It’s not.

What this ice cream is is a monumental test of your self control. First, you mix up the fudgey ice cream base and try not to do too many “quality control” tests by dipping your fingers in it. Then you cook up some caramel and mix that into the base, trying to remember that greedy fingers + hot caramel = ow ow ow. Then quick, shove it in the fridge and just try to forget about it for a day or two. Next comes churning, when you have to pour the pudding-like rich base into the ice cream machine without eating it all first. Then you let it churn and churn and churn, staring at it impatiently, silently willing it to please hurry. But that’s not all! Oh no, the worst part is yet to come.

Then you have to stick it in the freezer and not eat it for THREE. WHOLE. DAYS.

I’m pretty sure this kind of torture is outlawed in the Geneva Convention, but it’s so worth enduring. I will not hesitate to say this is the best chocolate ice cream I’ve ever had, and I’ve had a lot. It’s creamy and rich and intensely chocolatey. Everyone that tried it came to the same conclusion – it is exactly like eating a frozen truffle and it’s amazing.

Chocolate Truffle Ice Cream

Adapted from Bon Appetit
Makes about 1 quart (4 cups)

The melted chocolate provides most of the flavor in this ice cream, so now is the time to use the good chocolate you’ve been saving up. I didn’t have any high quality chocolate (because I ate it all) so I used 60% Ghirardelli chips, which worked very well.

Ingredients

7 ounces dark chocolate, chopped, or high quality chocolate chips (such as Ghirardelli 60%)
2 cups plus 2 tablespoons 2% milk
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
6 large egg yolks
11 tablespoons sugar, divided
1/4 cup heavy whipping cream
1/2 teaspoon vanilla

Directions

Set a saucepan with about 2 inches of water on the stove and bring to a simmer. Place chocolate in a medium, heat proof bowl. Set bowl over simmering (not boiling) water and stir gently until melted. Set aside.

Empty water from saucepan. Add milk and cocoa powder and whisk over medium heat until hot, steaming, and just about to boil. (Do not boil.) Remove from heat.

Prepare an ice bath using an extra-large bowl half filled with ice and water.

In a large, heat proof bowl, whisk egg yolks and 6 tablespoons sugar briskly until pale yellow and thick ribbons begin to form, about 2 minutes. (Can also be done with an electric mixer.) Whisking constantly, slowly pour hot milk mixture into egg yolks. Return mixture to saucepan. Add melted chocolate, whisking to blend. Stir over low heat until thickened and instant-read thermometer reads 175ºF. Pour custard through a fine mesh strainer back into large bowl. Stir over ice bath until cooled.

Bring remaining 5 tablespoons sugar and 2 tablespoons water to a boil in a heavy, deep saucepan. Stir just until sugar dissolves, then stop stirring. Boil until amber in color. Remove from heat and gradually whisk in heavy cream (caramel will bubble vigorously, so use caution!). Whisk caramel into chocolate custard base. Cover and chill for at least 24 hours, up to 48 hours.

Churn custard base in ice cream maker according to machine instructions. Transfer to a storage container and freeze for 3 days before serving.

Really hot. Like excessive heat warning, face melts when I walk outside, can’t eat anything but frozen foods hot.

So I made popsicles. Did you know making popsicles is pretty fun and pretty easy? I didn’t. I’ve never made them before. I just happened to buy some popsicle molds on a whim when I visited Bake It Pretty (love them!) last year, but I don’t like eating frozen foods when it’s cold outside so I waited and waited to use them. Until now.

All of my waiting paid off. I found some amazing peaches at the farmer’s market and combined them with my favorite yogurt, a vanilla bean and a little bit of cream and bourbon to make these irresistible Peaches & Vanilla Cream Pops. Both my husband and I said, “Whoa. These taste like a Creamsicle!” at first taste. They’re creamy, peachy, vanilla-y and sweet, and they are guaranteed to keep your face from melting off.

Peaches & Vanilla Cream Pops

Printable Recipe
Adapted from Bon Apetit
Makes about 4 popsicles

Ingredients

1/4 cup + 1 tablespoons granulated sugar
1/4 cup water
1/2 vanilla bean, halved lengthwise
2 cups pitted, sliced and peeled peaches (about 2-3 medium peaches)
3 tablespoons heavy cream
3 tablespoons plain greek yogurt (I used Chobani 2%)
1 tablespoon bourbon (optional)

Directions

Place sugar and water in a saucepan over medium high heat. Add vanilla bean seeds scraped from the bean and the bean itself. Bring to a boil, stirring to dissolve sugar. Remove from heat and discard bean. Transfer to a small bowl and chill.

