As the weather heats up, it’s time to reach for some cool treats! As an alternative to rich, dairy ice cream, “nice cream” hits the spot without resulting in a sugar-crash later. Sphinx Date Co. shares some tips on how to create the best nice cream for a refreshing treat on a hot summer day.
Keep it Simple — A basic nice cream recipe doesn’t involve too much hassle (after all, summers are meant to be hassle-free!). So keep it simple! Frozen bananas serve as the base of a delicious nice cream. The riper the banana when frozen, the sweeter tasting the result will be. (Of course, the sweetness will also depend on flavors and other additions). So those bananas that never got eaten before they turned brown can still be given a second life through nice cream (which is way less intensive than making banana bread anyway!).
Blend it up — Before blending, let the frozen bananas thaw just a bit to make it easier for the blender to break them down. Add a few chopped dates and some flavoring such as vanilla or almond, a teaspoon should do it, to the blender and mix. A few splashes of almond milk (or milk of choice, non-dairy or otherwise), can help loosen up the mixture if the blender is having a hard time getting though, but the consistency should remain thick. The end result should be like a soft-serve ice cream. For a more traditional ice cream consistency, put the mixture into the freezer for about a half hour after blending. Consider freezing the nice cream into popsicle molds for easy snacking after a dip in the pool or a quick dessert. (*Tip: reconstitute the dates in a little bit of water prior to adding them to the mixture to get a smooth, silky end product.)
Add Some Flavor and Fun — That’s really all it takes to make a great nice cream, but for those that want to add a little something more, there are endless ways to jazz up this basic recipe. For a tropical creamsicle type nice cream, add some frozen mango or pineapple or a splash of orange juice to the mixture. Strawberries can be added for a classic strawberry nice cream or some coconut shavings, dark chocolate chips and butterscotch chips, and chopped nuts can create a magic cookie bar nice cream.
Sphinx Date Co. invites date lovers to try this simple nice cream recipe and to jazz it up however they like. Happy summer!