Here's What Tin Roof Ice Cream Actually Is — And What It Should Taste Like

Ice cream is centuries old and can be found around the world. The most ubiquitous flavors are impossible to trace exactly back to its origins, but we can get close. Chocolate ice cream dates back to the 1690s in Italy, even before vanilla, which didn't show up until the 1760s. Given all the specialty flavors found in ice cream shops today, from Flamin' Hot Cheetos to Thanksgiving dinner, you could safely argue there are thousands of ice cream flavors in the world. Nestled all delicious and cozy between old standby flavors and unique new ones are classics like Tin Roof. It may not be as popular as it once was, but it's got a heck of a legacy, and it's pretty tasty.

Tin Roof ice cream was first invented as a sundae in the 1930s in the small town of Potter, Nebraska, at a place called Potter Sundry. It's made with vanilla ice cream, and topped with hot fudge, chocolate ice cream, and warm marshmallow drizzle. A few salty, skin-on Spanish peanuts, one of the ultimate ice cream sundae upgrades, complete the dish. These classic flavors blend salty and sweet in just the right proportions, offering contrasting texture and temperature. This combination made Potter world famous.

Since its creation, the Tin Roof sundae has come a long way. When we listed iconic desserts from every state, it was the clear choice for Nebraska. Luckily for those who can't make the trip, Tin Roof is available at stores and ice cream shops.

Tin Roof ice cream was invented by Harold Dean "Pinky" Thayer. His daughter Kathy says the name came from tin roof ceiling tiles right above the counter where Thayer made the first sundae. He created a number of other ice cream desserts over the years, but none proved as popular or lasted the way Tin Roof did. By the 1960s, there were ice cream shops in California selling Tin Roof sundaes. That's an impressive feat, considering even today the town only has a population of 300. Nowadays, the ice cream is available from creameries like Blue Bell and Turkey Hill. You can also find it in shops as far away as South Africa.

Most versions of Tin Roof ice cream are not exactly the same as the original sundae. Some of them, like Blue Bell, include vanilla ice cream and chocolate sauce with chocolate covered peanuts. There's no chocolate ice cream or marshmallow. Western Family's version is vanilla with fudge swirl and peanuts. Woolworth's in South Africa swaps the peanuts for almonds.

You'll be hard-pressed to find a store-bought version of Tin Roof ice cream that includes marshmallow in the mix. This is a little odd since marshmallow is one of only five ingredients in the original Tin Roof Sundae. Modern creameries seem to leave it out of its recipes. You can make some at home, though, since it's easy to turn regular marshmallows into marshmallow cream to top your own sundae.