Dining Out: Ample sweet treats at Ample Hills Creamery

Ample Hills Creamery marks its fourth anniversary this year and is celebrating it in style, by releasing its very own ice cream cookbook/storybook, full of recipes, fun doodles, pictures and stories about the young, yet already beloved Prospect Heights institution.

Penned by owners Brian Smith and Jackie Cuscuna with help and illustrations by fan-turned-communications-person Lauren Kaelin, the tome, titled “Ample Hills Creamery: Secrets and Stories from Brooklyn’s Favorite Ice Cream Shop,” is 224 pages full of the same spirit and vibrant flavors that Brooklynites have come to expect, but with a backstage peek at just how much work—and how much fun—it has been to build a business while making Salted Crack Caramel, Nanatella and other ice cream from scratch.

“We wanted to capture the vibe and spirit of [the shop] and not just make it a cookbook,” explained Kaelin. Added Cuscuna, “also, it’s a shop for kids, so [the book] had to be kid-friendly, but not exclusively. We also decided to organize it by mood” instead of chapters.

The result is a series of flavor recommendations listed according to whether you feel Blissful, Curioser, Nostalgic, Nutty, Tipsy, Sluggish, or Heartbroken.

No recipe compilation would be complete without Salted Crack Caramel (page 147), which Smith and Cuscuna say is the most popular flavor at Ample Hill. Inspired by crack cookies brought in by a former colleague at a school they used to teach at, and the fact that caramel is “hard to make consistently, so ours is burnt caramel,” it is simultaneously crunchy, sweet and savory, with a slight saltiness.

Nanatella (page 58) is another favorite, its mix of soft banana and Nutella perfect for comfort and nostalgia. Cotton Candy (page 84) features a bright blue hue and somehow manages to taste better than the fluffy stuff you get at the amusement parks, Orange Dreamsicle is refreshing with a light citrus tang, Strawberries and Cream is flecked with bits of fruit but remains smooth and not at all overwhelming, and Sweet Cream and Cookies (page 40) comes off as a burst of classically sweet indulgence.

Black Cow Float (page 87) and Peppermint Pattie (page 157) are thankfully exactly as advertised, tasting like a creamy version of a root beer float and a mouthful of peppermint and chocolate, respectively.

Vegans are also not left out with the Coconut Fudge Sorbet (page 49) offering a bit of guilt-free decadence that is rich and refreshing.

On the adult-flavored side, there is the addictive Bourbon Street (page 117) and the intriguingly coffee-flavored The Dude (page 123) made out of white Russian ice cream with vodka.

Prices at the shop are $2.75 for a kid’s size cup, $4.35 for a small, $5.75 for a large, and $8.25 for a to-go pint. You can also build your own sundae, add toppings for 75 cents each, and opt for one of five cone options: regular, wafer, pretzel ($1.25 extra), chocolate chip and chocolate (both $1.25 extra).

Fans can also look forward to Ample Hills’ upcoming third location in Gowanus—second after an outpost on Brooklyn Bridge Park’s Pier 5—coming this year.

Ample Hills Creamery

623 Vanderbilt Avenue

www.amplehills.com

347-240-3926

Open Sundays-Thursdays: 12 to 10 p.m.

Friday-Saturdays: 12 to 11 p.m.