Peanut Butter Cup Ice Cream with Chocolate Covered Pretzels

Do you ever get something, whether it be a word or a song or a person, so stuck in your head that it's all you can think about? My brain is currently preoccupied with this song by Glass Animals called Gooey. Now it's not because I like the song all that much, though it is pretty catchy. The only reason this song has been running through my head for the past month or so is because the words 'peanut butter vibes' appear over and over again.

And, as any of my friends can attest, I have a penchant for peanut butter. When I was considering which recipe I would use for my re-entry into blogging society, I just so happened to be listening to that very song, and I knew it had to be something chock full of peanut butter. My apologies to those of you with nut allergies (I'm looking at you Hannah and Courtney), but I can honestly say this is one of the best ice creams I've ever made.

The base is creamy and heady with a deep chocolate flavor. The chocolate base is rippled through with a sweet-salty peanut butter swirl and studded with chocolate covered pretzels and tiny nuggets of buttery toffee. Too rich? Never. After all, I like my ice cream like I like my men: rich and fat.

Happy 4th to all- I hope it's full of peanut butter vibes.

Peanut Butter Cup Ice Cream with Chocolate Covered Pretzels

Makes about 1 Quart

For the peanut butter swirl:

1/2 cup creamy peanut butter (something like Skippy or Jif works best)

1/2 cup heavy cream

1/4 light brown sugar

3 tablespoons corn syrup

For the ice cream:

2 cups heavy cream

3 tablespoons cocoa powder

5 ounces semi-sweet chocolate, roughly chopped

1 cup whole milk

3/4 cup caster sugar

Pinch of sea salt

5 egg yolks, lightly beaten

Chocolate covered pretzels, roughly chopped

Toffee, roughly chopped

To make the peanut butter swirl: In a small saucepan set over medium heat, combine peanut butter, heavy cream, brown sugar, and corn syrup. Stir until sugar has dissolved and mixture comes together. Transfer to a heat-proof container and chill until ice cream base is frozen. If you have any extra left, it is equally good poured over vanilla or caramel ice cream.

To make the ice cream: In a large saucepan set over medium heat, whisk together heavy cream and cocoa powder and bring to a simmer. Once the cream is simmering, remove from heat and stir in chocolate until smooth. Transfer chocolate mixture to a large, heat-proof bowl and set a strainer on top. In a small saucepan set over low heat, heat milk, caster sugar, and salt until sugar has dissolved. Once warm to the touch, quickly whisk in egg yolks. Continue to stir over low heat until custard coats the back of a spoon. Pour through strainer into chocolate mixture and stir to combine. Chill ice cream base until completely cool. Freeze according to your ice cream maker's instructions. Once frozen, fold in chocolate covered pretzels and toffee. In a quart-sized container, layer 1/3 of ice cream. Drop tablespoons of peanut butter swirl over ice cream and swirl through with a knife. Repeat until all ice cream and peanut butter swirl has been used. Freeze until ready to eat.

More Frozen Peanut Butter Treats

Peanut Butter and Chocolate Popsicles

Peanut Butter Brownie Ice Cream Sandwiches

Chocolate Peanut Butter Gelato

Rose Ice Cream with Candied Pistachios

I'm not exactly sure why, but I kind of have a thing for desserts that taste like soap. Rose water, orange flower water, violet. I love it all. I just want to eat anything that tastes like it fell out of Bath and Bodyworks. They feel a little exotic and awfully romantic, like something Marie Antoinette might have eaten. 

Usually, this relegates me to the realm of Middle Eastern desserts or macarons. Don't get me wrong, I love Turkish delight, Persian fairy floss, and nougat. And I'd never turn down a good violet-blackcurrant macaron or two. But flowery desserts are a bit harder to come by than most. You can't just walk into any bakery and buy a rosewater cookie. Lucky for me, I'm heading out to the Middle East in March. 

Unbeknownst to the friends who I'm traveling with, my trip is centering around desserts. It will be a whirlwind tour of floral sweets and little else. Forget riding camels in the desert. Forget lying on the beach in Dubai. Forget wadi bashing. It's all about the dessert.

