A mix-in is a type of

dessert Dessert is a course (food), course that concludes a meal; the course consists of sweet foods, such as cake, biscuit, ice cream, and possibly a beverage, such as dessert wine or liqueur. Some cultures sweeten foods that are more commonly umami, ...

made of

ice cream Ice cream is a frozen dessert typically made from milk or cream that has been flavoured with a sweetener, either sugar or an alternative, and a spice, such as Chocolate, cocoa or vanilla, or with fruit, such as strawberries or peaches. Food ...

and another

flavoring A flavoring (or flavouring), also known as flavor (or flavour) or flavorant, is a food additive that is used to improve the taste or smell of food. It changes the perceptual impression of food as determined primarily by the chemoreceptors of ...

such as candy. Mix-in desserts are traditionally sold in an

ice cream parlor Ice cream parlors (American English) or ice cream parlours (British English) are parlor that sell ice cream, gelato, sorbet, and/or frozen yogurt to consumers. Ice cream is typically sold as regular ice cream (also called hard-packed or hard- ...

and are made at the time of ordering. Popular examples of this dessert include

Dairy Queen International Dairy Queen, Inc. (DQ) is an American multinational fast food chain founded in 1940 and currently headquartered in Bloomington, Minnesota. The first Dairy Queen was owned and operated by Sherb Noble and first opened on June 22, ...

's Blizzard and

McDonald's McDonald's Corporation, doing business as McDonald's, is an American Multinational corporation, multinational fast food chain store, chain. As of 2024, it is the second largest by number of locations in the world, behind only the Chinese ch ...

McFlurry.

Product description

A mix-in is a type of dessert made with

and another product that is either blended or folded in.

History

The concept of mixing in additional flavors at the time of ordering was created in North Dakota in the 1930's. The last known Whirla-Whip machine from that era is still in use at Dakota Drug in Stanlet, North Dakota. Steve Herrell used this concept in 1973, when Mr. Herrell founded

Steve's Ice Cream Steve's Ice Cream was an ice cream brand which began as an ice-cream parlor chain owned by Steve Herrell. He opened his first establishment at 191 Elm Street in Somerville, Massachusetts in 1973. Known as the Original Steve's Ice Cream, the busi ...

, near Boston, where they would crush

Heath Bar The Heath bar is a candy bar made of toffee, almonds, and milk chocolate, first manufactured by the Heath Brothers Confectionery in 1928. The Heath bar has been manufactured and distributed by Hershey since its acquisition of the Leaf Interna ...

s and other candies or confections and mix them into ice cream. Another term for the concept is "smoosh-ins". His system spread across the industry from his store, and became the model for many other ice cream businesses and desserts.

Product description

History

References

See also