Add peaches and vanilla syrup to a food processor. Puree until smooth. Transfer to a large 2 or 4-cup measuring cup. (You should have about 1 cup of puree.) Whisk in heavy cream, greek yogurt and bourbon.

Pour into popsicle molds, add sticks and freeze until firm. Dip bottoms of molds in hot water to loosen when ready to eat.

A few weeks ago, during one of our many 100 degree days this summer, I picked up a quart of fresh blackberries at the farmers’ market thinking they would be perfect for turning into frozen yogurt. And they were! I added some lemon zest and Limoncello to give it some zing. The alcohol also helps to keep the frozen yogurt from freezing up too hard. Just try not to love the vibrant purple color of this frozen yogurt. It tastes as good as it looks.

If you have blackberries, this is a refreshing and fairly healthy way to cool off during these last few sweltering days of August!

Blackberry Lemon Frozen Yogurt

Adapted from David Lebovitz’s The Perfect Scoop
Makes about 4 cups

I used Chobani 0% Greek yogurt because it’s what I had on hand. It worked fine, but I think 2% or even full fat Greek Yogurt would yield a better texture and creamier frozen yogurt. Limoncello is an Italian lemon liquor that can be found at most liquor stores.

Ingredients

3/4 cup sugar
zest of one lemon
handful of fresh mint leaves (optional)
2 cups Greek yogurt
2 heaping cups (300g) fresh blackberries
2 teaspoons lemon juice
1 tablespoons Limoncello

Directions

Pulse sugar, lemon zest and mint leaves in food processor until sugar is damp and fragrant.

Add yogurt, blackberries, lemon juice and Limoncello. Process until uniform in bright purple color and texture. Push mixture through a mesh sieve into a 4 cup container to remove seeds and leaves. Cover and chill overnight.

Churn in your ice cream maker according to instructions.

(So there’s a slight chance that everyone else on the Internet already knows about this and I’m the last one to find out, but if that’s the case please just play along, OK?)

It sounded too good to be true at first. One ingredient ice cream. No way. Impossible. And that one ingredient isn’t milk? Lies! I refused to believe it until I tried it myself. And guess what? IT TOTALLY WORKS. You can make “ice cream” out of a single ingredient: Bananas.

It’s so easy. There’s no cooking, no ice cream maker, and no fancy culinary techniques – just one ingredient. And because that one ingredient is bananas, it’s healthy and suitable for a wide variety of restricted diets too. It’s dairy-free, no sugar added, vegan, and even gluten-free. You have to try this!

Of course, if you use only bananas to make “ice cream”, it tastes like, well, bananas. But there’s no reason you are limited to only one ingredient! In fact, I can think of about a million mix-ins and additions that would make this banana “ice cream” amazing.

For now I’ve tried one of my favorite flavor combinations – chocolate and peanut butter. It adds a hint of decadence to an otherwise extremely healthy dessert, but I’m OK with that. I can’t wait to try other variations of this creamy frozen treat!

Banana Soft Serve “Ice Cream”

Adapted from The Kitchn
Makes 1 large serving or 2 small servings

I suppose this is technically a sorbet, but it has the texture of soft serve ice cream. While you can freeze this “ice cream” long term, it’s best eaten immediately. If you choose to freeze long term, let it rest at room temperature for a few minutes until it softens again.

Ingredients

2 large very ripe bananas
1/4 teaspoon vanilla
1 tbs milk or half & half (optional)

Directions

Peel bananas and slice into 1/2 inch discs. Arrange banana slices in a single layer on a parchment or wax paper covered baking sheet. Freeze for 1-2 hours until firm, then transfer to a plastic bag. Freeze at least 8 hours or more until solidly frozen.

Puree banana slices in food processor until chunky, scraping down the bowl as needed. Add milk or half & half (if using) and vanilla. Continue to puree until the mixture reaches a smooth, soft serve-like consistency. Serve immediately.

Banana Soft Serve “Ice Cream” with Chocolate PB Swirl

Makes 1 large serving or 2 small servings

Ingredients

1 batch Banana Soft Serve “Ice Cream” (above)
1 tablespoon peanut butter
1 heaping tablespoon chocolate chips
1 tablespoon dry roasted peanuts

Directions

Combine peanut butter and chocolate chips in a small, microwave-safe bowl. Heat in 15 second intervals, stirring frequently, until chocolate is melted. Cool in fridge or at room temp until no longer warm, but still soft and pliable.

