After a day at the beach, an afternoon running through a sprinkler, or a backyard barbecue, we all like to take a break from the heat and cool off with a treat. Whether it’s ice cream or milkshakes, shaved ice, or iced coffee, we have plenty of delicious, easy homemade treats for the whole family. Here are a few of our favorites:
1. Roasted Cherry Coconut Milkshakes
Summertime means cherry season! If you get a pound or two from the farmers market, a farm stand, or on sale at the grocery store, then you must try this beautifully luscious dessert from our friend Monique of @peaches2peaches. Her recipe makes 3–4 milkshakes.
Ingredients
- 1 lb. (450 g) fresh cherries
- 1 can (13.5 oz./400 mL) coconut milk
- 1½ tsp (22 mL) vanilla extract
- 6 cups (1.4 L) vanilla ice cream
Directions
- Rinse, slice in half, and remove the pits from the cherries. Place them on a parchment-lined baking sheet and roast in a 400°F (200°C) oven for 15–20 minutes.
- Place cherries in the Deluxe Cooking Blender with 2 tbsp (30 mL) of water and puree. Refrigerate in a separate container until cold.
- Add the ice cream, vanilla extract, and coconut milk to the blender. Blend until smooth.
- To serve, divide the cherry puree between 3 or 4 glasses. Pour the milkshake on top of the puree, dividing between the glasses equally.
2. Shaved Ice With Fruit (Korean Style)
Who knew you could make shaved ice with a blender! Our friend Jane @food.kids.love tried it out with her take on bingsu (or bingsoo). It’s a popular Korean shaved ice dessert with sweet toppings like chopped fruit, condensed milk, or fruit syrup. It’s meant to be shared, so a serving size is for two. Her version puts a focus on toddler-friendly diced fruit, but she says feel free to change it up. Kiwi and pineapple are also great options. You can also add sweet red beans (called Patbingsu) or mochi pieces.
Ingredients
- A variety of small, diced fruit. In the photos below, Jane used mango, peaches, strawberries, cherries, honeydew melon, cantaloupe, and red grapes.
- 4 cups (0.9 L) of ice
- 1 tbsp (15 mL) organic condensed milk. If you want it sweeter, add another ½ tbsp (7 mL).
Directions
- Place 2 cups (473 mL) of ice into the Deluxe Cooking Blender. Blend on Custom for 15 seconds on speed 1, until it’s the consistency of snow.
- Scoop into a big bowl, top with the fruit and drizzle on the condensed milk.
- Repeat steps 1 and 2 with the remaining ice.
3. Nice Cream
Most nice cream recipes call for blended up frozen bananas to make a creamy, cold ice-cream-like dessert. It’s dairy-free and guilt-free, too. Add in cocoa powder and chocolate chips to make a chocolate version topped with crushed candies or cookies. Or blend it frozen strawberries to make it a strawberry nice cream. For a banana-free version that still manages to taste like a tropical vacation blend frozen mangos and peaches with a drizzle of honey and sprinkle of chia seeds as for a finishing touch.
4. Strawberry Frozen Yogurt Bars
5. Fancy Milkshakes
Simple, classic milkshakes are delicious, but some occasions call for decadence! A Salted Caramel Pretzel Milkshake is a rich, caramel milkshake topped with more caramel, pretzels, and a bit of chocolate garnish and is just the thing for a backyard celebration on a hot summer night. Doesn’t sound like your thing? How about a Strawberry Sprinkled Donut Milkshake or a Mocha Chip Milkshake?
6. Iced Coffee Variations
Save time and money by making your own cold brew or iced coffee at home. For an added treat, substitute almond, cashew, or coconut milk for your usual creamer. Pour leftover coffee into ice cube trays and freeze—this way you can keep your iced coffee cold without watering it down.
7. Homemade Ice Cream
Don’t wait in long lines in the summer heat to get your ice cream fix. Instead, make it at home. Homemade ice cream is so tasty and more affordable than store-bought, and you can make it just the way your family likes it. Some of our favorites are blueberry, honey butter shortbread, and chai toffee chip. To help ice cream freeze more quickly with fewer ice crystals, use shallow, flat containers.
