Homemade Ice Cream Just Got So Much Better With Little Debbie

Little Debbie snacks are some of the most nostalgic treats around. Classics, such as Nutty Buddies and Oatmeal Creme Pies, still fly off the shelves. The company's sweets have been around for over half a century, and in 2021, Little Debbie started introducing ice creams inspired by some of its most iconic sweet offerings. While the collection has grown to over a dozen flavors, you can alternatively (and quite easily) use Little Debbie snacks to elevate homemade ice cream instead.

The process is simple, and it lets you control flavors, ingredient quality, and even how much of your favorite Little Debbie snack you get in one scoop. Even for people who aren't fans of the company's sugary offerings, using Little Debbie snacks as a homemade ice cream ingredient opens up a world of flavoring opportunities. A particularly good ice cream component is the old favorite Nutty Buddy.

The chocolate and peanut butter flavors make a good sweet-salty pairing, and the crispy wafers add lots of fun texture to homemade ice cream. Additional chocolate and peanut butter thrown into the mix make the ice cream truly feel like a Nutty Buddy-flavored scoop. While churn-free ice cream is sometimes looked down upon as not as creamy, there are lots of ways to make homemade ice cream without a machine that, ahem, churn out delicious desserts.

Homemade ice cream starts with a base of cream and eggs whisked together to give the finished dessert a light and airy texture, but the process can be simplified by replacing eggs with condensed milk and adding it to whipped cream. The egg version tastes richer, but requires more elbow grease because of the extra beating. Plus, with the addition of candy and other flavoring ingredients, the benefits of adding eggs are more difficult to detect. It's worth saving some effort and using condensed milk instead. If you want to do away with whisking entirely, you can also just use whipped topping and pudding mix with condensed milk. For sweeteners, maple syrup and honey both add a nuanced flavor to the ice cream. Just remember to check that the sweetener pairs well with the Little Debbie treat used.

While you can use almost any candy for flavoring ice cream, Little Debbie snacks are a quirky, crowd-pleasing option with lots of available choices (you can even use Little Debbie snacks for no-bake cakes). Whichever snack you choose (bestsellers include Oatmeal Creme Pies, Swiss Rolls, and Nutty Buddys), be sure to break it into small pieces before incorporating it into the ice cream mix and save some of the chopped candy bars to garnish the top of the ice cream. Remember that the candy bits may get soggy over time, and homemade ice cream in general is prone to ice crystals, which can degrade the creamy texture. Thus, it's best to eat the homemade frozen treat fresh. However, it can also be stored frozen for up to three months in an airtight container if needed.