Toasted marshmallow ice cream

Nothing beats a summer campfire and roasting marshmallows on a stick. But sometimes it's just too darn hot to sit in front of a fire to get that toasty marshmallow. Cue toasted marshmallow ice cream!

The marshmallows look kind like a giant poofy loaf of bread when they come right out of the oven. A real sticky loaf of bread. You just kind of want to poke at it. Not to worry, after cooling for a bit the marshmallows will deflate and settle down and they'll peel off the parchment easily when it comes time to add them to the custard.

I was originally working on a different version of s'mores, but it wasn't coming out right, so I just have the ice cream part of the recipe. I did kind of make a s'more sundae though with crushed graham crackers and some hot fudge. You could even add some mini marshmallows on top. Indulge a little and have a happy Labor day weekend! And hopefully by next Labor day, I'll have figured out my original s'mores vision!

Toasted marshmallow ice cream
Makes about 1 quart
Prep time: 4.5 hours
Cook time: 20 min

Ingredients

10 oz (285g) marshmallows
2 cups (487g) whole milk
1 cup (246g) heavy cream
1/4 cup (55g) white sugar
4 egg yolks
1/2 tsp (2g) salt
2 tsp (6g) vanilla extract

Directions

Preheat oven to 375ºF. Line two 9"x13" baking pans with parchment paper. Divide the marshmallows evenly between the two pans and spread into an even layer. Be careful not to place the marshmallows too close to the edge of the pan, they will expand quite a bit in the oven. Bake the marshmallows until dark golden brown. Remove and allow to cool.

In a separate bowl, whisk the egg yolks, sugar, and salt together until thickened and pale yellow in color. In a small pot, combine the milk and heavy cream and cook over medium low heat until steaming. Slowly drizzle in about 3/4 cup of the hot milk mixture into the egg yolks while whisking constantly. Pour the tempered egg yolks back into the pot with the rest of the milk mixture and continue to cook, stirring frequently until thick enough to coat the back of a wooden spoon.

Remove from heat and stir in the toasted marshmallows and vanilla. Use a blender or hand blender to blend the custard until smooth. Pour into a clean container and allow to come to room temperature. Cover and place in fridge to chill for at least four hours or overnight. Churn in ice cream machine according to the manufacturer's directions. You can eat it right away at soft serve consistency or transfer to an air tight container and freeze for a couple hours to firm up.