Tag Archives: summer treats

Cookies and Cream Ice Cream

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2020 has been a tough year for everyone.  Dealing with all the unknowns, stress, worries, even the lost of loved ones…..Reading all the news everyday can be depressing and exhausting.  For me, one way to deal with the stress is to do what I love.  Baking, making desserts……

I was making some macarons couple weeks ago. It is one of the trickiest thing to bake, even if you follow the recipe religiously, or you’ve made it a thousand times, it can still turn out to be a disaster !  Well, that’s what happened to me……I eventually succeeded but left with A LOT of egg yolks ! So 
I turned them into this Cookies and Cream Ice Cream ! It’s super easy to do, yummy and a perfect treat for hot summer days ! 

Makes about 1.5 L

  • 200 g granulated sugar
  • 6 egg yolks
  • 3 cups whole milk
  • 1.5 cup whipping cream
  • 1 vanilla bean or 1 tablespoon vanilla paste
  • 15-20 Oreo cookies (crushed)
    1. Whisk together egg yolks, sugar and 1/4 cup of milk
    2. In a non-stick pot, heat remaining milk, vanilla bean (scraped) or vanilla paste, over medium heat until just boiled
    3. Add 1/3 cup of hot milk into egg mixture to temper, then pour everything back into pot
    4. Heat over low heat, stirring constantly until just thickened. Mixture should coat back of spoon. Alternatively, you can use a thermometer, and heat until it reaches 82 ºC / 180 ºF 
    5. Remove from heat immediately, strain through a fine mesh twice
    6. Let sit in an ice bath, stir in whipping cream
    7. Let cool completely, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 3 hours or overnight 
    8. Place in ice cream machine and churn according to manufacturer’s instructions
    9. Stir in crushed Oreo cookies and freeze until serve

     

 

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Blueberry Cheesecake Ice Cream 

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Our summer has been pretty hot, I am not complaining, it’s been great ! And nothing is better than having a bowl of ice cream on a hot summer day…..and it’s homemade ! Blueberries are in season, so why not make good use of them ! This recipe is really simple, yet flavourful. No kidding, it’s probably the best ice cream I have ever made ! It looks amazing too ! I am so glad I bought the ice cream machine, trust me, it’s totally worth it !  Oh, here are some extra tips …….

  • Don’t skim on the dairy if you want your ice cream to be rich and creamy, use full fat
  • Make sure your mixture is very cold before putting into the ice cream machine
  • Don’t mesh all of the blueberries when making the compote if you want some “blueberry crunch” in your ice cream

Hope you will give this a try and have a great summer !

Makes about 1 L

  • 150 g blueberries 
  • 30 g granulated sugar (adjust if needed)
  • 10 mL lemon juice 
  • 250 g soft cream cheese 
  • 250 mL whipping cream
  • 250 mL full-fat milk 
  • 180 g granulated sugar 
  1. To make the blueberry compote, cook blueberries, 30 g of sugar and lemon juice over medium heat 
  2. Turn heat down when liquid starts to bubble 
  3. Gently mesh blueberries with back of wooden spoon and cook until slightly thicken 
  4. Let cool then refrigerate until use 
  5. Blend cream cheese, whipping cream, milk and sugar together for a few minutes until smooth 
  6. Refrigerate for about 2 hours or until mixture is very cold
  7. Pour into ice cream maker and churn according to manufacturer’s instructions 
  8. Spoon and swirl blueberry compote into ice cream 
  9. Freeze until serve 

Banana Milkshake (Vegan and Dairy-free)

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This is probably the simplest recipe I have ever made.  It has just 2 ingredients !  I often make myself a banana smoothie after my morning run. It’s delicious, satisfying and very healthy. The past week has been quite hot, even in the morning. Not that I am complaining about the good weather, but when the temperature is up, I do get more tired after I run and I would be soaking wet.  So to quench my thirst and “refuel” myself, I turned my smoothie into an even cooler treat…. a milkshake ! I simply freeze the bananas before blending, how easy is that !

Makes about 2 servings

  • 4 ripe bananas 
  • 1 cup almond milk (I used vanilla-flavoured almond milk, you can use unsweetened if preferred)
  1. Peel and cut bananas into small pieces, put in freezer for about 3 hours or overnight
  2. Blend frozen bananas and almond milk together until smooth, serve immediately 

Banana Milkshake

 

Iced Coffee Popsicles 

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For a lot of people, summer is a relaxing season, but if you are a mom, you would know, summer can be very busy too! For the last few weeks, I have been driving my kids to swimming and other activities almost every day, trying to keep them active and occupied….so they don’t spend too much time in front of the computer ! It’s busy, but they’ve been having a good time. For me, many days, by the afternoon, I am pooped ! And I need my afternoon “fuel” to keep me going, which is usually a light snack and a cup of iced coffee.  It was so hot the last few days, so I decided to transform my “fuel” into popsicles ! Oh, and I found a bottle of Kahlua in my fridge so I added some extra boost ! Sorry kids, you can’t have these, but you know what ?  When mom is cool, everything is cool ! 

