Inspired by the always innovative Momofuku Milk Bar, this ice cream is sweetened with the iconic flavor of cereal-infused milk and coated in a sweet n’ salty cornflake crunch!
A few months ago, I made a trip down to Los Angeles in which I indulged in some of the most delicious and unique sweets the city had to offer. Every time I go to LA or NYC, I feel like a kid in a candy store because the options are endless when it comes to fun dessert shops to explore. This is especially true when I’m traveling alone and left to my own discretion since I tend to prioritize dessert/sweets over ANYthing. Seriously, I will literally pinpoint various dessert spots on a map, and then schedule my day around that area. Is that pathetic?
Probably…
Of course, I always like to justify my sugar addiction by calling it “research”. And in my opinion, you can’t really call yourself a good food blogger if you don’t allow yourself to indulge in fun foodie experiences from time to time. You learn the most by getting out and trying new things!
One dessert shop that I frequented the most on this trip (THREE times to be exact) was the Milk Bar. What I love about this place is that they’re not your traditional/old-school dessert shop. They cater more to your inner child and are always coming up with new and inventive treats. Birthday Cake, Apple Pie Pocket Cake, Compost Cookie, and Cereal Milk Soft-Serve Ice Cream are just a few of the delicious confections I tried, and NONE of them disappointed. However, the treat that intrigued me the most was the Cereal Milk Soft-Serve.
I could not get over how perfect it was. From the nostalgic flavor of the cereal milk-infused ice cream, to the sweet and salty cornflake crunch, it had EVERYthing. I knew I just HAD to replicate this sinful experience at home. And this week, I think I came pretty darn close…
Guys, I think I exceeded my own expectations with this one. It tasted EXACTLY like the cereal milk ice cream I had in LA. With that sweet, toasted cornflake flavor reminiscent of the leftover milk at the bottom of the cereal bowl, the flavor was SPOT ON. Not to mention, the contrast of the creamy ice cream with the cornflake crunch is beyond heavenly.
So how does one make cereal milk ice cream?
Well, first you have to make the key ingredient–the cereal milk. To keep the flavor as close to the original, I used regular cornflakes. I also decided to toast the cornflakes before soaking them in the milk since toasting really intensifies the flavor. The cornflakes are then soaked in the milk for about an hour. I know some people prefer to soak for at least a few hours and sometimes overnight, but I found that one hour was plenty of time to infuse the milk with enough cornflake flavor. Once the milk is poured through a strainer and the soggy cornflakes are discarded, brown sugar is added for sweetness and salt is added to accentuate that wonderful sweetness.
Now it’s time to make the ice cream!
Aside from the cereal milk, the ingredients are pretty standard to your traditional vanilla ice cream recipe. You’ll whip some egg yolks, sugar, and salt together until combined and lightened in both texture and color. Then you’ll transfer that mixture to a saucepan over medium-low heat along with the cereal milk and heavy cream. Stir the custard until it begins to thicken and coat the back of a spoon before pouring it through a fine-mesh sieve to get out any possible bits of cooked egg. Add a dash of vanilla, then refrigerate the custard until it’s cool enough to churn in the ice cream maker.
As for the cornflake crunch, I used pretty much the same recipe from my Cereal Milk Cake. Just toss together some coarsely-crushed cornflakes, brown sugar, dehydrated milk powder, melted butter, and a dash of salt, scatter the mixture onto a baking sheet, then toast in the oven for about 10 minutes. It’s super simple, yet incredibly addictive.
When it comes to serving the ice cream, you have a couple of options. You can either scoop it into a bowl and sprinkle the cornflake crunch on top…
OR, you can go the extra mile by replicating the soft-serve Milk Bar look.
It’s actually VERY easy. Just scoop the ice cream into a piping bag fitted with a large star tip, swirl it into your serving dish, then use your hands to cake the cornflake crunch around the sides.
Honestly, who knew it was possible to create something so divine from leftover cereal milk?
Cereal Milk Ice Cream
Ingredients
Cornflake Crunch:
- 3 cups cornflakes
- ⅓ cup dry milk powder
- 4 Tablespoons brown sugar
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 4 Tablespoons unsalted butter melted
Cereal Milk:
- 2 ½ cup cornflakes toasted*
- 2 ½ cup milk
- 2 Tablespoons brown sugar
- Pinch of salt
Ice Cream:
- 4 egg yolks
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
- 2 cups heavy cream
- 1 cup cereal milk from recipe above
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
Instructions
Make the Cornflake Crunch:
- Preheat the oven to 300ºF. In a large bowl, combine the cornflakes, milk powder, sugar, and salt by hand, squeezing and crushing the cornflakes at the same time until coarsely crushed. Stir in the melted butter until small clusters form. Transfer mixture to a baking sheet and bake for 15 minutes. Remove from the oven and cool completely.
Make the Cereal Milk:
- Add the cereal to the milk, and stir until fully soaked; let steep for 45-60 minutes.
- Place a fine-mesh sieve over a medium bowl and strain out the milk. Using the back of a spoon, wring the milk out of the cereal, but don’t force the cereal through the sieve. Discard the soaked cereal. Stir the sugar and salt into the milk; set aside.**
Make the Ice Cream:
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, fitted with the whisk attachment, beat egg yolks, sugar, and salt on high speed until yolks lighten in color and thicken into a ribbon as you lift the whisk out of the bowl, about 3 minutes.
- In a medium saucepan, whisk together egg yolk mixture, heavy cream, and cereal milk. Cook over low heat until mixture is thick enough to coat the back of a wooden spoon.
- Immediately pour the custard mixture through a fine mesh sieve over a bowl or large glass measuring cup. Whisk in the vanilla until smooth. Cover and chill the mixture thoroughly in the refrigerator.
- Once the custard mixture is chilled, freeze in an ice cream maker, following the manufacturer's instructions. Transfer to a freezer-safe container, and freeze for at least 2 hours, or up to 3 weeks.
- Serve ice cream with cornflake crunch.