Rose Ice Cream with Candied Pistachios

Makes about 1 quart

6 tablespoons sugar

2 tablespoons water

1 cup shelled pistachios, coarsely chopped

2 cups heavy cream

2 cups whole milk

3/4 cup granulated sugar

6 egg yolks, whisked slightly

1 1/2 teaspoons rosewater

2 drops red food coloring

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease a rimmed baking sheet. In a small bowl, whisk together sugar and water. Toss pistachios in sugar mixture until completely coated. Spread on prepared baking sheet and bake for 10 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool and harden. Scrape from baking sheet and set aside. In a medium saucepan, combine the heavy cream, whole milk, and sugar. Heat until just warm to the touch. Pour a little of the milk mixture into the egg yolks and whisk to combine. Scrape egg yolks into saucepan and stir to combine. Heat on medium-low heat until mixture is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon, stirring occasionally. Stir in rosewater and food coloring. Pour mixture through a strainer into a large bowl. Chill bowl in fridge until completely cool. Once cool, freeze in an ice cream maker according to manufacturer's instructions. Once the custard has solidified, fold in candied pistachios. Transfer to a container and freeze until ready to eat.

More Floral Sweets

Almond and Orange Blossom Croquants Cookies

Rosewater Glitter Cake

Violet Macarons

Cookie Crumble Ice Cream with Espresso Caramel Swirl

That's right. Cookie Crumble Ice Cream with Espresso Caramel Swirl. Now try saying that ten times fast. It's a mouthful, huh? And I bet you wish you had a mouthful of this very ice cream right about now.

You know I've said it before, and I'll certainly say it again, but I just love ice cream. I do. Ice cream and cookies. That's all I need to be a happy girl. So when the two come together in one unbelievably delicious package? Well, let's just say I'm pleased.

 I've been back at school for a little while now, but my flatmate and I are clearly a little touched in the head, as we've only just figured out how to turn on our oven. Before you write us off as complete ding dongs, I should mention it's an AGA (for the uninitiated, it's a heavy cast-iron stove and cooker that stays on all the time). Needless to say, I haven't been spending all that much time in the kitchen, save to throw together a sad salad or two.

Sadly, I won't be whipping up anything super exciting in the next week, as I'm heading off to Iceland for a few days- though, let's be honest, I'm not that sad about it. But, in the meantime, I wanted to leave you with a little treat while I'm away, and I promise I'll be back in full force very, very soon.

P.S. you will have cookies left over.

  Cookie Crumble Ice Cream with Espresso Caramel Swirl
Makes 1 quart
Adapted from Seven Spoons

For the cookies:
1 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 cup cocoa powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon table salt
1 1/2 cups caster sugar
10 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 large egg, at room temperature
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

For the caramel:
1/2 cup brown sugar
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons maple syrup
1/2 teaspoon ground espresso beans
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
Pinch of salt
1/4 cup heavy cream

For the ice cream:
1 14-oz can sweetened condensed milk
1 14-oz can evaporated milk
1 fresh vanilla bean
1 1/2 cups heavy cream

To make the cookies: Preheat the oven to 375. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream together sugar and butter. Add egg and vanilla and beat to combine. Beat in dry ingredients until just combined. Using a 1 1/4-inch ice cream scoop, drop dough onto prepared baking sheets. Bake for 10-12 minutes until tops of cookies are firm and dry. Transfer to wire racks and let cool.

To make the caramel: In a medium saucepan, heat brown sugar, butter, maple syrup, espresso beans, vanilla extract, and salt until butter is melted. Pour in 1/4 cup of heavy cream and bring to a boil, whisking until sugar is dissolved. Reduce heat to low and continue to boil for one minute longer. Remove from heat and set aside to cool.

