Ice Cream Sundaes & Ice Cream Treats for Kids
Summer is fast approaching and what says summer better than ice cream sundaes?! Along with our darling new ice cream launch (out now!!), we also wanted to share some of our favorite ice cream sundae and homemade ice cream recipes with you and your Birdies.
One of the easiest ways to make homemade ice cream (and yes we did just use EASY and homemade ice cream in the same sentence… it is possible!), is actually using ziploc bags and salt. Making homemade ice cream in a bag is a great activity for the whole family. We’re going to be sharing three of our favorite homemade ice cream recipes that you can make with your kids today, without an expensive ice cream maker.
But first, make sure to shop our puppies & ice cream trucks collection and enjoy these sweet treats with your Birdies this summer. We can’t wait to hear which one is their favorite!
Ice Cream Sundaes and Homemade Ice Cream for Kids
How to Make Ice Cream in a Bag
Making ice cream in a bag is the perfect activity for your kids this summer. The best part about this process is that kids can really get involved shaking the bag to finish off the ice cream. And it’s a little bit of a science experiment for the whole family.
To make ice cream in a bag, the trick is salt! You’re going to be adding salt and ice to a large gallon bag, and your ingredients to a smaller bag inside of the gallon bag, then like magic (and shaking for 6 minutes) you’ll have ice cream.
The process looks like this:
- Add all of your ice cream ingredients to a medium ziploc bag – the big thing here is to use high quality ziploc bags or double bag your ingredients, otherwise the ice could puncture the bag and give you salty ice cream.
- Let all additional air out and seal your bag.
- Fill a gallon-sized ziploc bag about halfway with ice. Add ¼ cup of salt. Any salt here will do, but the larger the salt granules, the less likely it is to leak into your ice cream.
- Add your small bag to the gallon sized back and top with ice. Seal your large bag.
- Using oven mitts or gloves (it gets really cold because of the salt), shake the bag for 6 minutes.
- Take your small bag out and rinse the outside with cold water.
- After you’ve rinsed the bag, carefully open the small bag, and make sure you don’t get any remaining salt into the ice cream.
- Your ice cream will be icy looking at the start, but you can use a spoon to mix it around and soften it up. Scoop and enjoy!
Now for some of our favorite homemade ice cream recipes.
Homemade ice cream recipes
Strawberry Ice Cream:
- 1 cup fresh or frozen strawberries
- 1 cup half and half or heavy cream
- 1 ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon sugar
Chop up the strawberries and mix them in at the end.
Cookies and Cream Ice Cream:
- 1 cup half and half or heavy cream
- 1 ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 10 Oreo cookies, crushed
Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream:
- 1 cup half and half or heavy cream
- 1 ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 1 teaspoon mint extract
- Green food coloring (optional)
- ½ cup chopped chocolate or chocolate chips
We know making homemade ice cream might not be for everyone, especially not if you get salt in the ice cream – we’ve been there! So we also wanted to share some fun ice cream sundaes to jazz up the traditional banana split! The secret to making the perfect ice cream sundaes for kids is always adding whipped cream. There’s something about ice cream topped with whipped cream that immediately makes things that much fancier.
So make sure no matter what recipe you go with, don’t forget to add a dollop of whipped cream.
Five fun ice cream sundae recipes for kids
Fruity Pebbles Sundae
- 2 scoops vanilla ice cream
- 1/4 cup Fruity Pebbles cereal
- Whipped cream
- Maraschino cherries
Instructions: Place two scoops of vanilla ice cream in a bowl. Sprinkle Fruity Pebbles cereal on top of the ice cream. Add whipped cream and top with a maraschino cherry.
Chocolate Peanut Butter Sundae
- 2 scoops chocolate ice cream
- 2 tablespoons peanut butter
- Chocolate syrup
- Whipped cream
- Chocolate chips
Instructions: Place two scoops of chocolate ice cream in a bowl. Microwave the peanut butter for 10-15 seconds until soft and pourable. Drizzle the peanut butter over the ice cream. Add chocolate syrup, whipped cream, and chocolate chips.
Banana Split Sundae:
- 2 scoops vanilla ice cream
- 1 sliced banana
- Strawberry syrup
- Pineapple chunks
- Whipped cream
- Chopped peanuts
Instructions: Place two scoops of vanilla ice cream in a bowl. Add sliced banana, pineapple chunks, and drizzle with strawberry syrup. Add whipped cream and chopped peanuts.
S'mores Sundae
- 2 scoops chocolate ice cream
- Mini marshmallows
- Crushed graham crackers
- Chocolate syrup
- Whipped cream
Instructions: Place two scoops of chocolate ice cream in a bowl. Add mini marshmallows and sprinkle crushed graham crackers on top. Drizzle with chocolate syrup and add whipped cream.
Caramel Apple Sundae
- 2 scoops vanilla ice cream
- 1 sliced apple
- Caramel syrup
- Cinnamon sugar
- Whipped cream
Instructions: Place two scoops of vanilla ice cream in a bowl. Add your apple slices and drizzle with caramel syrup. Sprinkle it with cinnamon sugar and add whipped cream.
Summer for us is all about spending quality time as a family and beating the heat! Luckily, Birdie Bean helps you do both. We specifically choose bamboo material to help you stay cool all summer.
Make sure to shop our new collections, Abbey and Archie, out now! And let us know over on Instagram (@birdiebeanbaby) what your family's favorite summer ice cream traditions are.
