Three Unique Desserts to Try Before Summer is Over

Mmm, summer desserts. There's something so blissful about ice cream, popsicles, and anything else that helps to bring down the delightful but sometimes overwhelming summer heat. If you're on board with the cold treats that fills the plate (and your belly) at almost every meal in the summer, then boy are you in for a treat.

These three desserts are unlike your delicious yet common chocolate ice cream cone. They're just as delectable, just as desirable and a whole lot of cool (pun intended). Dig in and read on...you won't regret it. And neither will your stomach.

Avocado & Pear Pop:

photo source: The Spunky Coconut

Alright, so confession: these pops were originally made by creative and clever blogger The Spunky Coconut for her baby who is teething. But hey, they sound absolutely delicious and too interesting to pass off. Not to mention, have you ever eaten baby food?! It's quite tasty. I'll stand by that declaration.

Puree:
2 avocados
2 pears (skin removed)

1. Fill the molds half way, insert sticks, and froze.
2. Soak in hot water for a minute to remove the pops from the mold.
3. Makes about six.

**If you aren't digging the Avocado and Pear combo, try her Nectarine, Kiwi, Banana pop recipe here, or her Kiwi, Apricot and Mango pops here! 


Layered Oreo & Nutella Popsicles:

photo source: Pinterest

There isn't a lot that needs to be said about these babies. There's Nutella. There are Oreo's. Some whipped cream, cool whip, Hazelnuts and sugar. And they take about 15 minutes to make. I think we're done here.

What you’ll need for the Oreo Popsicle Mix:
- 6-10 Crushed Oreo’s
- 2/3 cup of heavy whipping cream
- 1 Cup of Cool Whipped Topping (thawed)
- 1 tbs of sugar
- 1 tsp of vanilla
- Oreo Crumbs for garnish.
- Shot Glasses, any cup, or popsicle mold.
- Popsicle Sticks

Directions: In a large bowl add heavy whipping cream, whipped cream, sugar, and crushed Oreos and mix well. Pour the mix into the shot glass, add Oreo crumbs on top and freeze for about hr then add the popsicle sticks. Freeze for another two hours.  To remove the popsicles from glass/mold.. add warm water to a small bowl and insert the popsicles to softened for 1-6 seconds.
Makes about 12-16 popsicles depending on the cup size.

To Layer: 
Layer ONE- Oreo Popsicle Mix
Layer TWO – Chopped Hazelnuts
Layer THREE- Melted Nutella
Layer FOUR- Oreo Popsicle Mix
Layer FIVE – Chopped Hazelnuts
Layer SIX – Melted Nutella
Layer SEVEN – Oreo Popsicle Mix
Layer EIGHT – Oreo Crumbs

**Thank blogger, Little Inspiration for any chocolate addiction that may occur.


Creme Brulee Ice Cream:

 photo source: Cafe Johnsonia

When you're young and you go through the phase of playing with fire, your parents (and surrounding friends, strangers, etc) get verrry nervous. Well pyros, here is your chance to prove them that all that practice you had with lighting everything you could when you were younger paid off in the form of mouth-watering, delectable ice cream. Go crazy with the torch, my friends. The only result will be caramel and hugs from your loved ones that you serve this to. As blogger Cafe Johnsonia tells us when she eats her award-winning (in our book) recipe: "It's worth every single calorie."

Ingredients:
2 cups very cold heavy cream
1 cup whole milk
10 egg yolks
3/4 cup sugar
2 tsp. vanilla or 1 vanilla bean, split
pinch salt
10-12 tsp. raw sugar
equipment needed: culinary torch

Instructions:
Beat egg yolks, sugar and salt together until thick and light in color.  Heat milk with vanilla bean, if using, until very hot.  Add to the eggs and sugar in a slow, steady stream.  Pour back into pan and cook over medium-low heat until it reaches 170-180 degrees F.  (Be really careful not to let it curdle!)  Pour through a sieve into a clean bowl.  Add the cold cream and vanilla extract, if using.
Chill for at least 3 hours or overnight.  Or to speed up the chilling process, use an ice water bath.*  Churn in an ice cream  maker according to manufacturer directions.  Divide the ice cream between 10-12 small freezer-proof bowls or ramekins, leaving a little space at the top.  Press a bit of waxed paper on the surface to make it smooth and flat.  Transfer to the freezer.

To serve:
Remove ramekins from the freezer about 10 minutes before serving and allow to soften a bit at room temperature.

To caramelize the sugar:
Sprinkle top of each ramekin of ice cream with 1 tsp. raw sugar.  Use a torch to caramelize the sugar.  Serve.

**You can prepare and ice water bath buy using two nesting bowls. Just make sure that the bowl holding the ice water is large enough to accommodate the bowl with the custard. You want most of the custard bowl to be submerged in ice water so the custard can cool sufficiently. Or you could also fill your kitchen sink with ice and water.

I like to use a large glass bowl to hold the ice and water, and my stainless steel Kitchenaid mixer bowl to hold the custard. The metal gets much colder, much faster than glass.
The colder you let the custard get, the faster it will freeze and the smoother it will be.