This veteran stoner duo has ingested cannabis in every way imaginable, so of course their favorite treat would be a dish so decadent you’ll dream about it every night.
Getting stoned off of ice cream sounds like a late-night fantasy spawned by some killer bong sessions. But lo and behold, it’s not an impossible dream, like the mythical beer smoothie or absinthe popsicle—ganja ice cream is easy to make and it tastes great! All you need is a dream, some dank herb, and an ice-cream maker, which we have invested in. How else could we re-create the infamous frozen dessert from the 1981 movie Nice Dreams?
Marijuana-laced ice cream is integral to the plot of this madcap stoner comedy, where we find Cheech and Chong working at an ice-cream stand named “Happy Herb’s Nice Dreams.” In the movie, experimental marijuana from a character named Weird Jimmy is transformed into the aforementioned ice cream, which Cheech and Chong then sell, making tons of loot and meeting hot girls. Spoiler alert: The pair have stoned misadventures while being chased by Sergeant Stedanko, get trapped in a mental hospital, and end up working in a strip club.
After watching the movie, we were so intrigued by the imaginary iced concoction that we just had to try to make some for ourselves. After much experimenting with cannabis, we stumbled upon a real-life recipe for “Nice Dream” Ice Cream from the wonderful folks at the Wo/Men’s Alliance for Medical Marijuana (Wamm.org). So get a DVD of Nice Dreams and watch it while you enjoy a bowl of its namesake dessert. Better yet, invite a bunch of friends over and make it an ice-cream social!
MAKES ABOUT 1 QUART
4 cups half-and-half
2 tablespoons Simple Cannabutter (see recipe)
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup sugar
½ teaspoon salt
OPTIONAL ADD-INS
¼ cup chocolate chips
¼ cup chopped pecans
¼ cup crumbled cookies or candy bar pieces
1. Pour half-and-half into a large pot over high heat. Scald until bubbles form at edges. Remove from heat.
2. Melt the cannabutter into the hot half-and-half. Add vanilla, sugar, and salt. Cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
3. Freeze according to the directions for your ice-cream maker, adding in chocolate chips, pecans, cookies, or candy bar pieces, as manufacturer suggests.