To make the ice cream: In a medium saucepan, combine sweetened condensed and evaporated milk. Scrape seeds out of vanilla bean into saucepan, drop in bean, and heat over low heat until just about to simmer. Transfer to a clean bowl. Add heavy cream and stir to combine. Let cool in fridge for a few hours. Once cool, strain mixture through a fine mesh sieve into an ice cream maker and freeze according to manufacturer's instructions. Five minutes before ice cream is done, add 1 cup crushed cookies to ice cream. Once ice cream has finished, spoon 1/3 of ice cream into a tub. Drizzle a few tablespoons espresso caramel over top of ice cream and swirl through with a knife. Repeat twice more with remaining ice cream and espresso caramel. You will likely have espresso caramel left over. Freeze until ready to serve.

  More Cookie-Filled Ice Cream
Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Ice Cream
Speculoos Ice Cream
Graham Cracker Malted Vanilla Ice Cream

Peach Buttermilk Ice Cream

One of the first things I remember making, apart from the occasional hand I lent in making Christmas cookies, is peach ice cream. When we lived in Chicago, our near nightly outing was to Homer's, an ice cream parlor and greasy diner-type restaurant in Wilmette. Without fail, I'd head straight for the Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough or the Oreo Cookie.

My highly sophisticated palate only occasionally branched out to Peppermint Stick, which, to this day, remains my favorite ice cream in the whole world. I wanted nothing to do with Cappuccino Chip, I snobbily eschewed the Burgundy Cherry, and I balked at the mere thought of ordering Prairie Berry. Who in god's name would put fruit in ice cream? Ick.

After we moved away, I always found myself pining for a cone piled high with Homer's. My dad, though he claims to have escaped the curse of a sweet tooth, was clearly having withdrawal from his favorite flavor, Fresh Peach. Being the daddy's girl that I was (am?), I took matters into my own hands. After all, I couldn't leave my dad without dessert.

I rifled through my cabinets and pulled out the Ben & Jerry's cookbook that had been accumulating dust for years and found a recipe for peach ice cream. For a seven year old, I did a pretty damn good job. I didn't have the patience to let my custard thicken enough and surely haphazardly dumped in the peaches whenever it struck my fancy, but it did the trick.

Since my early days in the kitchen, I'd like to think I've honed my skills. I now wait for my cakes to cool before icing them, I don't beat my cookie dough into submission, and, if I do say so myself, I've been churning out (no pun intended, hehehe), some pretty stellar ice cream. And this bad boy is no exception.

  Peach Buttermilk Ice Cream
Makes 1 quart

1 1/4 cups buttermilk
3/4 cup granulated sugar
6 egg yolks
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups heavy cream
4 peaches, pitted and diced

In a small saucepan, heat buttermilk and sugar until sugar dissolves and mixture is warm to touch. Gradually whisk some of buttermilk mixture into egg yolks. Scrape warmed egg yolks back into saucepan. Stir in vanilla extract. Stir mixture over low heat until it thickens enough to coat the back of a wooden spoon. Meanwhile, pour heavy cream into a large bowl. Strain custard through a fine mesh sieve into heavy cream. Stir together. Place bowl in fridge until mixture is completely cool. Once cool, freeze mixture in an ice cream maker according to the manufacturer's instructions. Fold in diced peaches and freeze until ready to serve.

More Peach Recipes
Peach Cobbler Scones
Peach Mascarpone Pot Pie
Matcha and Peach Pate de Fruit Macarons

S'mores Ice Cream

As my girl LDR (Lana Del Rey, for the uninitiated) will heartily agree, there comes a point in the summer when you begin to feel a bit restless...a summertime sadness, if you will. I find myself languishing around my apartment, scrolling endlessly through my idiotic Tumblr feed- please don't judge me- and staring blankly into my industrial-strength fan.

Honestly, I know I can't complain. But then again.......it is one of my most favorite activities. So, here I go. I am not now, nor have I ever been, a summer girl. I find the heat oppressive, the humidity daunting. I say this every year, but dear god it still manages to surprise me every time.

