Ample Hills Creamery is Seriously New York’s Best Ice Cream
By Jennifer Shanteau
It was just a regular, random day. I ran a few errands, went to the grocery store, and that’s when it happened……I met my ice cream soul mate. Plucked from the frozen section of Green Bay Organics was my pint of Ample Hills Creamery Nonna D’s Oatmeal Lace Ice Cream. It wasn’t even the ice cream flavor I intended to buy. I reached in, and in my haste to run errands as quickly as possible, I grabbed the wrong one…..or so I thought. Fate had other plans for me.
I don’t know if you’re like me, but I tend to eat ice cream as if I’m digging for buried treasure….looking for all of those little bits of pecan, cherry, or chocolate, and then sadly end up being left with half a pint of the plain base. With Nonna D’s Oatmeal Lace, there is no hunt. She lays before you all her treasures. This was the best ice cream I have ever had! Sorry, Haagen Daz, Ben and Jerry, and Talente (technically gelato, I know), Ample Hills Creamery has you beat. I saved a modest taste for the other family members occupying my household, since they knew I had acquired it, and finished the entire pint…..not a drop was spared. Two days later, I returned to the scene, purchased an additional pint, and ate that, too. Yes, all by myself. It’s survival of the fittest in our kitchen. You snooze, you lose. Poor four year old didn’t even have a chance. She can’t reach the freezer.
Most people would simply note this experience and move on with their lives, but I was smitten. So, to Google for intel I did go. It turned out that this heaven on earth was born right here in New York….in Brooklyn! They currently have five locations in New York, as well as two seasonal locations, and two year ‘round locations outside of New York…..oh, and they deliver! They even provide classes on making ice cream. So, I contacted them at once, and signed up, of course. I needed to know everything I could know about my beloved.
I arrived at Ample Hills Creamery’s Gowanis location, where they hold their two hour classes, and was very warmly greeted by their staff. I’ve never seen ice cream scoopers seem so genuinely excited to scoop! The guy behind the counter gave me four phenomenal samples to try. I could tell instantly, his beloved was born there, too. Then, I was escorted upstairs, where they hold their classes, (and birthday parties)…..and I noticed there is also a super cute outside terrace spot up there, too. You know, where you could sit if spring ever comes.
Jason was the teacher of our class of fifteen…..a mixed bag of couples, singles, mostly young and some not as young….but all wanting to be taught the secrets of this amazing ice cream. The class was very informative, and hands on. We actually made our own ice cream from scratch…..every single step of the way, with no steps being skipped….not even the fifteen minutes of hand churning. This class would make for a fun first date, or a unique gift. We had a couple of people who were there for serious ice cream research, like one of the people I befriended during the experience. It’s very interactive. Even if you’re as shy as a church mouse, you’ll come out with one additional amigo. Shared experiences tend to do that to you, and you already know you have ice cream in common. Pay attention singles!
There are various types of classes: Chocolate Overload!, Dairy Free Decadence, Bourbon, Beer and Boozy Floats, The Masterclass Series, and the one I took, Ice Cream 101. They switch up the flavors they teach on occasion. In my class, they taught us how to create Cookie Dough Ice Cream. At Ample Hills Creamery, they make everything in their ice cream, the base and the mix ins. Here is how we made the vanilla base:
Ingredients:
3/4 Cup Organic Cane Sugar
3/4 Cup Skim Milk Powder
1 1/2 Cups Whole Milk
1 Vanilla Bean
2 Cups Heavy Cream
3 Egg Yolks
1 Teaspoon Vanilla Extract
Ice
Equipment Needed:
Ice Cream Churn
Whisk
Spatula
Strainer
Candy Thermometer
Knife
Medium Saucepan
Bowl
3. Clip a candy thermometer to the saucepan and set the pan over medium heat. Cook, stirring often with a rubber spatula scraping the bottom of the pan to prevent sticking and burning, until the mixture reaches 110° (45° C), 5 to 10 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat.
4. Place the egg yolks in a medium bowl. 
While whisking, slowly pour ½ cup (120 ml) of the hot milk mixture into the egg yolk mixture to temper them. Continue to whisk slowly until the mixture is an even color and consistency. Then whisk the egg-yolk mixture back into the remaining milk mixture.
6. Transfer the pan to the prepared ice bath and let cool for 15 to 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the vanilla and stir to combine. Pour the ice cream base through a wire-mesh strainer into a storage container and place in the refrigerator for 1 to 2 hours, or until completely cool.
8. You just made ice cream! Transfer the ice cream to a storage container. Serve immediately or harden in your freezer for 8 to 12 hours for a more scoopable ice cream.
All in all, I am hugely impressed with not only this ice cream, but this company. I truly feel the love. They stress fun, and high quality ingredients with a staff that is friendly and knowledgeable. They do the very best they can…..and their best, is THE best. I cannot wait for them to open one of their additional locations in Astoria this summer. (They are scheduled to open the other one in Red Hook.) Thank you, Ample Hills Creamery! Thank you for the best ice cream experience of my life. You’ll be receiving my resume shortly.