Vanilla ice cream with a crunchy corn flake and cinnamon coating! This fried dessert will totally bring back fun memories of Mexican food and warm and cold, honey smothered bliss.
Prepare a tray to hold the ice cream balls with a sheet of wax (or parchment) paper. Using a large ice cream scoop, dish the ice cream balls onto the tray and freeze for at least 1 hour.
Place the crushed corn flakes, cinnamon, and salt in a shallow dish. Separately, put the egg whites in a small bowl. Dip the ice cream balls into the egg whites, rolling to coat and immediately roll in the corn flake mixture. You can repeat this to get a thicker coating; pressing firmly as you roll is the best way to get the corn flake mixture to stick. Freeze for at least 4 hours or overnight.
Preheat the oil in a small Dutch oven or in a medium pot over medium heat until it reaches about 350° to 365°F, about 10 minutes. Set a plate lined with paper towel off to the side (for straining). Use a slotted skimmer to lower the ice cream into the hot oil (working with 1-2 scoops at a time). Fry for between 7 to 12 seconds each side, turning to prevent burning. Strain and serve immediately with honey and whipped cream.
Notes
Honey (No Egg White) Method: You can dip the ice cream in honey, instead of egg whites, then roll in the corn flake mixture. Press firmly to get a good coating. Please see post for more about this technique.Short on Time?If you don't have time to freeze the ice cream for the required time, you can still enjoy the spirit of this dessert.
Make the corn flake mixture (skip the egg whites).
Warm 1/4 cup (4 tablespoons) butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Once the butter is melted, add the corn flake mixture and cook until you see some browning. Add 1/4 cup honey and stir together. Use this "fried" topping for the ice cream. Serve while the honey-corn flake mixture is still hot for best results.
*For nutrition information in this recipe, I have calculated the oil retention of 1 tsp per ball of ice cream based on a 1/2 cup scoop.