More or less, the only thing that keeps me going in summer, I'm fairly embarrassed to admit, is ice cream. I'm lucky enough that the Van Leeuwen truck is almost perpetually parked right in front of my apartment and that top-notch gelato is not more than a five minute walk from my doorstep. When desperate times call for desperate measures and the sun has long since set, my little corner bodega calls me out into the heat for a pint of pistachio ice cream.

 Finally, though, my little home is outfitted with one giant ice cream maker. So, now I can say so long to over-priced ice cream that's gone way too fast. Because I can make my own.

  S'mores Ice Cream
Adapted from Oh, Ladycakes
Makes 1 quart

For the ice cream:
2 14-oz cans full-fat coconut milk
4 graham crackers, finely ground
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 graham crackers, broken into pieces
1/2 cup mini marshmallows
1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

For the ice cream cones:
12 plain sugar cones
1/2 cup chocolate chips
2 graham crackers, finely ground

In a medium saucepan, whisk together coconut milk, ground graham crackers, granulated sugar, and vanilla extract. Bring to a boil, then remove from heat. Stir in graham cracker chunks, marshmallows, and chocolate chips. Transfer mixture to a bowl and let cool completely in fridge or over an ice bath. Once mixture is cool, churn in an ice cream maker according to instructions. Meanwhile, you can assemble your s'mores ice cream cones. Place chocolate in a bowl set over simmering water. Stir until completely melted. Roll the ends of each ice cream cone in melted chocolate and then roll in graham cracker crumbs. Place onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and let cool in fridge until chocolate is set. Scoop ice cream onto prepared ice cream cones, and enjoy!

  More S'mores Recipes
S'mores Cookie Bars
S'mores Cake
Ultimate S'mores Bar

Blueberry Muffin Ice Cream

People have these things that remind them of being young. Whether that means childhood or middle school or being a teenager. There's always something. It's not even necessarily something that should only be relegated to youth. Like Lincoln Logs or chicken nuggets shaped like dinosaurs or even guzzling vodka-Crystal Light (the most glamorous of cocktails) out of an emptied out water bottle.

 Some things just seem to have a place and a time for people. And they can't get over it. It's different for everyone: a friend recently referred to Lynchburg Lemonades, a drink I'm particularly fond of, as the drink he used to order when he couldn't handle his alcohol. It's really too bad, though, because I know I certainly get a yen for a good game of the Sims or wistfully remember making rainbow beaded bracelets on the pooldeck at summer swim meets. I wish I could bring these things back, but it never really feels right.

 Thinking back, I remember mini blueberry muffins being quite the fixture in my life. Though my mom always made everything from scratch, from Snow White birthday cakes to B'stilla, there was one exception to the rule: Entemann's Little Bites Blueberry Muffins. Mostly I turned up my little nose at packaged baked goods- a regular food snob from childhood- but God, those muffins. I could inhale a pack in record time and not look back. I'd switch out the little baggies of pretzels she'd put in my lunch so that poor Beau or Riley had an unexpectedly savory meal with no dessert in sight, just so I could have a few more tiny muffins.

 Nowadays, I think I'd have a hard time justifying trotting into Harris Teeter to buy a box of Little Bites, though I certainly shoot them a longing glance every now and again when I pass them by on my way down the aisles. Blueberry muffins were seemingly a thing of the past for me. That is until I stumbled upon a recipe for blueberry muffin ice cream. Holy cow. How had I not thought of that before. So, while eating a blueberry muffin on its own will never really hold a candle to the good old days of packaged sweets, this ice cream certainly blows Entemann's out of the water.

  Blueberry Muffin Ice Cream
Makes about 1 quart

For the blueberry muffins:

1 cup rolled oats
1 cup whole milk, divided
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 cup butter, at room temperature
1/3 cup brown sugar
1 large egg
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 pint blueberries

For the brown sugar cinnamon ice cream:

6 egg yolks
2/3 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extra
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
2 cups heavy cream
1 cup whole milk

To make the muffins:
Preheat oven to 350. Line a 12-cup muffin tin with cupcake liners. In a small bowl, mix rolled oats and 1/2 cup whole milk. Let sit. Meanwhile, in another small bowl, whisk together flour, salt, and cinnamon. In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream butter and brown sugar until light and fluffy. Add egg and vanilla extract and beat to combine. Beat in oat mixture. Add dry ingredients slowly and beat until just incorporated. Fold in blueberries. Divide batter between muffin cups. Bake for 15-20 minutes until golden brown and a knife inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean. Let cool on a wire rack.

