11 Fun Things to Do With Ice Cream This Summer

Drizzle it! Dip it! Sprinkle it! Swirl it!

Author:: Janet Taylor McCracken
Publish date:: Aug 9, 2018

Photography by Marcus Nilsson

1. Embrace #basic (then mix things up)

vanilla-ice-cream-cone — Photography by Andy Lyons

Vanilla ice cream is the purest expression of creamy, frozen deliciousness. This simple recipe is yummy as is, or it makes a great base for mix-ins if that’s more your speed.

Recipe: Super-Easy Vanilla Ice Cream

Got your vanilla ice cream down? Now switch it up! Use your easy vanilla ice cream recipe base to make it minty, jammy, coconutty or chocolate-chippy. Get the recipes here.

2. Make your own sprinkles (really!)

What store-bought sprinkles bring in color, they often lack in flavor. This easy version—super-tasty icing cut into adorable little bits—fixes that problem once and for all.

3. Bump up your berry sauce

This three-ingredient sauce is a little sweet, a little tangy, and 100 percent delicious.

4. Conquer caramel

salted caramel sauce — Photography by Marcus Nilsson

This recipe is so much better than anything in a jar.

5. Pick up a pint

ample hills creamery peppermint pattie — Photography by Peter Ardito

Looking for your new go-to flavor? Try one of our all-time faves. Warning: You might not wanna share.

6. Make some magic

ice cream toppings chocolate strawberry matcha — Photography by Marcus Nilsson

Remember that chocolate sauce from your childhood that froze into a shell on your ice cream? If you have chocolate and coconut oil, you can re-create that sweet sorcery at home. Mind = blown!

Get the recipes: 4 Ways to Make DIY Magic Shell for Your Ice Cream

7. Pie-ify it

A nutty crust, a creamy custard filling, and a towering crown of meringue? Yep. We’re on Team (Ice Cream) Pie.

Recipe: No-Churn Lemon-Lime Ice Cream Meringue Pie

8. Get grammin'

So many eye-catching desserts, so little time. On your next trip to the ice cream shop, grab your phone, find a cool background, and grab some inspiration from these Insta-worthy ice cream shots from around the country. Don’t forget to tag @rachaelraymag and #RRMagFan. Hurry—cuz it’s melting!

9. Make a kick-a** birthday cake

spumoni ice cream cake mascarpone — Photography by Aaron Dyer

In honor of her big birthday on August 25, we wanted to make a cake as awesome as our namesake. We give you the Rach: an Italian extravaganza with layers of chocolate–olive oil cake and cherry and Sicilian pistachio gelato (but ice cream works, too) crowned with a cloud of Luxardo cherry–topped mascarpone whipped cream. It’s a heck of a lot of fun, just like the woman herself. HBD, Rach!