Thursday, August 5, 2010

Ice Cream Muffins


There are several life lessons I hold dear that I'd like to pass on to Little C:

1. You should memorize all the songs from Free to Be You and Me, preferably by watching it over and over on an old VHS tape checked out from the library.

2. It is never okay for a professor to offer to give you a massage. Even if it's your Theater professor.

3. Sometimes you need to embrace the crazy and just go for it--it could turn out to be really great. Like combining ice cream and flour and making cake out of it. Seriously!


Important, Oprah-esque Life Lessons aside, I am excited to share this totally kitschy recipe for Ice Cream Muffins with you guys. It's another winner from my recipe scavenging at Gramma's house back in June, and definitely one of the wackier ones I came across. Since finding it, I've discovered that there are several versions out there, some which literally are just ice cream mixed with flour and then baked. This recipe I'm sharing with you has the extra help of a bit of oil and an egg, which I imagine makes for a better flavor, texture and mouthfeel in the finished product than just ice cream and flour alone.


Another thing that will really make these crazy little muffin-cupcake hybrids the best they can possibly be is to use a really great ice cream, the more high-end, the better. I'd look for something that doesn't have more ingredients than it needs to, not much beyond cream, milk, sugar and eggs. The cheaper the ice cream, the more air it will have incorporated into it (not to mention creepy stabilizers, gums and preservatives) and since we're measuring by volume and not weight here, you want to make sure you have enough dairy and sugar in the mix with the flour for the best texture and taste. You're already rocking the boat here with the amount of crazy in the recipe--set yourself up for success with the best ingredients you can get your hands on.

The finished product is a delight--lightly sweetened, great vanilla flavor, totally versatile. I understand that we're sort of teetering on the edge of Sandra Lee territory with this one, but I was so pleasantly surprised and basically humored by the entire experience of this recipe that I think I'll take a tablescape for the team and share it with you anyway. Enjoy!



Ice Cream Muffins
Adapted from an old strip of newsprint from an unknown Midwestern publication

The better quality ice cream you choose, the better your results here. Note that this recipe calls for self-rising flour--it will not work with any other flour. I imagine other flavors of ice cream can be substituted. These can have a crazy rise, so keep the muffin cups only about 1/2 full of batter.

Makes 12

2 cups premium vanilla ice cream, very soft
2 cups self-rising flour
1 egg
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Position a rack to the center of the oven and preheat it to 350 degrees. Line a 12-cup muffin tin with paper liners.

In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat together the ice cream and flour until smooth. Beat in the egg, oil and vanilla until well-blended. Divide the batter equally among the muffin tins, each about 1/2 full. Bake until the muffins are risen, lightly golden and a toothpick comes out clean, 18-20 minutes. Cool completely on a wire rack.

21 comments:

  1. Um ice cream muffins? As in ice cream IN the muffins? Well even if you might be dipping your toes at the edge of the Semi-Homemade pond we will be right there with you because seriously - you put ice cream in muffins - and really that can only be delicious and right.

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  2. Now there are two more things on my to do list tonight... dust off the Free to Be CD and make cupcakes............There's a land that I see, where the children are free. And I say it ain't far to this land from where we are...Take my hand, come with me, where the children are free..Come with me, take my hand, and we'll live..........

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  3. Nah, Sandra Lee would've used cake mix or something. Those look delicious and would be perfect for a birthday party!

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  4. Wacky! Just... wacky. This is something I've gotta try now. They're just that crazy. And amazing. Thanks for sharing!

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  5. How did yours keep? Mine were actually pretty stale the next morning--adding the egg and oil could help!

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  6. WOW ! what an amazing idea ! i'm having one of those "why didn't i think of that?" moments .. ;) i'm tempted to try it with a different ice(cream flavour - say like cookies 'n cream or something because my husband is just crazy about cookies 'n cream ice cream. thanks for another great recipe :)

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  7. Um, this is not the post that I needed to read this morning! I'm on a diet! ;) No but really, these look delicious and I can't wait to give them a try.

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  8. How interesting! I had always wondered if melted ice cream would work as a substitute for milk or the liquid in a cupcake or muffin.. no I know!

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  9. Woa.. that's crazy! The thought would have NEVER crossed my mind to us ice cream in a muffin/cupcake. My only concern is that it would be quite expensive to make.. ice cream has been a luxury recently.. :(

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  10. i am on a muffin baking kick & these ice cream muffins just raised the bar…going out to buy the BEST ice cream i can find…SUPER YUM!

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  11. Oh. My. Goodness. Ice cream muffins?? Yes please : )

    And those are very important life lessons, hehe

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  12. These look delicious! Always good to see someone embracing the craziness. :)

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  13. Although I am not a fan of Sandra Lee, it has more to do with her face and less to do with her food.

    I just can't trust a woman who has no facial expression other than extremely "chipper".

    So, no shame in a easy recipe using some prepackaged item. Who cares? I think these muffins look fab.

    P.S.--teacher massages are creepy and bad, I agree totally

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  14. these sound heavenly! seriously, if i died and went to heaven i think these would be served there. and bacon. ;)

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  15. I love these types of kitch-y, old school recipes. Keep 'em coming!

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  16. I thought that you just piped the ice cream on the top. I had to go back and check again once I reached the recipe! This is genius. I'm going to try this soon!

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  17. What if you used frozen custard? Would that be enough egg? Probably not. These sound fun to do with kiddos.

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  18. Andrea--I bet it would work out fabulously!

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  19. Great idea!!! I featured you and this recipe on my blog, "Stay Calm, Have a Cupcake"! Keep up the great blogging!

    www.fontgirl.wordpress.com

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  20. these are so adorable! im going to check if we have any icecream left when i get home from work :O)

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