No-Churn Baby Ruth Chunk Ice Cream inspired by The Goonies

Like most other children of the 80's, I hold The Goonies in cult classic status. I've worn out a couple of VHS tapes in my day, and even a DVD. I can spout off one-liners and amuse (annoy) my kids by reciting every line of every character while they're trying to watch it. Unlike Andy, I most definitely am a Goonie. This month I'm going into it with a nod to the food of The Goonies.

Obviously Chunk lends the most fodder to the flick. The 80's thrived on anti-PC characters. Of course, the chubby kid gets to have all the fun. From pizza and milkshakes to twinkies (deleted scene) and candy bars to potato chips and ice cream—it revolves around Chunk. But the thing is, he doesn't just eat it to eat it—he's passionate about it. I mean, he can wax poetic about the glories of ice cream when there's "a stiff" mere inches from the cartons. How can you not love Chunk?

Is there other food inspiration to be found? Yes, there definitely is. You need only look to the Fratellis (Italian), Steph (fresh crab), Brand (muscle building food), Data (Chinese), or perhaps a little Octopus (the deleted scene that Data alludes to towards the end). And I was so very close to using one of the best Mouth (slash Mama Fratelli) scenes for inspiration; not Veal Scallopini, not Fettucini Alfredo, but—you guessed it—TONGUE!

Tongue isn't actually uncommon in my house; it makes fantastic tacos. I haven't actually shared a tongue dish since 2009 (Lengua a la Veracruzana). What I wanted to do was an Italian dish (as a nod to the Fratellis and the setting of that scene) that features pickled tongue. I could have pickled a beef tongue and then made it, but I'd have to order some TCM (tinted curing mix), and by the time I thought about it, I just didn't have the time left.

I thought maybe I could purchase a beef tongue already pickled, and I could at a local kosher deli. But it was $8.99 per pound, and it was a 5-pound tongue. I just couldn't shell out that kind of cash right now. So, I went back to the drawing board.

So, of course, when people think The Goonies, they think Baby Ruth. How could you not love the scene where Chunk and Sloth bond over a candy bar? So, I combined the Baby Ruth scene with the "I smell ice cream" scene, to come up with this Baby Ruth CHUNK Ice Cream.
And since I'd been meaning to find a great no-churn recipe, for those times when I want ice cream but the barrel of my ice cream maker is in the basement instead of the freezer, you don't need an ice cream machine to make this!  With 3 simple ingredients you can make an awesome batch of vanilla ice cream. Add 2 more ingredients, and you've got some Goonies-inspired frozen goodness.

I have a feeling that Chunk would have been very excited to find some Baby Ruth Chunk Ice Cream amongst the cartons of Mississippi Mud, Super Duper Chocolate Eruption, Apple, and Grape!

No-Churn Baby Ruth Chunk Ice Cream

Make creamy 5-ingredient ice cream without an ice cream maker! This No-Churn Baby Ruth Chunk ice cream recipe is inspired by the beloved 80's movie, The Goonies.

by Heather Schmitt-Gonzalez

Prep Time: 10 minutes + 6 hours to freeze

Keywords: dessert soy-free vegetarian chocolate caramel cream peanuts ice-cream frozen American summer

Ingredients (~1 1/2 quarts)

• 1 (14 ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
• 2 teaspoons vanilla bean paste (or pure vanilla extract)
• 2 cups (1 pint) heavy cream, cold
• generous 1/2 cup of caramel sauce, homemade or storebought
• 1 King Size Baby Ruth candy bar, cut into smallish chunks

Instructions

Stir the sweetened condensed milk and vanilla bean paste together in a small bowl; set aside.

Place heavy cream in a large mixing bowl and beat until stiff peaks form. Scrape the condensed milk mixture into the cream and gently fold in.

Scoop the mixture into a freezer safe container (I use a 12" x 5" x 2" Biscotti pan). Drizzle the caramel over the top of the mixture in thick ribbons. Scatter the Baby Ruth chunks over the top. Use a thin-bladed knife to gently swirl the caramel and candy into the cream mixture.

Cover tightly with plastic wrap and freeze for at least 6 hours (or until firm) before serving.

-No-Churn Base adapted ever-so-slightly from Martha Stewart

I am thrilled to be hosting this month's edition of Food 'n Flix with one of my all-time favorite flicks, The Goonies! If you have a blog, you are more than welcome to join us this month. Simply (re-)watch The Goonies with a "foodie" mindset, then take your inspiration into the kitchen and create something delicious!

For further details, please check out my announcement post. Submissions are due by the end of the day on Friday, May 29th!

Next month's Food 'n Flix host is Evelyne from Cheap Ethnic Eatz, and she has chosen the flick Butter. I hope you'll join us!