Layer half a batch of freshly made banana “ice cream” in a freezer-safe container. Top with half of chocolate peanut butter mixture. Repeat with remaining “ice cream” and peanut butter mixture. Drag a spatula through the mixture to swirl. Cover and chill in the freezer for 10 – 15 minutes, until very cold but still soft enough to scoop.

Scoop into serving dishes, top with roasted peanuts and serve.

Is it 100 million degrees where you live right now? This ice cream will help. I mean, it won’t make it any cooler outside, but you’ll be so enthralled with the smooth vanilla ice cream, the tart and sweet cherries and the crunchy bits of rich dark chocolate that you won’t notice how hot it is for a few minutes. I can’t stop eating this stuff.

Do you know about The Perfect Scoop? It’s an ice cream cookbook written by David Lebovitz, and I think I can safely say it’s the best ice cream cookbook there is. The recipes in it are outstanding, and Lebovitz has you covered with everything you’ll need – from the obvious ice cream recipes to recipes for mix-ins, toppings, ice cream cones and more. If you like making your own ice cream, you should definitely buy The Perfect Scoop.

(Disclosure: This is in no way a paid advertisement. I don’t get any compensation, financial or otherwise, if you buy the book. I just really really love The Perfect Scoop and this ice cream.)

Vanilla Ice Cream with Roasted Cherries & Chocolate

Adapted from David Lebovitz’s The Perfect Scoop
Makes about 4 cups

Note: It’s best to prepare the custard base and cherries one day ahead, to give everything ample time to chill before churning and freezing.

Roasting the cherries helps keep them from freezing into solid icy chunks in the ice cream. While cutting the roasted cherries into halves works OK, I recommended quarters because they freeze softer. Drizzling the chocolate in while churning the ice cream keeps it in small, melt on your tongue chunks. Whole milk was used in the original recipe, but I used 2% to lighten things up and still got perfectly creamy ice cream. I used Ghirardelli 60% semisweet chocolate.

Ingredients

30-40 fresh sweet cherries, whole and de-stemmed
2 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons bourbon (optional)

1 cup milk
3/4 cup granulated sugar
2 cups heavy cream
pinch of salt
1 vanilla bean
6 large egg yolks
3/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

5 ounces semisweet (60%) dark chocolate, roughly chopped

Make Ahead Directions

Preheat oven to 450° F. Place whole, de-stemmed cherries in an oven safe roasting pan or dish (I used a glass pie pan). Sprinkle with sugar and bourbon. Toss to coat. Roast at 450° for 10-15 minutes, stirring occasionally and keeping a close eye to make sure the sugar doesn’t burn. Once fruit is soft, remove from oven and cool. Pit the cherries and slice into quarters. Refrigerate in juices overnight.

In a medium saucepan, heat milk, sugar, 1 cup of cream and salt over medium heat. Split vanilla bean in half, scrape seeds into the warm milk mixture and add used bean too. When milk is warm, remove from heat, cover, and let steep for 30 minutes at room temperature.

Pour the remaining 1 cup of cream into a large bowl. Set a fine mesh strainer on top and set aside.

In a medium bowl, whisk egg yolks. Slowly add about 1/2 cup of the warm milk mixture to the egg yolks, whisking constantly, to temper the eggs. Pour the warmed egg mixture into the remaining milk mixture in the saucepan and whisk to combine. Return the saucepan to medium heat, stirring constantly, until the mixture thickens enough to coat the back of a spoon. Remove from heat and pour through the mesh strainer into remaining cream. Add vanilla extract and stir over a bowl of ice water until cooled to room temperature. Cover tightly and refrigerate overnight.

Churning Directions

Note: My ice cream maker nearly overflowed once everything was added, so you may want to omit some of the ice cream base when churning to make sure you have enough room!

After ice cream mixture and cherries have cooled overnight, churn in your ice cream maker according to the instructions. While the ice cream is churning, heat chocolate in 15 second intervals at 50% power in the microwave, stirring between intervals, until melted smooth. With 5-7 minutes left to churn, start drizzling the chocolate very slowly into the ice cream mixture. Once all of the chocolate is incorporated, add cherries, juice and all. Transfer to a freezer safe container and freeze for at least 4 hours.

I don’t think I’ve mentioned it here before, but I have certain food rules. Or maybe they’re more like guidelines? For example, chili is a winter food. I only eat chili in the winter. And ice cream is a summer food. Eating ice cream when it’s 40 degrees and rainy outside (like it was over the weekend) makes no sense! Unless it’s cinnamon ice cream melting slowly over a big warm helping of apple crisp. Then it makes all the sense in the world.

