Barbra Streisand's Iconic Ice Cream Makes Instant Coffee The Star

Barbra Streisand isn't just famous for that beautiful crystal-clear singing voice, her dramatic and comedic acting chops in classics like "Funny Girl" and "The Way We Were," or her ability to bring all her talents to the screen as a director. Die-hard fans also know her for her deep, passionate love of coffee ice cream. In her recent memoir, Streisand proclaims her affection for coffee ice cream almost as often as she does for her husband, James Brolin. Her favorite may be McConnell's Brazilian Coffee, but did you know she also has her own recipe?

The key ingredient in Streisand's recipe is instant coffee. It's the same secret ingredient Ina Garten keeps in her pantry. Instant coffee gives the ice cream a deeper, subtle flavor than you'd get with brewed coffee. How much instant coffee to use is somewhat debatable since different versions of the recipe on the internet call for either one or two teaspoons.

Streisand's other trick is to include marshmallows: She combines marshmallows, instant coffee, and warm whole milk into a saucepan. After the mixture has been allowed to cool, Streisand folds in freshly whipped heavy cream before freezing. The famous songbird also noted in the recipe that she liked to eat her ice cream with pretzels. 

Published in a now out-of-print 1967 cookbook, "Singers & Swingers in the Kitchen," Barbara Streisand's recipe is nearly 60 years old, but more recently, it has found its way to TikTok and YouTube. Based on the videos, the result is smooth ice cream, and, as the singer's Academy Award-winning song "Evergreen" says, "soft as an easy chair."

In her professional life, Streisand is never afraid to add her touch to things to make them even better. So perhaps put your own touch on this recipe by using instant espresso instead of instant coffee for a more robust flavor. The songstress liked hers with pretzels, but why not crush them up and fold them into the mixture before freezing? Or try your own mix-ins, like chocolate chips, M&M candies, or your favorite nuts.

Streisand doesn't risk breaking those long, beautiful nails by churning ice cream or using an ice cream machine. Instead, the mixture is poured into an ice cube tray, in this case, without the dividers for individual cubes. You can take a few more steps and put the mixture into an ice cream maker, but if you leave it overnight in the freezer, you may just wake up saying, "A star is born."