To make the ice cream:
In a large bowl, whisk together egg yolks, brown sugar, vanilla, and cinnamon. In a medium saucepan, mix together heavy cream and whole milk. Heat until just simmering. Slowly pour milk mixture over egg mixture and whisk to combine. Pour back into saucepan and stir over medium heat until mixture thickens enough to coat the back of a spoon. Pour custard through a strainer into a bowl and place in fridge until cool to the touch. Once custard has cooled, freeze in an ice cream maker, according to instructions. Crumble six of the muffins. Fold crumbled muffins into ice cream and transfer to a container to freeze overnight. Remove from freezer 5 minutes before serving to soften a bit.

  More Blueberry Recipes
Little Blueberry Tarts
Blueberry Yogurt Cookies
Blueberry Tea Cake

Easy Lemon Curd Ice Cream

Scotland can be sort of a funny place. Men wear skirts (though they'll surely tell you that it's a kilt), they're adamant that there's still a sea monster living in Loch Ness (I'm looking at you, Nessie), and, as soon as the weather creeps above 40 degrees and the sun peeks through the clouds, everyone, and I mean everyone, is outside.

And they're not just out strolling the streets, walking on the beach, bundled, but happy. Sweaters come off, shorts come out, and suddenly, it's summer? I told you they were crazy. And the strangest part about this premature "summer" is their fascination with ice cream. I don't know about you, but the last thing I want on what I'd call chilly, they'd call balmy, day is a cold, icy scoop of mint chocolate chip.

But hey. The heart wants what the heart wants, right? So, in the spirit of assimilation, I have a delicious- and shockingly easy- recipe for you. This ice cream is for those of you who, like me, don't have an ice cream maker tucked away in your cupboards. If I were home, I could've given you a much more complicated, much fancier recipe, but this is something I could work with. It's a cheat's ice cream, if you will. And it's super tasty.

  Easy Lemon Curd Ice Cream
Makes about 1 quart

For the lemon curd:
2 whole eggs, and 2 egg yolks
1 cup sugar
6 tablespoons butter
Zest and juice of 2 lemons

For the ice cream:
1 can sweetened condensed milk
2 cups heavy cream

To make the lemon curd: In a saucepan, whisk together the eggs, egg yolks, and sugar until smooth. Place over low heat and add butter, zest, and juice and whisk continuously until thick enough to coat the back of a wooden spoon. Strain lemon curd through a sieve into a sterilized jar and set aside. Though you only need 1 cup lemon curd to make ice cream, it will keep for two weeks in the fridge.

To make the ice cream: Pour sweetened condensed milk into a large bowl. In another large bowl, whisk the heavy cream until soft peaks form. Carefully fold whipped cream into sweetened condensed milk. Put 1/4 of the cream mixture into a loaf pan. Dollop lemon curd on top and swirl into cream mixture with a knife. Repeat with cream mixture and lemon curd until you have used all of it. Cover with plastic wrap and freeze overnight. Allow to sit out for 5-10 minutes before serving.

  More Ice Cream Recipes
Salted Caramel and Candied Bacon Ice Cream
Cereal Milk Ice Cream
Crumbled Cookie Ice Cream with Espresso Caramel

Oatmeal-Peanut Butter Ice Cream Sandwiches

Summer is finally winding down. And while I'm probably more excited than I should be that Fall is coming and that I get to go back to school (ask me in a month and a half, and I certainly won't be quite this thrilled to be at school), there is one thing I'm definitely going to miss. Ice cream. Now I know you can eat ice cream any time of year really, but it's just not the same.

