Frozen Desserts Are More Than Just Ice Cream
I scream. You scream. We all scream for ice cream. Am I right?
As I’ve mentioned before, ice cream is an important part of my freezer stockpile. In summertime I store the canister to our ice cream maker in the freezer whenever it’s not in use so that we can quickly and easily get churning. If you’ve followed the Freezer Cure for any length of time, though, you know that the freezer is for more than just ice cream. Especially in the dessert department!
I would categorize our frozen dessert repertoire as follows:
Popsicles
Popsicles are super easy to make and they’re fun for kids and adults alike. Homemade popsicles, while cute when formed with specialty molds, can be made as simple as a paper cup and a wooden stick. Fill them with flavored yogurts, fresh juice, even your favorite smoothie mixture. With yogurt, fruit, and granola, you can even make popsicles for breakfast!
Pies to Bake
My favorite pie to stash in the freezer is apple, but you can freeze peach and berry pies as well. Wrap the unbaked pie tightly with foil. Bake from frozen for the best texture.
→ More on freezing pies: For Convenience & A Better Crust: Freeze Unbaked Pies
My favorites include Mixed Berry Pie with Cinnamon and Lemon and Slab Apple Pie.
Pies to Serve Frozen
Since I was a kid, frozen pies have always been a draw. My mom’s famous Toffee Dream has been worth sneaking into the kitchen into the middle of the night to eat the last piece. Today, my family goes coconuts over this Coconut Crunch Pie.
Typically these concoctions consist of spooning a whipped cream mixture into a crumb or nut crust. Let your imagination take flight as you fold in nuts, chopped candy, fruit, and chocolate.
Ice Cream Cakes
Ice Cream Cakes are a combination: cake base topped with softened ice cream along with cookies, syrups, chocolate, or nuts. I once had a Lemon Drop Ice Cream Cake that was out of this world. You can dream up all kinds of fun combinations, mixing and matching cake flavors with ice cream and embellishments.
Ice Cream Sandwiches
There’s just something special about biting into an ice cream sandwich. Even mores o when it’s a homemade ice cream sandwich. Take your favorite soft cookie and your favorite ice cream and perform a marriage. Soften the ice cream enough so that it won’t break the cookie when you smoosh two cookies around a scoop of ice cream.
Granitas
A granita is similar to a sorbet — it has a slushier texture — but you don’t need an ice cream maker to prepare it. It’s typically made with sugar and fruit juice, but I’ve seen it made with coffee and alcohol as well. It can definitely fill the role of a grown-up slurpee.
Homemade Ice Cream
Last but certainly not least, we can’t forget ice cream. While there are plenty of great brands of commercially produced ice cream, nothing is as memory-invoking as making homemade ice cream. It’s rich and creamy texture can take me back to age 10 on the Fourth of July.
There are so many great desserts to stash in the freezer; the only question that remains is which will you make first?