Candy Corn Oreo Ice Cream

Candy corn is a candy that is known for its look more than its flavor. The yellow, orange and white triangles are everywhere during the fall, from well before Halloween through Thanksgiving, and they’ve inspired all kinds of other treats, including a limited edition Oreo cookie. Most candy corns don’t have a lot of flavor to them beyond being slightly sweet. The best candy corns are mellowcremes, fondant candies that are made with honey in addition to sugar. The honey gives these soft, slightly chewy candies a flavor that is as distinct as its look – and that honey flavor is the reason that I am a candy corn fan.

I decided to use my Candy Corn Oreo cookies in an application where I could take advantage of their bright colors and add in some of that honey flavor that I like to see in regular candy corn. I decided on ice cream, since cookies n’ cream ice cream is a natural fit for any kind of Oreo cookie anyway.

My ice cream base is flavored with honey and vanilla. Use a good quality honey that you like the flavor of, because you will really taste it in the finished product. The base might seem slightly sweet when you mix it up, but that sweetness mellows after the ice cream is frozen to a good balance of sweet honey and vanilla. Candy Corn Oreos are folded into the ice cream after it has churned, adding brilliant yellow and orange colors to the white ice cream that will make anyone think of candy corn. The have a nice crunch against the creamy ice cream base, as well.

You will need an ice cream maker for the best results in this recipe, but you can prepare a no-churn version by adapting my No Churn Cherry Garcia Ice Cream to replace the cherries with your Halloween Oreos.

Candy Corn Oreo Ice Cream
1 3/4 cups heavy cream
1 cup whole milk
1/4 cup honey
1/2 cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups chopped Candy Corn Oreo cookies

In a small saucepan, combine whole milk, honey and sugar. Cook over medium heat, stirring with a spatula, until honey has dissolved. Stir in vanilla extract. Cool mixture slightly and pour in heavy cream. Chill in the refrigerator until mixture is very cold, at least one hour.
Pour into your ice cream maker and freeze as directed.
Once the ice cream has churned, fold in the chopped Candy Corn Oreos. Transfer ice cream to a freezer-safe container and freeze until firm, at least 2-3 hours.