Cinnamon ice cream, where have you been my whole life?

This apple crisp recipe is good enough on it’s own, but you should know that it’s destiny is to play supporting actress to the cinnamon ice cream. The smooth, extra creamy, heavenly cinnamon ice cream. I’ve never had cinnamon ice cream before, but it tastes a lot like vanilla ice cream that has melted over a something warm and cinnamon-y. It’s my new favorite flavor of ice cream, and I can’t wait to find more excuses to eat it.

You should try it too, even if it’s only 40 degrees outside.

Apple Crisp

Serves 6 – 8

Ingredients

8-10 medium apples (I used Granny Smith)
1 cup of all-purpose flour
1 cup of brown sugar
1 cup of oats
1 stick (½ cup) of butter, softened

Directions

Peel, core, and slice the apples. Spread apple slices across the bottom of a 13×9 inch pan.

Preheat oven to 375°F.

Stir together flour, brown sugar, and oats in a medium bowl. Using a pastry cutter, fork, or your hands, cut the softened butter into the mixture until well combined. Sprinkle evenly over apples.

Bake at 375°F for 30-45 minutes, until apples are tender and topping is browned. For best results, serve warm, topped with cinnamon ice cream.

Cinnamon Ice Cream

Adapted from All Recipes
Serves 8

Ingredients

1 cup white sugar
1 ½ cups half-and-half cream
2 eggs
1 cup heavy cream
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

Directions

Beat two eggs in a medium bowl. Set aside.

Combine sugar and half-and-half in a sauce pan and cook over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally. Once it comes to a simmer, remove from heat. Slowly whisk half of the hot mixture into the beaten eggs, whisking constantly to keep the eggs from scrambling.

Pour the egg mixture back into the saucepan with the remaining half-and-half mixture. Stir in the heavy cream. Place the saucepan back over medium-low heat and cook, stirring constantly, until the mixture is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon. Remove from heat. Stir in vanilla and cinnamon. Cool at room temperature for about an hour.

Cover mixture tightly and chill overnight in refrigerator. Freeze ice cream base according to your ice cream maker’s instructions.

Last week my mom had a rough couple of days, so I decided to bring an indulgent treat with me when I visited her over the weekend – chocolate and peanut butter ice cream. As you can imagine, I’ve tried many variations of chocolate and peanut butter ice cream in my lifetime. Most store bought versions fall way short of my expectations, but this recipe was everything I had hoped it would be!

After making a batch to take to my mom’s house and popping it in the freezer, I gave the spoon a little lick, you know, to see how it turned out. And then I stood in my kitchen for the next 10 minutes unabashedly licking the bowl clean. But let’s just keep that between you and me, OK?

As soon as I returned home, I immediately made my own batch that I wouldn’t have to share with anyone. It’s that good!

The ice cream itself has a creamy milk chocolate flavor with just a hint of peanut butter. The real star, however, is the dollops of creamy salty peanut butter hidden throughout. The contrast of salty and sweet keeps my spoon digging in for more over and over again.

As if chocolate peanut butter ice cream isn’t indulgent enough on it’s own, I know my dad is a big fan of cookies with his ice cream so I whipped up a batch of chocolate sugar cookies too. They’re a great crunchy sidekick to the creamy chocolate peanut butter ice cream, and if you’re feeling really decadent, you can use two of them to make an ice cream sandwich!

Chocolate Peanut Butter Ice Cream
Adapted from The Perfect Scoop by David Lebovitz and Dinner & Dessert
Makes roughly 3-4 cups of ice cream

I love the simplicity of this recipe and the fact that is uses no eggs or heavy cream. I imagine it’s the peanut butter that thickens the ice cream while adding enough fat to keep it creamy, so don’t leave it out! Also, don’t skip the plastic wrap when making the peanut butter patties. Once frozen, the plastic wrap easily and gently releases the patties.

Ice Cream

2 cups half &half
¼ cup unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder
½ cup sugar
Pinch of salt
½ cup smooth peanut butter

Peanut Butter Patties

6 tablespoons peanut butter (smooth or crunchy)
2 tablespoons confectioners’ sugar

Combine the half & half, cocoa powder, sugar, and salt in a saucepan over medium high heat. Stir the mixture frequently until it comes to a full, rolling boil. Remove from the pan from the heat and stir in the peanut butter until well blended.

Chill the mixture covered overnight in the refrigerator. In the meantime, make the peanut butter patties.

