Activities, Recipes 3 minute read

Yummy recipes from Jeni's Ice Creams

By American Girl Mar. 29, 2023

The secret to making amazing ice cream at home is starting with the best ingredients and inspiration. And there’s nothing better than Jeni’s Ice Creams! We’ve taken our collaboration to a sweet new level with five delicious recipes. Give them a whirl with your girl!

Great topped with Jeni’s Like-Magic Hot Fudge Sauce and extra whipped cream for a classic sundae.


Makes about 1 quart


2⅔ cups whole milk
1 tablespoon plus 2 teaspoons cornstarch
2 ounces (4 tablespoons) cream cheese, softened
⅛ teaspoon fine sea salt
1½ cups heavy cream
¾ cup sugar
¼ cup light corn syrup
1 vanilla bean, split, seeds scraped out, seeds and bean reserved

PREP
Mix about 2 tablespoons of the milk with the cornstarch in a small bowl to make a smooth slurry.
Whisk the cream cheese and salt in a medium bowl until smooth. Fill a large bowl with ice and water.

COOK
Combine the remaining milk, the cream, sugar, corn syrup, and vanilla seeds and bean in a 4-quart saucepan, bring to a rolling boil over medium-high heat, and boil for 4 minutes. Remove from the heat and gradually whisk in the cornstarch slurry. Bring the mixture back to a boil over medium-high heat and cook, stirring with a heatproof spatula, until slightly thickened, about 1 minute. Remove from the heat.

CHILL
Gradually whisk the hot milk mixture into the cream cheese until smooth. Pour the mixture into a 1-gallon Ziploc freezer bag and submerge the sealed bag in the ice bath. Let stand, adding more ice as necessary, until cold, about 30 minutes.

FREEZE
Remove the vanilla bean. Pour the ice cream base into the frozen canister of the ice cream machine and spin until thick and creamy. Pack the ice cream into a storage container, press a sheet of parchment directly against the surface, and seal with an airtight lid. Freeze in the coldest part of your freezer until firm, at least 4 hours.

½ cup Dutch-process cocoa
½ cup sugar
½ cup finely chopped chocolate (70% cacao)
¼ boiling water

Combine Dutch-process cocoa (otherwise it won’t dissolve), sugar, and finely chopped chocolate (70% cacao) in a bowl. Add boiling water, let sit for 2 minutes, then stir until combined.

1 cup (8 dollops) heavy cream
1 to 2 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Chill a large metal or glass bowl in the refrigerator for at least 15 minutes; it should be cold to the touch. Add the cream, sugar, and vanilla to the chilled bowl and whip by hand mixer. Use immediately, or refrigerate for up to 1 hour.

Intensely fruity wildberry ice cream swirled with aromatic passion fruit yogurt.

Makes about 1 gallon

For the Wildberry Lavender

BLUEBERRY COMPOTE
½ cup wild blueberries
2 tablespoons sugar

ICE CREAM BASE
2 cups whole milk
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon cornstarch
1½ ounces (3 tablespoons) cream cheese, softened
⅛ teaspoon fine sea salt
1¼ cups heavy cream
⅔ cup sugar
2 tablespoons light corn syrup
2 drops lavender essential oil, optional
3 drops sweet orange essential oil, optional
¼ teaspoon citric acid

PREP
For the blueberry compote:
Combine the blueberries and sugar in a small saucepan and bring to a boil, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Remove from heat and let cool.

For the ice cream base:
Mix about 2 tablespoons of the milk with the cornstarch in a small bowl to make a smooth slurry. Whisk the cream cheese and salt in a medium bowl until smooth. Fill a large bowl with ice and water.

COOK
Combine the remaining milk, the cream, sugar, and corn syrup in a 4-quart saucepan, bring to a rolling boil over medium-high heat, and boil for 4 minutes. Remove from the heat, and gradually whisk in the cornstarch slurry. Bring the mixture back to a boil over medium-high heat and cook, stirring with a heatproof spatula, until slightly thickened, about 1 minute. Remove from the heat.

CHILL
Gradually whisk the hot milk mixture into the cream cheese until smooth. Add the compote and blend well. Pour the mixture into a 1-gallon Ziploc freezer bag and submerge the sealed bag in the ice bath. Let stand, adding more ice as necessary, until cold, about 30 minutes.

FREEZE
Strain out the mint. Pour the ice cream base into the frozen canister of the ice cream machine and spin until thick and creamy. Drop the essential oils and citric acid through the opening in the top of the machine, and continue to spin the ice cream until thick and creamy. Pack the ice cream into a storage container, press a sheet of parchment directly against the surface, and seal with an airtight lid. Freeze in the coldest part of your freezer until firm, at least 4 hours.

