These over-the-top rolled ice cream sundaes are inspired by Thai-style rolled ice cream—a dish that has been sweeping foodie scenes all over the place lately. Typically, Thai ice cream is made by pouring liquid ice cream base onto a cold slab and then scraping it into cute little rolls. I used a simple no-churn ice cream base and frozen baking sheets to create a simplified version of this ingenious ice cream making technique.
You can swap out the base in your rolled ice cream sundaes for pretty much any no-churn recipe you like. For a vegan option, try using this amazing list of recipes collected by Jessica in the Kitchen. As for toppings, I say the sillier the better. Candy, baked treats, fresh fruit, and drizzled sauces are just a few ways to dress up your rolled ice cream. I experimented with four colorful recipes to give you an idea of what is possible with this super versatile recipe.
This recipe makes enough for eight big servings of rolled ice cream sundaes. You can make all of your ice cream in one flavor, or you can split up the base into a variety of ice creams.
Rolled Ice Cream Sundaes
4 cups heavy whipping cream
2 (14-ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
2 teaspoons vanilla
Optional add-ins: white chocolate melting wafers, nutella, toasted chopped nuts, matcha powder, strawberry puree, etc.
Optional toppings: rainbow sprinkles, edible glitter, pocky, Pop Rocks, Rock Candy, etc.
4 baking sheets (4 half sheets or 8 quarter sheets)
Pastry scraper
Electric mixer
Step One: Use an electric mixer or stand mixer to whip heavy cream until it forms stiff peaks. This should take about 2-3 minutes. Be careful not to over-whip or your cream will turn to butter! Use a baking spatula to gently fold in condensed milk and vanilla extract.
Step Two: You can use the ice cream mix as it is to make a simple vanilla ice cream OR you can experiment by adding fun flavors. Add a little bit of match powder to make green tea ice cream, or strawberry puree to make strawberry ice cream base. I split my base into four equal portions, and left two portions plain. I added 1 tablespoon of matcha powder to one portion, and 2 tablespoons of strawberry puree to the other.
Step Three: Spread the ice cream base out onto a baking sheet. (Make sure it’s one that will fit in your freezer!) You can freeze the ice cream as is, or you can drizzle a topping on at this point. I left my strawberry and matcha flavored ice creams plain, but added toppings to my two other trays. On the first, I drizzled melted nutella and sprinkled on toasted chopped hazelnuts. On the second try, I drizzled melted white chocolate that I had colored with food dye. Pop the trays into your freezer and allow them to freeze until solid (at least 2 hours). Make sure your freezer is set to REALLY cold. This stuff melts fast and is much easier to handle when it’s hard.
Step Four: After the trays have fully hardened, pull one try out of the freezer. It’s time to roll it up! Use the pastry scraper to scrape the flat ice cream into cute little rolls. After rolling up a few bowls worth of ice cream, I figured out that slicing the strips you are about to roll with a pizza cutter helps make the ice cream neater and easier to roll. Stack the rolls in a bowl or ice cream cup and then pop your bowls or cups into the freezer to firm up again. Repeat with your other trays and wait about 1 hour before serving.
Step Five: When you are ready to serve, top the bowls with candy, cookies, or any other treats you can think of.
I hope you’ll have a blast making your own rolled ice cream sundaes! These over-the-top treats are perfect for celebrations. Try making a batch for your next party, shower, or dinner party. I can’t wait to see what other flavor combinations everyone comes up with. Hashtag #MaryMakesGood if you share a photo on Instagram, OK?
