Homemade ice cream to make with children

Everything good, everything magical, happens between the months of June and August

Jenny Han

Ice cream is one of the great pleasures of summer. But in addition to being delicious and refreshing, they can be economical, healthy and natural. Today the time has come to bring out the creative chefs that you and the rest of your family have inside and write down all these ideas for homemade ice cream to make with children this summer.

You can use seasonal ingredients such as fruit, healthy foods such as organic milk, nuts, dark chocolate or yogurt and always have them on hand in the refrigerator for a great snack, after dinner or for magical summer nights, under the chirping of crickets. You can enjoy these homemade ice creams by the pool , on the beach, on a picnic, on the terrace or in the garden.

Artisanal ice creams have many benefits: they are lower in calories and have less saturated fat, since they lack, for example, hydrogenated vegetable oils - which raise bad cholesterol -. They are also free of additives and colorings, and are rich in vitamins and minerals such as magnesium, calcium, phosphorus or vitamins A, B2, B6 or C.

Homemade ice creams rich in fruit are also digestive and hydrating , rich in fiber and stimulating when it comes to generating happiness hormones such as endorphins or serotonin, thanks to components such as tryptophan, present in milk or peanuts. Artisanal ice creams made with yogurt also provide probiotics and good ferments to enrich the intestinal microbiota, so connected with a good immune system or a healthy brain.

Now that you know several of its benefits, comes the practical part: these are some homemade ice creams to make with children this summer.

5 artisanal ice creams that you can make with your children

• Homemade strawberry and banana ice cream: a classic that only requires three ingredients. Strawberries, banana and your favorite juice - it can be multi-fruit, orange, tangerine, pineapple, etc. It is better that the banana is ripe. Chop the fruit well, mix all the ingredients in a blender and pour the resulting combination into the homemade ice cream molds. They should be in the freezer for at least 6 to 8 hours.
• Greek yogurt and berries popsicles : a homemade, creamy and flavor-packed popsicle that is a source of protein, antioxidants, calcium and vitamin C, among other nutrients. You can use frozen or fresh berries such as blueberries, currants, blackberries or raspberries. Beat the Greek yogurt well with these fruits and place them in the molds with their respective toothpicks. You can add a splash of lime juice if you want a more acidic result.
• Dark chocolate ice cream : the Family and Health website provides this recipe . For four servings you would need 50 grams of unsweetened dark chocolate - which has a minimum of 70% cocoa -, 25 grams of pure unsweetened cocoa powder, 100 milliliters of whipping cream, natural sweetener, a pinch of salt and a couple of egg yolks. Crush the chocolate, beat the cream and add all the ingredients. When they are well mixed, cook them over low heat for 8 minutes. Place the mixture in a silicone or aluminum container and freeze for about twelve hours. A very delicious idea is to serve it with nuts on top, such as almonds, hazelnuts or walnuts.

• Tropical popsicles : An exquisite ice cream idea for sweet lovers is to prepare ice creams with yogurt, mango, papaya and pineapple. Remove the stone from the fruit that has it, chop the pulp well and add yogurt. If you prefer an acidic popsicle, you can make lime, green tea, nectarine and grapefruit popsicles. In reality, the combinations are multiple: you can make avocado, melon, kiwi or watermelon ice cream. Think first about what your favorite fruits are.
• Gourmet ice cream : if you want an original ice cream you can mix the pulp of twenty cherries - or strawberries, or cherry blossoms, or another fruit of your liking - with 100 grams of goat cheese, 100 milliliters of cream and 50 grams of icing sugar. Blend the mixture gently and be amazed by the resulting flavor. You can add muesli on top, or a handful of nuts.

If you are short of ideas, on platforms like Cookpad you can find more than 5,000 recipes for homemade ice cream. From ice creams for the most gluttonous such as Oreo, cheesecake or stracciatella popsicles to original combinations such as apple, hazelnut and curry ice cream, melon frozen flan or honey cheese popsicle. It's all a matter of getting your palate and creativity going!