People have these things that remind them of being young. Whether that means childhood or middle school or being a teenager. There's always something. It's not even necessarily something that should only be relegated to youth. Like Lincoln Logs or chicken nuggets shaped like dinosaurs or even guzzling vodka-Crystal Light (the most glamorous of cocktails) out of an emptied out water bottle.
Some things just seem to have a place and a time for people. And they can't get over it. It's different for everyone: a friend recently referred to Lynchburg Lemonades, a drink I'm particularly fond of, as the drink he used to order when he couldn't handle his alcohol. It's really too bad, though, because I know I certainly get a yen for a good game of the Sims or wistfully remember making rainbow beaded bracelets on the pooldeck at summer swim meets. I wish I could bring these things back, but it never really feels right.
Thinking back, I remember mini blueberry muffins being quite the fixture in my life. Though my mom always made everything from scratch, from Snow White birthday cakes to B'stilla, there was one exception to the rule: Entemann's Little Bites Blueberry Muffins. Mostly I turned up my little nose at packaged baked goods- a regular food snob from childhood- but God, those muffins. I could inhale a pack in record time and not look back. I'd switch out the little baggies of pretzels she'd put in my lunch so that poor Beau or Riley had an unexpectedly savory meal with no dessert in sight, just so I could have a few more tiny muffins.
Nowadays, I think I'd have a hard time justifying trotting into Harris Teeter to buy a box of Little Bites, though I certainly shoot them a longing glance every now and again when I pass them by on my way down the aisles. Blueberry muffins were seemingly a thing of the past for me. That is until I stumbled upon a recipe for blueberry muffin ice cream. Holy cow. How had I not thought of that before. So, while eating a blueberry muffin on its own will never really hold a candle to the good old days of packaged sweets, this ice cream certainly blows Entemann's out of the water.
Blueberry Muffin Ice Cream
Makes about 1 quart
For the blueberry muffins:
1 cup rolled oats
1 cup whole milk, divided
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 cup butter, at room temperature
1/3 cup brown sugar
1 large egg
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 pint blueberries
For the brown sugar cinnamon ice cream:
6 egg yolks
2/3 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extra
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
2 cups heavy cream
1 cup whole milk
To make the muffins:
Preheat oven to 350. Line a 12-cup muffin tin with cupcake liners. In a small bowl, mix rolled oats and 1/2 cup whole milk. Let sit. Meanwhile, in another small bowl, whisk together flour, salt, and cinnamon. In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream butter and brown sugar until light and fluffy. Add egg and vanilla extract and beat to combine. Beat in oat mixture. Add dry ingredients slowly and beat until just incorporated. Fold in blueberries. Divide batter between muffin cups. Bake for 15-20 minutes until golden brown and a knife inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean. Let cool on a wire rack.
To make the ice cream:
In a large bowl, whisk together egg yolks, brown sugar, vanilla, and cinnamon. In a medium saucepan, mix together heavy cream and whole milk. Heat until just simmering. Slowly pour milk mixture over egg mixture and whisk to combine. Pour back into saucepan and stir over medium heat until mixture thickens enough to coat the back of a spoon. Pour custard through a strainer into a bowl and place in fridge until cool to the touch. Once custard has cooled, freeze in an ice cream maker, according to instructions. Crumble six of the muffins. Fold crumbled muffins into ice cream and transfer to a container to freeze overnight. Remove from freezer 5 minutes before serving to soften a bit.
Some things just seem to have a place and a time for people. And they can't get over it. It's different for everyone: a friend recently referred to Lynchburg Lemonades, a drink I'm particularly fond of, as the drink he used to order when he couldn't handle his alcohol. It's really too bad, though, because I know I certainly get a yen for a good game of the Sims or wistfully remember making rainbow beaded bracelets on the pooldeck at summer swim meets. I wish I could bring these things back, but it never really feels right.
Thinking back, I remember mini blueberry muffins being quite the fixture in my life. Though my mom always made everything from scratch, from Snow White birthday cakes to B'stilla, there was one exception to the rule: Entemann's Little Bites Blueberry Muffins. Mostly I turned up my little nose at packaged baked goods- a regular food snob from childhood- but God, those muffins. I could inhale a pack in record time and not look back. I'd switch out the little baggies of pretzels she'd put in my lunch so that poor Beau or Riley had an unexpectedly savory meal with no dessert in sight, just so I could have a few more tiny muffins.
Nowadays, I think I'd have a hard time justifying trotting into Harris Teeter to buy a box of Little Bites, though I certainly shoot them a longing glance every now and again when I pass them by on my way down the aisles. Blueberry muffins were seemingly a thing of the past for me. That is until I stumbled upon a recipe for blueberry muffin ice cream. Holy cow. How had I not thought of that before. So, while eating a blueberry muffin on its own will never really hold a candle to the good old days of packaged sweets, this ice cream certainly blows Entemann's out of the water.
Blueberry Muffin Ice Cream
Makes about 1 quart
For the blueberry muffins:
1 cup rolled oats
1 cup whole milk, divided
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 cup butter, at room temperature
1/3 cup brown sugar
1 large egg
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 pint blueberries
For the brown sugar cinnamon ice cream:
6 egg yolks
2/3 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extra
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
2 cups heavy cream
1 cup whole milk
To make the muffins:
Preheat oven to 350. Line a 12-cup muffin tin with cupcake liners. In a small bowl, mix rolled oats and 1/2 cup whole milk. Let sit. Meanwhile, in another small bowl, whisk together flour, salt, and cinnamon. In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream butter and brown sugar until light and fluffy. Add egg and vanilla extract and beat to combine. Beat in oat mixture. Add dry ingredients slowly and beat until just incorporated. Fold in blueberries. Divide batter between muffin cups. Bake for 15-20 minutes until golden brown and a knife inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean. Let cool on a wire rack.
To make the ice cream:
In a large bowl, whisk together egg yolks, brown sugar, vanilla, and cinnamon. In a medium saucepan, mix together heavy cream and whole milk. Heat until just simmering. Slowly pour milk mixture over egg mixture and whisk to combine. Pour back into saucepan and stir over medium heat until mixture thickens enough to coat the back of a spoon. Pour custard through a strainer into a bowl and place in fridge until cool to the touch. Once custard has cooled, freeze in an ice cream maker, according to instructions. Crumble six of the muffins. Fold crumbled muffins into ice cream and transfer to a container to freeze overnight. Remove from freezer 5 minutes before serving to soften a bit.
