Scrapple Ice Cream Wasn't Real. And Then It Was.

Like you, I fell for it. Multiple people shared the following photo with me and I got excited:

If bacon is good enough for ice cream, why not scrapple? But, alas. The good folks at Billy Penn did some research and found out it was all too good to be true.

“We have 16 different varieties of specialty ice cream and sorbet in pints, and the selection can vary by store and season,” said Wegmans spokesperson Katie Redmond. “Scrapple is not one of those flavors.”  😭

[emoji added by me, but should be part of their official statement]

In fact, that photo of Wegmans Scrapple Ice Cream ("scrapple chunks!" #nomnomnom) has been quietly living on the internet since 2010 when it was created by Pete Ruggieri and posted on his Facebook page Scrapple is the New Bacon. A recent reshare shoved it into the scrapple spotlight, leading to thousands of reshares (seriously) and a rollercoaster of emotions.

The Dream Doesn't Die

I thought the journey would end there and we would all be left wondering, would scrapple ice cream be any good? Would it be made with real chunks? Can you somehow maintain the crispy outside while still enveloping it in ice cream?

But Danya Henninger, Cassie Owen and Angie Nassar at Billy Penn wouldn't let the dream die. They wondered aloud too, and then did something about it. And suddenly scrapple ice cream existed!

The team at Billy Penn got in touch with brothers Ryan and Eric Berley of The Franklin Fountain in Philadelphia. I'd never heard of The Franklin Fountain before, so in case you also haven't here is what you need to know: think old soda fountain stores with a soda jerk serving you flavored fizzy water or ice cream while wearing a bowtie. Only this store is set in present day Philadelphia, and they make their own ice cream. In fact, the brothers grew up in Media, PA outside of Philadelphia so they are also well versed in scrapple. I think you can see where this is going.

Ryan and Eric went at it, making a dream come true, while Danya and her team filmed the whole thing.

That video is 30 minutes of interviewing and baking. If you don't have all that time, here is what happened.

First, Ryan (taller brother with more facial hair) started crisping up the scrapple. Being in Philadelphia, he used Habbersett. Rather than cook up crispy slices, he crumpled it up into smaller pieces. He was still careful to get it brown and crispy, but the crumbles made things easier for mixing with the ice cream. Perhaps "scrapple chunks" was too much to hope for in ice cream.

While that was happening, Eric (shorter, mustachioed brother), heated up some milk and added typical scrapple spices. I found this part pretty interesting. I basically expected them to make sweet ice cream and add some scrapple. But they one-upped my expectations, making scrapple-flavored ice cream that also contains real scrapple!

The one thing Eric didn't add is sugar. He decided to to make a savory ice cream and let the eater choose how to top it. Given that this is scrapple, that makes a lot of sense. Everyone has strong opinions about how to top their scrapple (maple syrup vs. ketchup vs. jelly vs. something else vs. nothing) and now, even with the ice cream, you can choose your own adventure.

Heavy cream was added. The mixture was cooled, and then it churned in an ice cream maker for a few hours.

The end result? 

"I am surprised at how good this is. It has that savoury, creamy fatiness. It’s beyond what you even imagine it could be for ice cream. It’s like most creamy, unctuous ice cream ever. And then you have maple syrup on it and it’s just perfect." That's Danya Henninger from the Billy Penn Facebook Live tasting you can watch below. Danya, Cassie and Angie also went into more detail back at their office afterwards. 

I certainly love their description and want so badly to try this myself!

And Here's the Best News of All 

Up to a few weeks ago, the only scrapple ice cream that existed in the world was a photoshopped pint of fake Wegmans scrapple ice cream.

Then the brothers at Franklin Fountain made some. 

Then I hear reports of scrapple ice cream in Beach Haven, New Jersey of all places!

My week at the shore: Ray Romano, Scrapple ice cream and Gator-envy - Ridley Town Talk - Delco News Network https://t.co/XGxWC2yW0R

— Peg DeGrassa (@PeggyDe5) August 14, 2016

And now the wonderful folks at Urban Churn in Harrisburg, PA are experimenting with scrapple-topped ice cream.

The world is exploding with scrapple ice cream! Well, sort of. But I can feel the momentum. If you live in scrapple country and you want to experience scrapple ice cream yourself, we need you talking. Go to your local ice cream shop and ask them to start serving it! If you live near Franklin Fountain or Urban Churn, encourage them to make some more scrapple ice cream! 

We're on the cusp of something big here. Together, #ScrappleNation, we can make Scrapple Ice Cream a permanent reality!