Scoops, sundaes & more
Treats
A batch of homemade ice cream is only the beginning. Here’s how to turn it into cones, sundaes, shakes and gifts worth showing off.
Hold it right
Cones & cups
A homemade scoop deserves better than a cardboard cone. A waffle cone iron (or an Italian pizzelle iron) makes crisp, golden cones in minutes: spread on a thin batter, cook until golden, then roll it around a cone form while it’s still hot and flexible. Dip the rims in melted chocolate and sprinkles if you’re feeling fancy.
Prefer a cup? Chill your bowls in the freezer for 15 minutes first, and your scoops will hold their shape all the way to the table.
- Homemade ice cream sets firmer than store-bought, so let it sit out for 5 to 10 minutes before scooping.
- Dip the scoop in warm water and shake off the drips between scoops for perfectly round balls.
Build your own
Sundaes & homemade sauces
A great sundae is all about contrast: cold ice cream, warm sauce, something crunchy and something fresh. Start with these three sauces. Each one keeps for a couple of weeks in a jar in the fridge and reheats in seconds.
Cream means heavy cream (whipping or double cream in the UK). Warm sauces gently; they thicken as they cool.
Hot fudge
- ½ cup (120 ml) cream
- ⅓ cup (65 g) sugar
- 3 tbsp cocoa powder
- 3 oz (85 g) dark chocolate, chopped
- 2 tbsp butter and a pinch of salt
Simmer the cream, sugar, cocoa and salt for 2 minutes, whisking. Take it off the heat and stir in the chocolate and butter until glossy. Serve warm.
Salted caramel
- 1 cup (200 g) sugar
- 3 tbsp water
- ¾ cup (180 ml) cream, warmed
- 3 tbsp butter
- ½ tsp flaky sea salt
Cook the sugar and water without stirring until deep amber. Carefully whisk in the warm cream (it will bubble up furiously), then the butter and salt.
Butterscotch
- 4 tbsp (55 g) butter
- ½ cup (100 g) dark brown sugar
- ½ cup (120 ml) cream
- ½ tsp vanilla extract
- A good pinch of salt
Melt the butter and brown sugar together and let it bubble for 3 minutes. Whisk in the cream and simmer for 2 minutes more, then stir in the vanilla and salt.
Finish with toasted nuts, crushed cookies, fresh berries, whipped cream and, obviously, a cherry.
Sip slowly
Shakes, floats & sodas
A proper shake is thick enough to make the straw stand up. The ratio is about three generous scoops of ice cream to ⅓ cup (80 ml) of cold milk. Blend briefly; overblending melts it.
- Malted shake: add a heaped tablespoon of malted milk powder to the blender.
- Float: drop a scoop or two into a tall glass of cold root beer, cola or cream soda.
- Ice cream soda: stir flavored syrup and a splash of milk in a glass, top up with soda water, then crown it with a scoop.
- Leftovers? Pour any extra shake into ice pop molds and freeze.
Pick-me-up
Coffee & ice cream
The affogato is one of the simplest desserts in the world and one of the best: a scoop of vanilla in a small glass, with a hot shot of espresso poured over the top at the table. Affogato means “drowned” in Italian.
No espresso machine? Strong moka pot or French press coffee works fine. Try it with coffee ice cream and a spoonful of hot fudge for a mocha version, or add a splash of amaretto for an after-dinner treat.
Storing a batch
- Freeze it in a shallow, lidded container. It firms up faster and more evenly than in a deep tub.
- Press a piece of parchment onto the surface before lidding to stop ice crystals forming.
- Keep it at the back of the freezer, not in the door, where the temperature swings every time it opens.
- Enjoy it within a week or two. It keeps longer, but the texture slowly turns icy.
Gifting a batch
Few presents land as well as a pint of homemade ice cream. Pack it into a paper pint tub, add a handwritten flavor label and tie a little jar of hot fudge or caramel to the lid.
Traveling with it? Wrap the tub in a tea towel and pack it in an insulated bag with an ice pack. It will survive a short journey happily.
- Pint + sauce jar
- Build-a-sundae kit
- Homemade waffle cones
Start to finish
The homemade process
Whatever the flavor, almost every batch follows the same five steps. Plan ahead: the waiting is the hardest part.
1
Make the base
Warm the milk, cream and sugar. For custard, whisk a little of the hot mix into the egg yolks, return everything to the pan and stir over low heat until it coats the back of a spoon, around 175°F (80°C). Don’t let it boil.
2
Chill it well
Strain the base, stir in any extracts and chill for at least 4 hours, ideally overnight. A properly cold base churns faster and freezes smoother.
3
Churn
Pour the cold base into your machine and churn until it looks like thick soft-serve, usually 20 to 30 minutes. Don’t overfill: it grows as air is folded in.
4
Add the extras
Add chunky mix-ins in the last minute of churning, or fold cookies, nuts and fruit through by hand. Layer in sauces as you pack it into a container.
5
Harden
Freeze for at least 4 hours to firm up. Then scoop, share and start planning the next batch.
The kit
Which ice cream maker?
There’s no wrong answer, only different amounts of planning ahead.
Budget pick
Freezer bowl
Affordable and compact. Freeze the bowl for a full day before churning, and plan on one batch per freeze.
Keen churners
Compressor
Built-in freezing means batch after batch with no planning. Bigger, heavier and pricier, but a joy if you make ice cream often.
Party trick
Hand crank
The old-fashioned way: a canister packed in ice and rock salt. Loud, messy, brilliant at parties and surprisingly quick.
No machine
No-churn
Whip cream to soft peaks, fold in sweetened condensed milk and your flavorings, then freeze. It isn’t churned ice cream, but it’s very good.
Now, what are you churning?
Every treat on this page starts with a great batch. Find your next flavor.