Ice Cream Summers

My mother was a Tupperware fan, which is a brand I recently learned became popular in the fifties. It’s still around today, although their products have changed over time. I have fond memories of what would now be considered their “vintage” items. (Let me clarify, I am not “vintage.” Just the Tupperware we used.)

I remember pouring Kool-Aid from a yellow pitcher with the classic push button top, or matching thick plastic bottoms with their coordinating clear ridged lids, or listening for that trademark “Burp” when a lid would seal. Our leftovers and lunches and snacks were neatly arranged in those sturdy containers lining the fridge. We would take them everywhere, prominently displaying our name on them in permanent marker should there be any confusion as to the owners of the containers.

Collaboratively, those Tupperware containers create a colorful backdrop of my childhood. However, there is one special container I recall vividly from summer- the Tupperware Ice Cream Container.

The specific container we had was dark brown with a milky white plastic lid. I can’t imagine how a company thought brown would be a cute color to store food in, but hey, it was created way back when, by people without Pinterest and the guidance of Joanna Gaines. It was solid and it was precious and it was the most exciting thing to see during the summer because it signaled pure, sweet joy soon to come.

Actual picture of my mother’s Tupperware container, which she graciously texted me for this very blog post. Thanks, Mom!

You see, one summer my mother discovered a cookies and cream (with Oreo cookies, of course!) ice cream recipe that fit perfectly in our unassuming brown container. Want to know the best part? No ice cream machine needed. It’s true! Which was great because we did not have an ice cream maker, but we did want to whip together our own ice cream. All we needed was some good old-fashioned muscle. And don’t forget the egg yolks, Eagle Brand Evaporated milk (yes, it had to be that brand), Oreos, and a few other ingredients. We made this ice cream year after year, summer after summer.

Here’s a copy of the recipe below. Please note, I did not create this recipe. I have no idea who did. Maybe Eagle Brand created this recipe? Or Oreo Cookies?. Those creators are geniuses and are very capable of having created the recipe pictured. Also, apologies for sharing recipes without permission and violating copyright laws. Regardless, here it is. Enjoy.

The fun part of following this ice cream recipe was crushing the cookies. We’d put them in a baggie on the counter and smash them with the bottom of a cup. We couldn’t help but giggle as we watched the Oreos break into pieces under our mighty hands. Please do try this at home.

Once everything was mixed and folded and poured into the Tupperware container, we had to wait an excruciating six hours until the ice cream was ready. This was the hard part, obviously. If we planned accordingly, it would be ready in the late afternoon or evening. Then, we’d invite the neighbor kids over and we would all dig in, stuffing ourselves until we couldn’t handle the smooth richness anymore. This process repeated many times over summer, and many summers over the years. That ice cream is still my favorite today.

Perhaps those early cookies and cream ice cream days fanned the flame of my current ice cream obsession. It’s a summer staple in my house. My husband and children know I love sampling from small ice cream shops wherever we go to taste the frozen goodness. The kids don’t have to try hard to get mommy to buy ice cream for everyone when we are out and about.

I was gifted an ice cream maker years ago so I could make my own at home, and I have since gone through two more makers. My current one is a Kitchenaid mixer attachment and is so easy the kids can use it. My muscles (or lack thereof) thank me. I enjoy trying new flavors and mixing them up. I once tried to make my own mint ice cream, using actual mint leaves. This did not turn out well, and I do not recommend, but it was a great learning experience. I’m sticking to buying that flavor.

I’ve also used various fruits to make ice cream. Before I typed this blog post, I sat and devoured the last of an apricot ice cream, made from the juices of locally picked apricots and way too much sugar (true story).

Last week I wanted to recreate the cookies and cream ice cream from my childhood, but I was out of Oreo cookies (I have no idea why I am constantly out of Oreos. I mean, I buy them all the time.). Instead, I raided the freezer for my Girl Scout cookie stash and discovered an unopened sleeve of Thin Mints. And voila, Thin Mint and Cream ice cream was born. Yes, I realize you can buy this in stores, but I promise mine was delicious. The secret ingredient was the giggles from smashing cookies before mixing them in.

Girl Scout Cookie Thin Mint Ice Cream about to be frozen for 6 hours.

While I might not have a vintage Tupperware ice cream container to excite my children, I do have an actual ice cream maker and the stories of my ice cream summers to share. I like to think I’m creating a tradition, marking their memories of summer with ice cream, so they too can reminisce over the flavors we create, and recall the joy of licking the last bit of ice cream out of the bottom of a container.

This post was written as part of a blog hop with Exhale—an online community of women pursuing creativity alongside motherhood, led by the writing team behind Coffee + Crumbs. Click here to read the next post in this series "The Story of a Recipe".