5 Delicious Ways to Pair Ice Cream & Fruit for the Ultimate Summer Dessert (PHOTOS)

Summertime is all about creating fun memories with your kids. It's also the perfect season to enjoy a cool and refreshing dessert. (Hello, ice cream!) 

Former Top Chef contestant, restaurant owner, and Breyers spokeswoman Antonia Lofaso recently hosted an event during which she shared dessert recipes that evoke the fond memories of her own childhood summers and showcase the wonderful fruit flavors of the season.

And when it came to creating these confections, the busy mom got a little help and a lot of inspiration from her teen daughter and faithful taste-tester, Xea. In fact, Antonia explained that the whole family can make these recipes together. From crushing cookies and pretzels to rolling an ice cream sandwich through toasted coconut, little hands can get in on the action while they await dessert time.

Here, 5 delicious and distinctive ice cream and fruit recipes that offer a seriously cool twist to dessert. 

What's your favorite way to enjoy ice cream? 

Image via Breyers

Pound Cake & Peaches Sundae

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Breyers

The secret ingredient in this heavenly Pound Cake & Peaches Sundae is … thinly-sliced basil! While it might seem like an unusual pairing, Lofaso points out that the herb's inherent sweetness adds a fresh, delicious, and colorful component to the dish. Toasting the pound cake gives the dessert the perfect combination of firm and smooth textures. 

Ingredients: 

2 fresh summer peaches, diced

1T granulated sugar

2T lemon juice

2 tsp thinly sliced basil

4 (1/4-inch thick) slices of plain pound cake, toasted in the toaster until golden

1 cup Vanilla Ice Cream (1/4 cup each scoop)

Assembly:

To make each sundae, place a slice of toasted pound cake on a plate, then top with a scoop (1/4 cup each scoop) of ice cream and cover generously with macerated peaches. 

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Tropical Pineapple Ice Cream Sandwich

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Liz Alterman

The chef explained that her inspiration for creating her Tropical Pineapple Ice Cream Sandwich came from visiting the Caribbean with her daughter. This is a fun, fresh take on your more traditional chipwich or ice cream sammy. And, seriously, who needs chocolate when you’ve got toasted coconut and freshly-grilled fruit?

Ingredients:

2 (1/4 inch thick) slices fresh pineapple

1 cup vanilla ice cream, lightly softened

2T toasted coconut shavings

Instructions:

1. Grill pineapple slices over low to medium heat for 90 seconds on each side. Allow to cool briefly

2. Sandwich the softened Vanilla Ice Cream between the two grilled pieces of pineapple 

3. Coat sides in toasted coconut

4. Slice in half and serve

Banana Pudding

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Breyers

Who doesn't love banana pudding? This recipe is a perfect way to use the popular fruit that ripens all too quickly in the summertime. Vanilla wafers add the perfect amount of crunch.

Ingredients:

1 cup Vanilla Ice Cream

1/2 of a large, ripe banana, cut into 4 equal parts

1T turbinado sugar

1tsp spreadable butter

4 vanilla wafer cookies

__Instructions: __

1. On a baking sheet, sprinkle the turbinado sugar on the flat side of the 4 banana slices

2. Sauté bananas in a small 6-inch nonstick pan with the unsalted butter

3.  To assemble, place 1⁄2 cup vanilla ice cream into a small wide rimmed glass, then wedge 2 cookies on either side and top with sautéed bananas

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Toasted Almond & Vanilla Arancini

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Liz Alterman

Antonia shared that her recipe for Toasted Almond & Vanilla Arancini was inspired by her lifelong love of the popular rice balls. Let kids grab a rolling pin and crush some amoretti cookies. Next, they can roll their scoops of vanilla ice cream through the crumbs for a cool and nutty treat. 

Ingredients: 

4T mixed, chopped, toasted whole unsalted almonds and hazelnuts

1T toasted and crushed amoretti cookies

1⁄2 cup of vanilla ice cream (1/4 cup each scoop) – placed in the freezer for 10 minutes to harden on a baking sheet

Instructions:

1. Mix toasted, chopped nuts and amoretti cookies together in a bowl

2. Dredge the frozen vanilla ice cream balls in nut/cookie mixture and refreeze for another 5 minutes before serving 

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Stars & Stripes Sundae

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Breyers

A red, white, and blue dessert couldn't be more perfect for Memorial Day, Fourth of July, Labor Day, and, frankly, every day in between. This Stars & Stripes Sundae brings together blueberries and strawberries in one delicious dish. Kids will get a big kick out of the blue whipped topping while crushed pretzels add a fun and yummy crunch. 

Ingredients:

3/4 cup whipping cream

1 cup crushed blueberries

2T powdered sugar

2T water

2T sugar

1 cup rough chopped strawberries

2 cups of vanilla ice cream

2T crushed pretzels

Instructions:

1. For the whipped cream, either by hand or with a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, whisk cream, crushed blueberries and powdered sugar until soft peaks have formed, about 5 minutes by hand and about 3 minutes with stand mixer.

2. In an 8-inch sautée pan, combine water and sugar with strawberries and cook on medium to high heat for about 5-6 minutes until water and sugar creates a syrup and strawberries begin to slightly breakdown.

Assembly:

To make each sundae, spoon the warm sautéed strawberries into the bottom of a small bowl.

Top with 2 scoops (1/4 cup each scoop) of vanilla ice cream.

Add a small dollop of blueberry whip cream and sprinkle with the pretzels. 

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