Stir together the peanut butter and sugar in a small bowl until thoroughly combined. Cover a dinner plate with plastic wrap. Using a spoon and your finger, scoop up small pieces of the peanut butter mixture, about ½ teaspoon each, and drop them onto the wrap covered dinner plate. It may help to refridgerate the peanut butter for a few minutes, to make it less sticky. Once you’ve used all of the mixture, put the plate in the freezer overnight.

The following day, freeze the ice cream mixture according to your ice cream maker’s directions. After you’ve removed the ice cream from the machine, stir in the peanut butter patties by hand. (I don’t recommend adding them to the machine, which can result in a sticky gooey mess.)

Chocolate Sugar Cookies
Adapted from Retro Desserts and Smitten Kitchen
Makes roughly 3 dozen 4-inch cookies

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup unsweetened Dutch process cocoa
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups sugar, plus a few tablespoons for decoration
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons (1 1/4 sticks) room-temperature, unsalted butter
1 large egg

Preheat the oven to 375°F.

In a food processor or electric mixer, combine the flour, cocoa, baking soda and powder, salt, and sugar. Add the butter and then the egg on low speed, or while pulsing. Continue mixing until dough comes together.

Measure a couple of table spoons of sugar into a small bowl. Roll about a tablespoon of dough between your hands to form a ball, then roll the dough in the bowl of sugar, coating the outside. Place on a parchment paper or Silpat lined baking sheet approximately 2 inches apart and slightly flatten the dough with your hands. Bake for 9-10 minutes. Allow cookies to cool for 3 to 4 minutes on the baking sheet, then place on a wire rack to cool completely.

Which is exactly what happened last week when I was browsing on Twitter and saw @Cooking_Light (as in the magazine, Cooking Light) announce that their Limoncello and Mint sorbet was a staff favorite. Let’s see, a recipe that uses limoncello (which I’m sort of in love with), gives me the opportunity to use up some leftover lemons, AND gives me an excuse to use my new-to-me ice cream maker? Sold!

I rushed home from work Wednesday evening, visions of sorbet dancing in my head. But as I unwrapped my new-to-me ice cream maker, one my grandmother had laying around that she never used, I immediately spotted a problem. The freezer bucket that holds the mixture destined to become frozen dessert was corroded. Spots here and there in the bucket were rotting away. The appliance had never been opened so I’m not exactly sure what happened, but needless to say it was not food safe. I was crushed. (The only thing that could lift my spirits at that point was cookies. Specifically, the cookies in the banner up above. But I’ll get to that recipe next week.)

Anyway, back to the sorbet!

Even after I discovered that my ice cream maker was unusable, I couldn’t get the Limoncello and Mint sorbet out of my mind. So I did what any dessert lover with a craving would do – I ran out and bought a new ice cream maker as soon as I could. Impulsive? Yes. But totally worth it.

This sorbet is like eating summer, one spoonful at a time. It’s light and bright, perfect for cooling off on a hot day. It tastes like frozen lemonade, but better. I wasn’t sure about the lemon and mint together, but that first spoonful melting on my tongue eliminated any doubts. The mint just makes this sorbet extra refreshing. In case you haven’t figured it out yet, I LOVED this sorbet.

I might have even licked the freezer bowl clean if I wasn’t afraid my tongue would freeze to it.

Limoncello & Mint Sorbet
Adapted from Cooking Light
Makes 4 cups or 8 ½ cup servings

This sorbet is super refreshing, perfect for hot summer days or a sweet ending to backyard barbecues. Oh, and did I mention it’s fat free?

2 cups water
1 ⅓ cups sugar
½ cup limoncello
1 cup fresh lemon juice (4-6 large lemons)
½ cup chopped fresh mint
Lemon slices or zest strips, extra mint (for garnish, optional)

Combine the water, sugar and limoncello in a saucepan over medium-high heat. Stir until sugar dissolves and bring to a boil. Remove from heat. Stir in lemon juice and chopped mint.

Cover and chill for 4 hours, or up to 3 days in the refridgerator.

Strain the sorbet mixture through a fine sieve into a container with a spout. (I used a 4 cup glass measuring cup, which was the perfect size.) Discard solids. Assemble ice cream maker, pour mixture into the freezer bowl and freeze according to manufacturer’s instructions. (Mine took about 25 minutes.)

Spoon the finished sorbet into a freezer-safe container, cover and freeze at least 1 hour or until firm. Garnish with lemon slices, strips of lemon zest or mint, if desired.