Nothing better than a bowl of ice cream on a hot summer’s day. But ice cream is so versatile and such a kid pleaser, why limit the delicious chilly treat to being served in a plain bowl? Try some of these easy ice cream recipes with your kids this summer for a little refreshing fun.
Make Ice Cream Shapes
Allow a carton of your favorite flavor of ice cream to soften, then spread it on a cookie sheet and re-freeze. While the ice cream is re-freezing gather a variety of cookie cutters, colorful sprinkles, chocolate chips and other small candies. Once the ice cream has solidly re-frozen, remove from freezer and have kids cut out ice cream shapes and decorate with the tiny treats. A fun, edible kids craft that’s great for a hot afternoon or to incorporate as part of the fun of a child’s birthday party.
Ice Cream Cupcake
Make or buy cupcakes (cupcakes need to be unfrosted). Hollow out the center of the cupcakes and fill with softened ice cream. Place on a cookie sheet and freeze. Once frozen, frost cupcake just before serving. This is a great make-ahead crowd pleasing treat for a backyard pool party of child’s birthday party.
Homemade Ice Cream Sandwiches
Here’s a sandwich that’s sure to please – an ice cream sandwich. Remove your favorite flavor of ice cream from the container, place on a cutting board and allow to soften just enough so it can be sliced. Have jumbo chocolate chips cookies ready and slice ice cream into one-half to one inch slices and sandwich the slice between two chocolate chip cookies. Place sandwiches on a cookie sheet and re-freeze. Serve as a handheld treat by wrapping one half of sandwich in wax paper or place the homemade ice cream sandwich in a bowl and drizzle with chocolate that’s been heated in the microwave.
If you want to make these ice cream sandwiches a day or so ahead of time for an event, wrap them in wax paper or place each one inside a Ziploc sandwich bag to prevent the ice cream from developing freezer burn.
Make a S’Mores Milkshake
You can still have the taste of s’mores with the outdoor camp fire with this ice cream recipe. Toast marshmallows under the oven broiler and toss into a blender with vanilla ice cream, chocolate chips and crumbled graham crackers. Blend until the mixture reaches desired consistency then enjoy the chilly flavor of a s’mores milkshake.
Fruity Ice Cream Dessert
This ice cream recipe will help you sneak some fruit and fiber into you child’s diet. Grill fresh apple or peach slices (pineapples, mangos, etc.) until they are heated through and have grill marks. Place grilled fruit in a bowl, top with a scoop of vanilla ice cream and sprinkle with granola. A semi-healthy dessert for young and old alike.
Sources:
My Own Recipes and Experience
