I wasn't quite sure what name to give to this ice cream because there is so much going on. I settled on simply calling it the ultimate ice cream! This stuff is seriously my favorite! A little backstory on how this creation came about....

Many, many years ago, Cold Stone Ice Cream opened a store in Bozeman, MT and my family went to check it out. I remember being in complete awe that I could mix in anything I wanted! There were soooooo many options and I felt like I had died and gone to heaven. I had a lot of things I wanted to mix into my ice cream, but I had to limit it to just a few things. Next thing you know, I ordered cake batter ice cream with cookie dough, Reese's, chocolate shavings and graham cracker pie crust mixed in. I took my first bite into that ultimate ice cream concoction, and I was instantly hooked. Ever since that day, this mixture has been my go to choice. When I decided to do a series of ice cream recipes, I knew that this one needed to be my first post.

About The Ice Cream Base

There are several bases that you can make for ice cream. This ultimate ice cream has a standard cream base. This is better known as a Philadelphia-Style Base. It is made with cream, sugar, and the flavorings. This type of ice cream base is very simple which is why I love it! This relies solely on the cream for fat content. With ice cream, the higher the fat content, the thicker the ice cream. Some Philadelphia-Style recipes require you to cook the cream in order to dissolve the sugar but this recipe doesn't require this! It's quick, simple, and very delicious!

About the Mix-Ins

This ultimate ice cream has five mix-ins. I imagine you expected me to say that it had four mix-ins but it's important to remember the mix-in that makes this a cake batter ice cream!

Cake Mix: I used Duncan Hines Classic Yellow Cake Mix for this recipe. You can use any brand or kind of cake mix you'd like but I recommend sticking with a yellow cake mix. The important thing to note about using cake mix in your ice cream is that you do have to bake the cake mix. I know it sounds weird, but cake mix isn't actually pasteurized so it's not safe to eat. You need to bake it to kill any bacteria and prevent getting a foodborne illness.
Cookie Dough: I used the pre-made Nestle brand edible cookie dough. I used a cookie scoop to scoop balls of dough onto a piece of parchment paper. I then froze the cookie dough until I was ready to add it to my ice cream. Once I pulled the cookie dough out of the freezer, I cut it into fourths to get smaller pieces. You are welcome to make your own edible cookie dough to mix into this ice cream but it's important to note that you will need to pasteurize the flour to make it food safe and ensure it doesn't have any raw eggs in it.
Reese's: Reese's are simply delicious. There's nothing special to note here. Simply break the Reese's into smaller pieces and toss them in the ice cream when it's time!
Chocolate Shavings: To make this simpler, you can add chocolate chips. However, I would strongly encourage you to take the extra steps and make chocolate shavings! In my opinion, chocolate shavings make the texture of the ice cream much more enjoyable. Melt the chocolate chips and pour them on a piece of parchment paper. Spread it into a thin layer and pop it in the freezer. When you're ready to add the chocolate to the ice cream, break it into pieces and throw it in!
Graham Cracker Pie Crust: I bought a ready to eat pie crust to add to the ice cream. It's simple and I was feeling lazy. However, if you don't want to buy a ready to eat pie crust, you can melt 2 tablespoon of butter then mix in ½ cup graham cracker crumbs, 1 ½ cups sugar, and ⅛ teaspoon cinnamon. I've done this in other ice cream recipes and it came out great!