For the Passion Fruit Yogurt

FROZEN YOGURT BASE
1 quart low-fat plain greek yogurt
1½ cups whole milk
2 tablespoons cornstarch
¼ teaspoon turmeric
2 ounces (4 tablespoons) cream cheese, softened
½ cup heavy cream
⅔ cup sugar
¼ cup light corn syrup
¼ teaspoon citric acid

PASSION FRUIT SYRUP
6 large or 8 medium passion fruits
3 tablespoons sugar

ADVANCE PREP
For the frozen yogurt base:
Set a sieve over a bowl and line it with two layers of cheesecloth. Pour the yogurt into the sieve, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for 6 to 8 hours to drain. Discard the liquid and measure out 1¼ cups of the strained yogurt; set aside.

PREP
For the passion fruit syrup:
Set a sieve over a bowl. Slice each passion fruit in half and scoop the flesh of the fruit into the sieve. Using a spatula or wooden spoon, push the fruit through the sieve, leaving the seeds behind.
Measure out ½ cup of the passion fruit pulp and combine it with the sugar in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Remove from the heat and let cool.

For the frozen yogurt base:
Mix about 3 tablespoons of the milk with the cornstarch and turmeric in a small bowl to make a smooth slurry.

Whisk the cream cheese and salt in a medium bowl until smooth.
Fill a large bowl with ice and water.

COOK
Combine the remaining milk, the cream, sugar, and corn syrup in a 4-quart saucepan, bring to a boil over medium-high heat, and boil for 4 minutes. Remove from the heat and gradually whisk in the cornstarch mixture.
Bring the mixture back to a boil over medium-high heat and cook, stirring with a heatproof spatula, until slightly thickened, about 1 minute. Remove from the heat.

CHILL
Gradually whisk the hot milk mixture into the cream cheese until smooth. Add the reserved 1¼ cups drained yogurt, the passion fruit syrup, and citric acid and whisk until smooth.
Pour the mixture into a 1-gallon Ziploc freezer bag and submerge the sealed bag in the ice bath. Let stand, adding more ice as necessary, until cold, about 30 minutes.

FREEZE
Pour into the frozen canister and spin until thick and creamy. Pack the frozen yogurt into a storage container. Press a sheet of parchment directly against the surface and seal with an airtight lid. Freeze in the coldest part of your freezer until firm, at least 4 hours.

To combine

PREP
Remove prepared ice cream and frozen yogurt from the freezer and place them on the counter for about 10 minutes. They should still be frozen but slightly softened. Then, working quickly, layer balls of each flavor into your empty containers, alternating between flavors until you have used up all of the ice cream and frozen yogurt.

FREEZE
When you’ve finished scooping into the containers, press a piece of parchment directly against the surface of each and seal with an airtight lid. Freeze in the coldest part of your freezer until firm, at least 4 hours.

Great topped with caramel sauce and roasted peanuts, or all by itself on a cone.

Makes about 1 quart

2 cups whole milk
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon cornstarch
1½ ounces (3 tablespoons) cream cheese, softened
½ teaspoon fine sea salt
1¼ cups heavy cream
⅔ cup sugar
2 tablespoons light corn syrup
1 cup fresh, unsalted popcorn

PREP
Mix about 2 tablespoons of the milk with the cornstarch in a small bowl to make a smooth slurry.
Whisk the cream cheese and salt in a medium bowl until smooth. Fill a large bowl with ice and water.

COOK
Combine the remaining milk, the cream, sugar, corn syrup, and popcorn in a 4-quart saucepan, bring to a rolling boil over medium-high heat, and boil for 4 minutes. Remove from the heat and puree.
Strain the milk mixture through a sieve lined with a layer of cheesecloth, pressing on the popcorn to extract as much cream as possible. Return to the saucepan and gradually whisk in the cornstarch slurry. Bring the mixture back to a boil over medium-high heat and cook, stirring with a heatproof spatula, until slightly thickened, about 1 minute. Remove from the heat.

CHILL
Gradually whisk the hot milk mixture into the cream cheese until smooth.
Pour the mixture into a 1-gallon Ziploc freezer bag and submerge the sealed bag in the ice bath. Let stand, adding more ice as necessary, until cold, about 30 minutes.

FREEZE
Pour the ice cream base into the frozen canister of the ice cream machine and spin until thick and creamy.
Pack the ice cream into a storage container, press a sheet of parchment directly against the surface, and seal with an airtight lid. Freeze in the coldest part of your freezer until firm, at least 4 hours.

*If using pre-popped popcorn, adjust down the amount of salt used.

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