 So in a final salute to the warmer months, I have ice cream sandwiches for you. Don't get me wrong, I think the good old store-bought ice cream sandwiches with the chocolate wafer sandwich really can't be beat. It's so hard to improve upon a classic, so I was happy these went in a slightly different direction. Almost whoopie pie-like, these sandwiches are a nice balance of sweet and salty, cakey and smooth.

There's a greater cookie-to-ice cream ratio in these than in traditional ice cream sandwiches, but that's ok. The cookies are so good on their own, that I'm sure no one will complain. The oats add a nice heft to the cookies, and there are just enough chocolate chips to keep things interesting. So, for nine months, I will say farewell to the ice cream sandwiches of summer, ready to hunker down with gingerbread cookies and hot chocolate for a little while.

P.S. For anyone who's still rattling around Charleston, my freezer is full of these babies...

 Oatmeal-Peanut Butter Ice Cream Sandwiches
Makes 1 dozen sandwiches
Adapted from Sprouted Kitchen

1 1/3 cups oat flour
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/4 cup dark brown sugar
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 egg
2 tablespoons honey
1 cup natural peanut butter, creamy or crunchy
1 1/2 cups rolled oats
1 cup dark chocolate chips
Fleur de sel, for sprinkling
1 pint vanilla ice cream

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. In a small bowl, whisk together oat flour, salt, and baking powder. In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat butter and sugars together until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add egg and beat to incorporate. Add honey and peanut butter and beat until smooth and fully combined. Beat in dry ingredients. Fold in oats and chocolate chips. Using a small ice cream scoop, drop scoops of dough onto lined baking sheets. Sprinkle Fleur de sel on top of cookies. Place baking sheets in oven and bake for 15 minutes, until lightly browned and dry on top. Remove to a wire rack to cool. Once cookies have cooled completely, scoop vanilla ice cream onto one cookie and sandwich with another. Repeat with remaining cookies. Wrap each sandwich in plastic wrap and freeze until ready to eat. Remove from freezer 5 minutes before eating.

More Ice Cream Sandwiches
Chocolate Doughnut, Nutella, and Coffee Ice Cream Sandwiches
Dulce de Leche Ice Cream Sandwiches
Macaron Ice Cream Sandwiches

Vietnamese Coffee Popsicles

I really just have one question. WHY? Why the hell is it so hot here? I feel like I complain about the heat on all too regular a basis. But really now. It was 113 here with the heat index the other day. That's just not ok.

Despite the sweltering temperatures, I've picked up a new habit. Nearly every day, I head over the bridge to get a honey latte from Metto. My friend Adair introduced me to them a year or so ago, and they've been a regular indulgence ever since. Mostly, I like my coffee plain and simple. No milk, no cream, no sugar. I really like to taste the coffee.

 The only real exceptions to my black coffee rule are very dry cappuccinos Vietnamese coffee. I first had Vietnamese coffee at one of my favorite restaurants in Chicago, Le Colonial. Though there are locations in New York and San Francisco, I tend to think of Le Colonial as a distinctly Chicago institution. While I'm usually pretty adventurous at restaurants and generally taste a new dish every time I go to Le Colonial, my appetizer and my dessert never change. I always go for the sugar-cane shrimp to start my meal, and I never end a meal there without the Vietnamese coffee.

In all honesty, Vietnamese coffee really kind of breaks all of the rules. It is basically super-strong, chicory-flavored coffee mixed with sweetened condensed milk. You can't get much sweeter or much milkier than that. Since I can't get my Vietnamese coffee fix here, I have to make one at home if the craving becomes overwhelming. I decided to make one of my favorite treats all the more crave-able by turning them into popsicles- the perfect way to cool down this summer.

  Vietnamese Coffee Popsicles
Makes about 9

1 14-oz can sweetened condensed milk
1 1/2 cups brewed strong coffee (ideally Café du Monde)
1 cup heavy cream

Empty sweetened condensed milk into a medium-sized bowl. Slowly whisk coffee into sweetened condensed milk until smooth and no lumps remain. Whisk in heavy cream. Divide between 9 Dixie cups or pour into popsicle molds. Freeze for 3 hours, until starting to firm up. Insert popsicle sticks into popsicles. Freeze for another 3 hours to harden completely. Cut off Dixie cups before serving.

