By Sherrie Norris

It’s the middle of July, the thermometer is “just about right” for summer in the hills — and perfect timing to celebrate the invention of ice cream. It’s been almost 40 years since President Ronald Reagan designated July as National Ice Cream Month, recognizing the smooth, creamy treat as a fun and (sometimes) nutritious food enjoyed by a full 90% of the nation’s population. And furthermore, Sunday, July 16, was National Ice Cream Day.
According to the International Dairy Foods Association, In 2022, ice cream makers in the U.S. churned out 1.38 billion gallons of ice cream. The ice cream industry has a $13.1 billion impact on the U.S. economy, supports 28,800 direct jobs, and generates $1.8 billion in direct wages.
Chocolate claims its spot at the top as America’s favorite ice cream flavor, with Cookies N’ Cream, vanilla, strawberry and chocolate chip following close behind..
Here’s a little more ice cream trivia (from the IDFA) to keep life interesting:
- Waffle cones beat out sugar cones 32% to 12% among consumers, but 37% of consumers prefer to eat their ice cream out of a bowl.
- Chocolate is the most popular topping sauce, beating caramel 26% to 18%. Nuts and sprinkles are the most popular dry toppings, 15% and 14%, respectively.
- Among nuts, pecans beat peanuts 24% to 18% among consumers.
- Strawberries are the most popular fruit eaten with ice cream, at 48% of consumers. Bananas ranked second at 36%.
- 73% of consumers consume ice cream at least once per week and 2 out of 3 consume ice cream in the evening.
- 84% of consumers prefer to purchase ice cream at the grocery store and eat it at home.
- Almost half of consumers prefer half-gallon containers for ice cream from a grocery store; 23% prefer a pint.
Heavenly Ice Cream Oreo Dessert
24 Oreo cookies, crushed
¼ cup butter, melted
½ gallon ice cream, softened (your choice, but vanilla or chocolate is best)
1 can sweetened condensed milk
½ cup butter or margarine, softened
16 oz. chocolate syrup
1 tsp. vanilla
8 oz. whipped topping
1 cup chopped pecans or walnuts
Mix cookie crumbs with melted butter and press into 9×13-inch pan. Freeze 30 minutes. Top with softened ice cream and freeze another 30 minutes. Make a syrup with the condensed milk, chocolate syrup and butter by bringing to a boil in a saucepan. Simmer 5 minutes and then stir in vanilla. Pour on top of ice cream and freeze another 30 minutes. Spread whipped topping over the top. Sprinkle with chopped nuts. About 30 minutes before serving, place in refrigerator to soften just a little.
Caramel-Topped Ice Cream Dessert
Crust
2 cups (about 16) finely crushed shortbread cookies
¼ cup cashews, finely chopped
1/3 cup butter, melted
Middle layer:
½ gallon vanilla ice cream, softened
Third layer:
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
1½ cups powdered sugar
½ cup butter
2 (5 oz.) cans evaporated milk
1 tsp. vanilla extract
Topping:
1 cup pretzels, coarsely crushed
½ cup cashews, coarsely chopped
1 (12 oz.) jar caramel ice cream topping, warmed
Combine crust ingredients in bowl; mix well. Press onto bottom of ungreased 13×9-inch baking pan. Freeze 10 minutes.
Spread ice cream over crust. Cover; freeze 1-2 hours or until set.
Meanwhile, combine all third- layer ingredients, except vanilla in 2-quart saucepan. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, 7-9 minutes or until mixture comes to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low Cook, stirring occasionally, 5 minutes or until slightly thickened. Remove from heat; stir in vanilla. Cool completely.
Pour cooled fudge layer mixture over frozen ice cream. Freeze 4 hours or overnight until set.
Combine pretzel sticks and cashews in bowl; set aside.
Let dessert stand at room temperature 10-15 minutes before serving. Cut into servings; top each serving with about 1 tablespoon pretzel mixture. Drizzle each with about 1 tablespoon caramel topping.
Quick and Delicious Homemade Vanilla Ice Cream
½ pint light cream
Can of sweetened condensed milk
1-2 tsp. vanilla extract (according to taste)
Pour all ingredients into a mixing bowl and mix until smooth. Transfer the whole mixture into an ice cream maker and freeze according to manufacturer’s instructions.
Creamy Diabetic Delight
1 Angel food cake
½ gallon sugar-free vanilla or strawberry ice cream, slightly softened
2 qt. fresh strawberries
Sugar substitute to taste
Cut cake in half; tear one half into small pieces and set aside. Cut the other half into 12-14 thin slices; arrange in the bottom of a wax paper lined oblong baking dish, overlapping as needed. Spread softened ice cream over cake, pressing down to smooth. Gently press the small cake pieces into the ice cream. Cover and freeze. Just before serving, slice strawberries and sweeten to taste. Cut into squares and top with strawberries.
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