Fried Ice Cream

Fried Ice Cream is one of my very favorite desserts, and something that I don’t have very often, mainly because you have to go to a Mexican restaurant to get it, and by the time I’m done eating at one of those I am usually too stuffed for dessert.

When I was pregnant with my daughter, I would drive to Azteca, our local Mexican restaurant some nights just for fried ice cream to go.

I admit, I was always baffled by it.  How did they get this crispy, cinnamon corn flake topping so perfectly warm and fried, yet keep the ice cream so cold?  I would spend hours day-dreaming up easier ways to do the recipe.  Maybe I could fry the cornflake mixture first and then roll ice cream in it… No, that wouldn’t be the same…

I got a deep fryer for Christmas, and decided to set my fears of ice cream soup aside and really give it a try.  I found a few recipes online and decided that the one that looked the most fool-proof was Emeril’s recipe, on the Food Network website.

I only made one change.  Instead of the cornflake mixture, which seemed very adaptable, I used Cinnamon Toast Crunch.  I confess I felt very clever at the thought, and I’m glad I used it because it was ah-mazing.

Here’s the recipe.  I urge you to give it a try, but make sure you follow the instructions for freezing.  I actually freezed it a minimum of 4 hours after each step, and then the whole thing overnight before I fried it.  But like I said, I was terrified of ice cream soup filling my deep fryer. 🙂

Top this with chocolate, honey, or a strawberry puree, and whipped cream.  This would be a fabulous dessert to make for Cinco De Mayo, and a great way to “wow” your guests at any dinner party.  And the best part is you do all the prep ahead of time, so you only need 15-30 seconds to fry the ice cream for your guests.

Ingredients

1 quart vanilla ice cream
2 cups of Cinnamon Toast Crunch (click the link above to Emeril’s recipe for ideas on Corn Flake combinations instead of CTC)
2 large eggs
2 tablespoons sugar
Vegetable oil, for frying
Hot chocolate sauce, honey, or strawberry puree, optional
Whipped cream, optional

Directions

With an ice cream scoop, form 4 large balls of ice cream.  I used my ice cream scoop first, and then used my clean hands to form balls, just like making snowballs.  A cold job, and you can’t wear gloves. 😉

Place on a waxed paper lined sheet and cover with plastic wrap.  Freeze for at least 2 hours. ( froze them for 4)

Fill up a quart sized ziplock bag with Cinnamon Toast Crunch. 

Smash it with your rolling pin. 

Spread the mixture in a shallow dish. (I found a pie plate worked perfectly)

Dip the ice cream balls in the crumb mixture and freeze for at least 30 minutes. (I froze them for 4 hours)

In a bowl, beat the eggs and sugar.

Dip the coated ice cream balls into the eggs, then roll in the crumb mixture, coating completely.  (If necessary, or for a thicker crust, roll again in eggs and crumbs until the balls are completely coated.)

Freeze for at least1 hour. (I froze them overnight)
Heat the oil in a large pot or fryer to 400 degrees F. One at a time, lower the balls into the oil and fry until golden brown, about 30 seconds (Mine were done in about 20 seconds)

Remove from the oil and place on paper towel for about 30 seconds, and then put in a dessert bowl.

Drizzle with chocolate sauce and whipped cream, as desired. Repeat with the remaining ice cream.