  More Popsicles


Fudge Popsicles
Blackberry, Honey, and Yogurt Popsicles
Grapefruit-Thyme Popsicles

Raspberry Ripple Ice Cream

Since it is now (unofficially) summer, I figured there was no better way to welcome the change of seasons, as well as the sweltering heat, than a cool, sweet batch of ice cream. After having enjoyed, or suffered depending upon how you look at things, 40 degree weather and sporadic bouts of drizzle in my last few weeks in St Andrews, stepping off of the plane in Charleston was a shock to say the least.

Tiny beads of sweat threatened to form on my forehead, and my hair was instantly transformed into a wild  mess that even Tina Turner might try to tame. I immediately regretted my choice of travel-wear, wishing I had gone for the Nike shorts and t-shirt that I always scorn in favor of something marginally more stylish but obviously less comfortable. A few days of wandering around in the dizzying warmth later, and I only had one thing on my mind- ice cream.

Now I will be the first to admit that there is absolutely nothing wrong with a good old pint of Ben & Jerry's. If we're being honest here, I probably enjoy a bowl or two more often than I should. But really, nothing compares to the luscious, creamy goodness of a scoop of homemade ice cream. I think it's because you can really taste the cream. And I mean really taste it. It tastes clean and bright, but it's still addictive and sweet.

I meant to make this to go along with a cake I made for my little brother's birthday, but, having forgotten to put the ice cream bowl in the freezer the day before, the cake had to fly solo. Because Riley is quite the, er, selective eater, I immediately ruled anything chocolate-y out along with a whole slew of other flavors I was itching to try. Riley is a vanilla man through and through, but I thought I'd put a little twist on his favorite flavor. Plus, a pink and white marbled ice cream is too pretty to resist, right? Anyway, this ice cream is delicious and refreshing and just plain perfect. Happy Summer!

Raspberry Ripple Ice Cream
Adapted from Raspberri Cupcakes
Serves 6-8

6 egg yolks
5/8 cup granulated sugar
1 1/2 cups whole milk
1 1/2 cups heavy cream
1/2 vanilla bean pod
6 oz raspberries, rinsed and dried
1/4 cup powdered sugar

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, whisk egg yolks and sugar until pale. Meanwhile, pour milk and heavy cream into a medium saucepan. Scrape beans out of vanilla pod into saucepan and toss pod into saucepan. Bring to a boil. Remove bean pod. With mixer running, carefully pour milk mixture into egg mix. Transfer combined mixture back into saucepan and cook over low heat until custard coats the back of a spoon. Strain into a medium bowl. Chill bowl in refrigerator until completely cool. Freeze in an ice cream maker according to manufacturer's instructions. Meanwhile, blend raspberries and powdered sugar in a food processor. Strain into a small bowl to remove seeds. Once ice cream has solidified, transfer 1/3 into a tupperware container. Drizzle 1/3 raspberry mixture over ice cream and swirl with knife. Repeat twice more until all ice cream and raspberry sauce has been used. Freeze until ready to serve.

More Summery Ice Creams
Buttermilk Ice Cream
Cherry Semifreddo
Honey Peach Ice Cream

Roasted Banana Ice Cream

Sometimes simple is best. A bowl of fresh summer strawberries sprinkled with sugar. A chicken sprinkled with salt and pepper and roasted until the skin is crispy and golden. A crusty French baguette slathered with rich, salted butter. Hungry? Yeah, me too.

 So that's where this 'ice cream' comes in. I suppose it's not really ice cream at all, considering there isn't any cream in it. In fact, there isn't much in it at all- one ingredient actually. This one ingredient ice cream has been all the rage in the blogosphere. It's tasty, it's indulgent, and it's...healthy? How much better can it get?

