Cooling Summer Treats

This summer has been hot and steamy! So I’ve been playing around with some frozen nice cream recipes. A few years ago, my sister got me an ice cream maker for my birthday and since then I’ve had fun making homemade ice cream. When I planned this blog post, I thought I would share some of those recipes, but I seem to have misplaced that booklet. I also came to realize that many of you might not have an ice cream maker, so I decided to focus on versions that can be made without an ice cream maker.

Why make your own ice cream? My main reason has been to control the ingredients. Many of you have food sensitivities, and have to avoid certain ingredients, so I know you get that. There is also tons of sugar in most ice creams. Way more than we need to eat or that is good for our health. Many store bought ice creams also contain things like GMOs, artificial colors and flavors as well as preservatives that can cause havoc in our bodies. Plus, making ice cream is fun and easy!

Today, I’ve included a few recipes that are made from coconut cream and oatmilk. I hope you’ll try them and experiment with your own ideas. I use dark chocolate chips in most of my recipes, but feel free to leave them out if you prefer. You might also want to try these healthy add ins: chopped walnuts, pecans, pistachios, almonds, berries, cherries, raw cacao powder, cacao nibs, bananas, shredded coconut, 2-3 drops peppermint vitality essential oil, or swirl in all natural peanut butter. The consistency of these nice creams will be harder than what you buy in the store, because they haven’t been churned and because they don’t contain emulsifiers. To remedy this, I pour the cream into muffin tins and then freeze. This way they are frozen into individual “scoops.”

Blackberry or Strawberry Dark Chocolate Chip With Coconut Milk
1 can coconut cream
1 cup strawberries or blackberries
1 tablespoon arrowroot powder
1/4 cup water
3 tablespoons honey or maple syrup
1/3 cup mini dark chocolate chips

Chill the coconut cream in the refrigerator for about an hour. Simmer berries with water on medium low heat until a lumpy sauce occurs. Add in sweetener of your choice and tablespoon of arrowroot powder. Stir until sauce starts to thicken and then remove from heat and cool. Remove the solid portion of the coconut cream from the can and combine it with the berry sauce. Fold in chocolate chips or other add ins, and pour into muffin tins. Freeze for 2-3 hours until set. When taken out of the freezer, allow to sit for a couple of minutes to slightly thaw. Use a butter knife to loosen edges and pop out of the muffin tin. Makes about 6 pieces.

photo credit Anshu A Unsplash

Fudgesicles
I made these with my children’s nutrition groups a couple of summers ago and they loved them!
2 cups vanilla yogurt (dairy or non-dairy)
1 cup sun butter
1/2 cup milk (dairy or non-dairy)
1/4 cup Hersey unsweetened cocoa or raw cacao
3-4 tablespoons honey or maple syrup
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Mix ingredients together in a bowl. Pour into paper cups and put a popsicles stick in the middle or pour into popsicles molds. Freeze for 2-3 hours until set. When ready to eat, peel the paper cup off, and enjoy! You’ll feel like a kid again.

If you try these recipes, let me know how it goes in the comments below, and feel free to reach out with any questions. I also have three yummy frozen Bon Bon recipes in my gluten free cookbook on Amazon.