Buttered popcorn ice cream with milk duds and goobers… this decadent creamy treat is the only way to do movie night. Use your favorite movie theater popcorn to make this ice cream irresistible.
My perfect movie night is like this:
- PJs
- A throw blanket and pillow
- Wine
- Tons of buttery popcorn
- Goobers & Milk Duds
I am all about the snacks when it comes to movie night. I can eat my weight in popcorn. Being dirt poor in college and my first year out, I would actually eat a bag of popcorn as a meal some days. You know, cause of all the fiber. These days, I’ve been opting for popping my popcorn on the stovetop with just a bit of truffle salt so they aren’t so bad for me. Still, I will indulge in some really buttery popcorn every now and then.
Also, I’ve discovered I love putting my favorite movie theater snacks into my desserts. Remember my movie theater cookies? They are my favorite cookies I’ve made for the blog so far. I loved it so much, in fact, that I decided to turn it into popcorn ice cream. And dagnabbit, it was the best decision ever. I freaking adore this popcorn ice cream. And Natushka is obsessed with it. (Earlier today, N got really quiet while I was cooking, so I went to go look for her and found her sitting on the potty eating her leftover ice cream cone I thought put in the freezer. Funniest sight ever.)
Normally, I use the ice cream base from Jeni’s Splendid Ice Cream which uses a slurry for thickener and cream cheese for creaminess. It’s my favorite way to make ice cream, but this time, I decided to use a traditional custard base and I think it really works here to elevate the indulgence factor in the popcorn ice cream. I used a mix of heavy cream and half & half. This paired with an egg custard base means the ice cream is really thick and creamy. It also takes a lot longer to melt without feeling too icy or warm on the tongue.
This popcorn ice cream definitely has a nice buttery popcorn flavor to it without being overwhelming and it is balanced out by the chocolate and the peanuts from the Goobers as well as the caramel from the Milk Duds. If you made the salted bourbon caramel on this site, I also recommend a nice drizzling of that on the ice cream. Trust me on this one!
Don’t have an ice cream maker? No problem! Learn how to make ice cream without an ice cream maker here.
Popcorn Ice Cream with Milk Duds and Goobers (Movie Theater Ice Cream)
Ingredients
- 4 cups half & half*, divided
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 1 bag (about 6 cups) buttered popcorn, popped
- 8 large egg yolks
- 3/4 cup sugar
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 3.5 oz box of Goobers
- 2 oz Milk Duds
- 1/3 cup mini chocolate chips
- 1/4 cup roasted peanuts, halves (optional)
Instructions
- Bring 2 cups of the half & half and the heavy cream to a low simmer, stirring occasionaly. Add in the buttered popcorn and stir until the popcorn begins to dissolve into the cream. Simmer for about 2 -3 minutes, then turn off the heat. Strain the mixture as best you can to get back as much of the cream mixture as possible. Add as much half & half as needed into the popcorn-infused cream to get 4 cups of cream total. Return the cream to the saucepan.
- In a medium bowl, whisk the egg yolks until they become light. Add in the sugar and vanilla extract and beat well.
- Slowly add one third of the cream mixture into the eggs while whisking the eggs constantly to avoid scrambling them. Slowly add the tempered egg mixture into the cream mixture, whisking constantly.
- Heat the saucepan on medium low and stir the mixture constantly until it becomes a thickened custard and coats the back of a spoon. Remove from heat. Place the mixture in another container (I recommend a gallon freezer bag) and place in an ice bath. Leave in the ice bath until the mixture is very cold - about 40 degrees F, I recommend placing the ice bath in the refrigerator.
- Put the custard in an ice cream machine and make according to manufacutuer instructions.
- Pour the mixture into an ice cream container and stir in the Goobers, Milk Duds, chocolate chips, and peanuts. Serve immediately as a soft serve ice cream, or freeze for at least 3 hours.
Notes
*You may need more half & half depending on how good you are extracting the cream mixture out of the popcorn
[email protected] says
When I read the title to this I wondered how you were going to get the popcorn into the ice cream without making it all a soggy mess…brilliant to have it dissolve and infuse the cream! Sounds yummy!
Sarah | Broma Bakery says
KILLER flavor! Oh I’m pinning this now now now
heather @french press says
I think this is the most creative ice cream recipe I have ever seen – and as a sweet + salty snacker, it is my idea of perfect!!
Dee Dee (My Midlife Kitchen) says
Ack! I have been talking for YEARS about a popcorn sorbet I had in a fancy restaurant many moons ago, and here you’ve given me a way to get that taste again! Hooray!! Can’t wait to try it. Thanks!
Susan - ofeverymoment says
I was going to make exactly the same comment as [email protected]’mBoredLetsgo above. This is brilliant! I am pinning it, and also going back to take a peak at your recipes using Jeni’s Splendid Icecream recipe. It is finally starting to get warm out- and time to put the ice-cream maker to good use!
Amanda says
Jeni’s method (as I like to call it) is super simple and quick to make as it thickens sooner than a custard, plus you get to save your eggs! It ends up really light and creamy and so versatile too. You will love it! Hopefully you will love this too if you make it!!
Michelle @ Hummingbird High says
Oh my gosh, this recipe is just GENIUS. You really captured all my favorite movie theatre snacks, it’s insane!!!
Beeta @ Mon Petit Four says
Hi Amanda…new here to the blog, but already enjoying it! Not only does the ice cream look positively indulgent, but you had me at milk duds! I can’t remember when the last time I ate them was (they always stick to my teeth!), but I LOVE them so this recipe is going on a must-try list! Thank you for sharing! xo
Janel from NellieBellie says
Dang and dang. That looks amazing! And colorful. And beautiful. And it’s going all over my Instagram!! Knocked it out of the park, girl!
Dini @ Giramuk's Kitchen says
This is my idea of a perfect movie night too! I’ve had popcorn ice cream before, but this is just OTT fantastic!! 😀 Definitely has to be my next ice cream project! 🙂
Katalina @ Peas and Peonies says
I am an ice cream girl, I always joke that its a separate group food in my life, I am totally and madly in love with it, and having a movie theater option is amazing, I just regret that they don’t sell it at movie theaters, but I can totally whip it and enjoy it in the comfort of my own home.
Amanda says
This is so creative! I love the flavor combo!!!
Christina @ Bake with Christina says
What an awesome idea!! That’s the ultimate ice cream for the movies!! Pinned 🙂
Rachel @ Bakerita says
Wow, I’m totally swooning over this ice cream! Popcorn ice cream sounds so incredible, and with those mix-ins, this sounds hard to resist. Pinned!
Amanda says
Thanks Rachel! It tastes even better than it sounds!!
Joanne says
So the next thing on my life agenda is officially to infuse all of my ice cream with popcorn from now on – how could that be bad?!
Brie says
When will they finally make a physical tasting app for food blogs! Can’t wait to try this with my popcorn and ice cream loving family. Such a cool and inventive idea.
Amanda says
I’ve been saying for a while that we need taste-o-vision and smell-o-vision. I mean, it’s the 2015 already! Get on it, science! I hope your family likes the ice cream as much as I did!
Kim says
This is just perfect for a movie date night. Thanks for sharing!
Amanda says
Thank you! It’s one of my favorites!
Donna @ What the Dog Ate says
Thank you for sharing this recipe. I turned it into an ice cream cake inspired by popcorn and movie candy. Here’s my take:
http://whatthedogate.blogspot.com/2016/07/movie-popcorn-ice-cream-cake-for-summer.html
Amanda says
Wow that ice cream cake is insane! I love it!!!