I had read something about roasting bananas. I'd never thought of it before, but it really makes sense. The sugar in the bananas caramelize, and the sweetness is heightened. After you freeze the bananas and put them in the food processor, you are rewarded with a lovely, golden frozen treat, no ice cream maker required.

  Roasted Banana Ice Cream
Serves 1-2

3 large bananas

Preheat the oven to 450. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil. Arrange bananas on baking sheet. Roast for 30 minutes, until they are fragrant and the peels are black. Remove from oven and let cool completely. Peel and place bananas on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Place baking sheet in freezer. Once frozen, slice bananas and put in a food processor. Pulse until smooth and creamy. Serve with toasted peanuts and chocolate sauce for an extra special treat.

  More Easy Frozen Treats
Coconut Lime Semifreddo
Minty Green Tea Granita
Raspberry-Persimmon Sorbet

Tin Roof Ice Cream

God, I am so tired of complaining about the weather. I'm just tired of talking about it. And I don't doubt that you are truly sick of hearing me gripe about it post after post. It's just something about that sticky, sweaty weather that consumes all of my thoughts and has me running for any air-conditioned building.

I've spent more time "perusing magazines" and "just browsing" than any normal human being really should. What would be a quick jaunt to the grocery store in milder temperatures turns into an hours-long adventure, as I find myself stopping at every convenience store, drug store, and mom-and-pop shop I pass. Part of the problem really stems from my own stubbornness. A more reasonable person would happily shell out $2.25 to ride the subway to Trader Joe's.

Instead, I trek well over a mile to pick up my groceries. In fact, I could so very easily grab everything at the D'Agostino's that is literally three doors down, but again, I have an iron will. So, as a consolation prize for patiently wading through all of my...er...less than thrilling anecdotes about the thermometer, I am offering you this ice cream.

It has homemade fudge sauce. And salted chocolate covered peanuts. Starting to forgive me? And the base packs so much delicious vanilla-punch it'll knock your socks off. Did I mention the salted chocolate covered peanuts???

Tin Roof Ice Cream

Adapted from The Perfect Scoop

½ cup sugar

1/3 cup light corn syrup

½ cup water

6 tablespoons unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder

½ teaspoon vanilla extract

¾ cup whole milk

¾ cup sugar

Pinch of salt

1 ½ cups heavy cream, divided

½ vanilla bean, split lengthwise

4 large egg yolks

¼ teaspoon vanilla extract

3 ounces chocolate, roughly chopped

¾ cup unsalted peanuts

Sea salt, for sprinkling

Whisk together sugar, corn syrup, water, and cocoa powder in a saucepan. Heat over medium heat, whisking constantly until mixture comes to a low boil. Cook for 1 minute, whisking frequently. Remove from heat, stir in vanilla, and let cool. Chill in refrigerator.

Warm milk, sugar, salt, and ½ cup cream in a saucepan. Scrape seeds from vanilla bean into milk mixture, and add pod. Cover, remove from heat, and let steep at room temperature for 30 minutes. Rewarm milk mixture. Pour remaining 1 cup cream into a large bowl and set mesh strainer on top. In a separate bowl, whisk together egg yolks. Slowly pour warm milk mixture into eggs, whisking constantly. Scrape warmed egg yolks back into saucepan. Stir mixture over medium heat until the custard thickens enough to coat the back of a spoon. Strain into reserved heavy cream. Stir in vanilla extract and chill thoroughly in refrigerator. Freeze in an ice cream maker.

Melt chocolate in a bowl set over simmering water. Line a baking sheet with plastic wrap. Once chocolate has melted completely, stir in peanuts. Spread chocolate-peanut mixture over prepared baking sheet, sprinkle with salt, and chill in refrigerator until hardened and ready to mix into ice cream. Fold into frozen ice cream.

Layer ice cream with fudge ripple in a Tupperware container. Store in freezer until ready to eat.

More Nutty Ice Creams

Peanut Horchata Sorbet

Walnut Ice Cream

Pine Nut and Olive Oil Ice Cream