Makes about 8-10 popsicles 

  • 1/2 cup hot brewed coffee 
  • 1/2 cup condensed milk 
  • 3/4 cup whole milk 
  • 3/4 cup half and half cream
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract 
  • 2 tablespoons coffee liqueur (optional)
  • 60 g semi-sweet or dark chocolate, melted (optional for drizzles) 
  1. Mix hot coffee and condensed milk together
  2. Add all other ingredients except the melted chocolate, stir until blended 
  3. Pour into popsicle molds and freeze until set, about 4 hours 
  4. Drizzle with melted chocolate if desired 

Iced Coffee Popsicles

 

 

 

 

Chocolate Ice Cream

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I made this ice cream about 2 weeks ago. Since then I have been thinking what I should write about this post. I wanted to share something special other than just telling you how good this ice cream is. (It is REALLY good !) The day that I made this ice cream, I actually just finished a very good session of rock climbing. So, I decided to share the experience. I started indoor rock climbing about a year ago, and I absolutely fell in love with it. Back then, I never thought I could do it. Yes, my arms “hurt like hell” every time I finished, but I feel good, it’s a good kind of pain. For a 40 something-year old mom, who was not very active, being able to finish a 5.8 route, it’s a big achievement…..(Oh, FYI, a climbing route is graded according to its difficulty. It ranges from 5 all the way to 5.15) Through rock climbing, and also running, I have become more healthy physically and mentally. (Well, I guess that’s a good excuse to make more desserts !) I have learned to be more patient and perseverance.  As a mom, I feel it is important to teach my kids to pursue their dreams and goals no matter how hard they seem…..I have to thank my daughter too ! She likes to climb and keeps me going.  Actually she is even tougher than I am !  Well done, girl ! …. and well done mom too ! 
OK, back to the ice cream ! I have made chocolate ice cream before but without the ice cream machine.  Now that I own one, I thought I should make the “real” thing.  And the “real” thing does taste better !  I added some chopped chocolate for extra flavour and crunchiness, you can omit it if preferred.  

Makes about 1 L

  • 2 cups whipping cream
  • 1 cup whole milk
  • 4 egg yolks
  • 200 g granulated sugar
  • 50 g unsweetened cocoa powder
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • 100 g dark or semi-sweet chocolate, finely chopped (optional) 
  • ice and water for ice bath
  1. Whisk together egg yolks, sugar and 1/4 cup milk
  2. In a non-stick pot, heat remaining milk, 1 cup of whipping cream and cocoa powder over medium heat until just boiled, stirring constantly (Keep the other cup of whipping cream in the fridge)
  3. Add 1/3 cup of hot mixture into egg mixture to temper, then pour everything back into pot
  4. Turn heat down to low, stir constantly until just thickened, mixture should coat back of spoon (You can draw a streak in the middle of the spoon with your finger, if the streak stays clear, it is ready)
  5. Remove from heat immediately, strain through a fine mesh twice
  6. Let sit in an ice bath, stir in vanilla extract and remaining cold whipping cream
  7. Let cool completely, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 3 hours or overnight
  8. Place in ice cream machine and churn according to manufacturer’s instructions
  9. Fold in chopped chocolate
  10. Serve soft immediately or keep in freezer

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Peach Frozen Yoghurt

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I finally got an ice cream machine! Now there are so many more recipes I can do! This is my first one using my new toy. My friend and her kids taste tested it for me and they all like it!

Makes about 1 L
Total time: 30 minutes (for soft serve )

  • 250 g frozen peaches
  • 600 g full fat plain Greek yoghurt
  • 3/4 cup granulated sugar
  • 1 tablespoon lemon juice
  • 1 teaspoon pure extract
  1. Blend peaches,100 g of yoghurt and lemon juice into a puree
  2. Whisk remaining yoghurt, sugar and vanilla extract until smooth
  3. Add puree to yoghurt mixture, mix well 
  4. Mixture should be cold, if not, you can put it in the fridge for 2-3 hours before churning
  5. Put into an ice cream machine according to manufacturer’s instructions
  6. Serve right away as a soft yoghurt or put in air tight container and keep in freezer for up to 1 month

Tools I used and you may like 

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Cuisinart ICE-21C Frozen Yogurt, Ice Cream and Sorbet Maker

You can get this ice cream machine through the Amazon website by clicking the above link.  I will receive a small compensation if you purchase the item.

 

Homemade Berry Sorbet (without ice cream maker)

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I have been using my blender a lot this summer, making juices, smoothies, popsicles, etc. Here is another great summer treat we can do at home, even if you don’t have an ice cream maker !

Makes about 4 cups of sorbet

  • 32 oz (4 cups) of fresh or frozen berries
  • 1 cup granulated sugar
  • 1 cup water
  • 1 tablespoon lemon juice
  1. Dissolve sugar in water over low heat to make simple syrup, set aside to cool
  2. Blend berries, 1 cup of simple syrup, and lemon juice together
  3. Press puree through strainer to remove skins and seeds
  4. Add about 2 tablespoons more of syrup if needed, mixture should taste slightly sweeter than you would like as a juice
  5. Pour on a baking sheet or a shallow pan
  6. Cover and freeze until frozen (at least four hours or overnight)
  7. Remove from freezer, break the frozen mixture into chunks and blend again until smooth
  8. Serve right away or put in an airtight container and return to freezer until serve

Use fresh fruits if available, it tastes better. I use a hand blender and a large mixing bowl when blending the frozen mixture, it’s easier than using the tall blender.

Watermelon Popsicles

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One thing I love about summer is the variety of fruits. Watermelon is one of our favourites. These popsicles are super easy to make and is much healthier than those artificial freezies. 

Makes about 4 popsicles

  • 400 g watermelon, cut in pieces
  • 2 tablespoons honey to sweeten if needed

Blend them together and freeze for about 4 hours

Very Berry Popsicles

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This is a great cool treat on hot summer days ! My kids love them ! 

Makes about 6 servings

  • 1 cup vanilla flavour yoghurt
  • 200 g fresh or frozen berries (strawberries, blueberries, raspberries… or a mix of all of them !)
  • 2-3 tablespoons honey to sweeten if needed

Blend ingredients together and pour into popsicle molds or small paper cups. Insert popsicle sticks. Freeze for about 4 hours or until frozen