Morgenstern's Finest Ice Cream: A Cookbook

by Nicholas Morgenstern

An ice cream manifesto, from the mind behind one of America’s best scoop shops

No one knows more about scoops and sundaes than “ice cream maestro” (The Wall Street Journal) Nicholas Morgenstern, owner and founder of Morgenstern’s Finest Ice Cream in New York City. A temple to ice cream, for a decade the shop has been a must-visit destination, known for its extreme dedication to flavor.

Morgenstern develops each recipe specifically for each individual ice cream, fine tuning the balance of sugar and dairy (and forgoing eggs, which make things taste . . . eggy), for the most flavorful ice creams you’ll find anywhere.

Now, in his first cookbook, he shares the wisdom that he’s accumulated over a lifetime of obsessive study. From multiple takes on classics like vanilla (French! Bourbon! Burnt Honey!), chocolate (Salted! Sour! Bitter!), and strawberry (Smooth and Delicious! Chunky! 'n Cream!) to his own sure-to-be classic inventions, like Salted Caramel Pretzel, Charred Banana, Tahini and Jelly, and even French Fry, the recipes in this book will satisfy every taste. And, of course, alongside the flavors themselves are a plethora of sundaes, sauces, and more, giving home cooks everything they need to churn out professional grade ice cream at home.

Genres: Cookbooks

288 pages, Kindle Edition

Published June 17, 2025

Reviews

[June · Rating 3 out of 5]

We bought a Jersey cow a week ago. I see a lot of butter, cheese, and ice cream in our future, since even a small Jersey can produce more than enough milk for a family of nearly a dozen.

So of course I plucked this from the New Nonfiction shelf this week. And don't these recipes—some quite basic, some more complicated—look scrumptious.

The recipe with cinnamon toast reminds me of one of my favorite ice cream sandwich recipes, proffered here free to every reader: Toast two slices of cinnamon swirl bread (if your local discount grocer regularly sells outdated Pepperidge Farm loaves for steep discounts, all the better). While toast is still piping hot, clap them on either side of a nice one-inch-thick slice of frozen ice cream—I'm always up for chocolate, but vanilla will do in a pinch. Slice sandwich in half and serve the nearest person and yourself. Plate may be needed to catch the drips.

[Alicia Bayer · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a giant, lavishly illustrated ice cream cookbook for ice cream shop designer ice cream of all types from bubble gum to bourbon vanilla to oddball gourmet options like avocado toast and chocolate with roasted eggplant. The basic recipe is eggless and involves whole milk, heavy cream, milk powder, glucose syrup, powdered sugar and specialty vanilla products (with instructions on how to make them). There are oodles of recipes and photos, and there are a few vegan options. These aren’t quick recipes but they are undoubtedly great ones.

I read a digital copy of this book for review.

[Lindsi K. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ironic that I’m rating a recipe book without having tried any of the recipes. This book was an absolutely random grab at the library because the photographs are stunning. I have no intention of making ice cream soon, but was captured by the artistry of the book and loved reading through it. There was even a section mentioning using Waffle House ingredients, which was a DELIGHTFUL surprise because I am a Waffle House girl through and through. Such a fun and beautiful book. Well done!

[Emily]

Some flavor combos that would be interesting to try. However, the layout is poor, with ingredients (in an all caps font) and instructions (different font, italicized) in squished columns that are difficult to read. I am usually a fan of cookbooks with a lot of photos, but this has a lot of random photos that pad out the book, including a page of random Waffle House pictures and one of avocado peels and pits in a trash can.

[Beka · Rating 3 out of 5]

The ice cream looks and sounds delicious, although they do use quite a number of less widely available ingredients (in the bases and the flavors). I would probably enjoys most of their flavors, but the book was actually off-putting because the chef has a very obvious chip on his shoulder that jumps off the pages. (At one point, he remarks that a dish of theirs because popular so they stopped selling it.)