Did you try any of these? Leave us a comment and let us know what you thought!
Such creative…delicious looking dishes. Wow
They all look great!
Everything looks soooooo delicious.
I want to try some of the ice versions. They look so refreshing.
Nice Cream has been my go-to breakfast on a hot summer morning. I add chia seeds and flax seeds and protein powder when I blend it. It’s so healthy and easy!
Can you taste bananas in the nice cream?
What a great idea, Thanks for sharing!
They look wonderful, but as a recent Hawaii resident I have to object to the use of the word “shaved” ice. Shave ice is a particular form of ice that is shaved off a big block of ice, as the block spins around. The result is a fluffy ice of indescribable texture, which lends itself beautifully to the syrup topping. No vender in Hawaii (who knows what they’re doing) would dare use crushed ice or ice in any other form, and call it shave ice or shaved ice. The only people who would buy from such a vendor are clueless or simply desperate for a cold treat.
My BFF frequently travels to Hawaii to visit her son and his family. She’s the one who told me about “shave ice” and it has stayed with me all these years. All these other knock-off places are serving crushed ice. OK. I get that. But it’s surprising how many millions of Americans have NO idea! Hope you succeed in educating some of them.
The Pampered Chef Cooking Blender that was mentioned in the recipe turns ice into a light fluffy snow and it’s amazing for all kinds of frozen treats.
Seeing those pictures made me SO hungry.
I freeze my fruit in slices. Then to make a milk shake like consistency drink, add 1/2 cup of fruit, 1 cut of crushed ice, 1/2 cup of any liquid ( juice, milk, coconut milk) and blend just till mixed for a great milk shake.
The Korean Shaved Ice with Fruit is so delicious. You will always go back to this refreshing dessert.
Roasted cherries? I never would have thought. Ut I look forward to trying this recipe. Actually, all the recipes are tempting. Just another way to add to my QUARENTEEEN15.
Kathleen Shelden
I have an old pampered chef ice shaver… I cannot WAIT to try and make this fruity yumminess!!!!
It is not available any more?
Theses recipes looks yummy, I’m going to be 69 next month and for the last 3 months I have been adapting myself to a heather and weight loss way of life and I can really see tweeting some of these recipes to enjoy.
I’ve tried the strawberry coconut vanilla ice ones there so tastee !👌I have to try all the new ones recipes that I will learn on this host party so excited !
Can’t wait to learn more healthy ideas !
We tried the shaved ice today and the kids loved it! I made it with mangoes and blueberries.
I have a question……just got the ice cream machine and it says to clean the plastic lid. I am thinking that means the motor separates from it, but it is on so tightly I don’t want to break it before I get to taste any ice cream. The instructions aren’t real clear. It should show you how to break apart if it is supposed to come apart. Anyone have an answer to this?
The motor does separate from the clear plastic lid. If you look on the underside of it, you’ll see 2 white tabs that you press inward to detach the motor from the clear plastic.
If you flip the motor and plastic upside down there are two plastic “clips” that are part of the motor component. You just have to push them in towards each other and the clear plastic part should come off in order to clean. I hope that helps. Wish I could send you a picture.
I need to save these! They all sound delicious!
The Korean shaved ice looks kid friendly. My husband is Korean and we live in Korea so I should tell you that to make it really Korean style, try the red beans. They are sweet, not the savory beans we eat in the West. Other versions add almond slices, granola, or cheesecake squares. You can even eat it with chocolate. My favorite is strawberry cheesecake but I also like patbingsu which includes the red beans and almonds. My husband likes it with Oreos or chocolate.
I need to be dairy free and cane sugar free and store bought options are few, cause enormous gas and the texture is awful! Has anyone made good alternative milk ice cream that tastes and has real ice texture?
Yes, We have made it using coconut milk, alternative sugars, and almond milk too. It turns out very good. Just make sure all of your ingredients are chilled for at least 24 hours before using them.
I want to try them all!
I have made the Frozen Strawberry Bars and instead of using strawberries, I used bananas. So good!
All of them look so delicious, want to try them all !