fruit loops last year and this reminds me that I need it again! And where did you get those spoons??

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  15. Last winter my apartment only had one small space heater that I would move around with me throughout the day. I ate several bowls of ice cream in my bath tub with the water as hot as it could get and the space heater blasting onto me from several inches away. Potentially dangerous, a little ridiculous, totally worth it.

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  16. I love your storytelling! The photo of just the ice cream scoop is awesome and I love the wooden spoons too. Cereal milk ice cream sounds awesome! I love that it's vegan too.

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  17. I had a similar experience when on the Salisbury Plains in England. Wind chill factor of about 1 million degrees, and so cold, i couldn't feel my anything. My traveling companion leans over and yells into my ear 'do you want an ice cream?'. Some people just love ice cream I guess.

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  18. This sounds absolutely delicious. Wait, scratch that. That's such a mundane comment on a food blog. I mean it when I say this recipe will be made this weekend! How's that? :)

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  19. this is fantastic. i love that it is made with coconut milk. can't wait to try it out!

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  20. I heart Puffins and this recipe. Consider yourself bookmarked!

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  21. Wow. What a great blog. So glad to have found you. This is a great story (I hope you have a space heater by now) and so is the one about the woman at the post office. Wonderful writing. Also, I'll be back for more cacao eye candy.

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  22. Eating waffles every day must be amazing... I just tried the recepie with seweet potatos and they were realy realy good (: I wonder if you have more waffel recepies to share?

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    1. Hi Claire, I do! I'm actually sharing a recipe for one waffle in a few weeks. Then this summer I'm sharing a Belgian waffle recipe while I'm in Belgium! :)

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  23. DO move to Chicago! The cold is bearable, the summers are PERFECT... best city around. And this ice cream will make it even better.

    Dare I say I might make this and eat it for breakfast? I do!

    <3 Rose

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    1. Sorry, Rose! You couldn't pay me to move to Chicago. The humid summers are downright awful and the frigid winters make me want to crawl into a hole and die. Sadly, I'm not exaggerating. Denver isn't usually five below, we just had a rare few days of low temps. It's 50˚ right now ;) Enjoy the ice cream!

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  24. When I lived in France for a semester, I tried to reheat slices of leftover pizza with my hairdryer. More than once, I tried. Never worked well. Space heaters are the best, and so is cereal milk ice cream.

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  25. Friend. This recipe is out of control amazing. Definitely need to make it with the peanut butter panda puffs...a total favorite over here! Great to know it can work with almond milk as well. Have you tried it with homemade almond milk? I'm wondering if you do a smaller ratio of water to almonds, resulting in a thicker milk, if that would work better? Maybe using 2 cups of water instead of the typical 3.5-4 cups. I might just have to give it a try! Also, I want/need those spoons.

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    1. I haven't! But I'd follow the water to nut ration in this recipe - http://www.ohladycakes.com/2012/08/raw-cacao-ice-cream.html

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  26. I hope he does as much for you! Sometimes it's easy to take someone who loves you so much for granted :)

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  27. This looks fabulous!

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  28. Hey :) I was wondering if you think this would work or if you've ever tried it with almond milk and eggs like a regular ice cream base?
    Hope to hear from you soon

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  29. I haven't tried it with eggs, but I'm sure any ice cream base would work! I'd add the eggs after you soak the cereal.

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