6 Amazing and Easy Ice Cream Desserts that Anyone Can Make

Ice cream is honestly one of the best things ever.  Whoever invented ice cream is a mother f**king genius- they are my god.  Anyhoo, one of the best things about ice cream is that there are SO MANY flavors.  Ben and Jerry's alone has at least twenty... I think... anyhoo either way there's so much variety and truly something for everyone.  Keeping that in mind, you don't always just have to eat ice cream by itself.  You can make sundaes and a variety of other easy treats for yourself.  Here's a short list if you're looking for some new midnight munchies to try, or are flat out bored.  Either way good luck and may the force be with you!

 

1. Brownie Sundae

 

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An all time classic and possible my most favorite thing to eat ever, a brownie sundae is simple and delicious.  With only a few key ingredients, but with lots of room to spice things up, it's hard to go wrong with a brownie sundae.  I like to top mine with melted caramel and chocolate chips- that is in addition to the hot fudge and whipped cream that usually comes equipped :)

2. Ice Cream Parfait

 

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Looking to trick yourself into thinking that you're eating something healthy- why not try an ice cream parfait.  It's pretty straightforward- simply throw some ice cream into a cup and top with whatever assortment of fruits and nuts you desire.  I personally like strawberries, blueberries, with some crushed walnuts on top of vanilla ice cream. 

 

3. Ice Cream Cupcakes

 

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So most people over the age of eight have heard of ice cream cake- if you haven't I'm very sorry because you have been missing out.  To be frank ice cream cake is f**king delicious.  They're affordable, relatively easy to make, and impressive.  Also you can make like 12 at once so BONUS! 

 

4. Peanut Butter Ice Cream Sandwiches

 

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First things first, whip together a batch of seriously delicious peanut butter cookies.  If you need a good recipe click here.  Next take whatever flavor ice cream you think might taste good, I personally go for chocolate chip or some type of brownie flavored ice cream, but you should do whatever your heart desires. 

5. Ice Cream pie. 





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It's as simple and delicious as it sounds.  All you need is some pie crust, whatever flavor ice cream you're currently craving.  I personally like a thick pie crust with pistachio ice cream and crushed walnuts.  Or Maple Ice cream with crushed nuts and hot fudge- absolutely delicious. 

6. Ice Cream Cake

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Making a delicious ice cream cake is not as difficult as it sounds- you just need a shit ton of ice cream.  Make a few layers of cake (depending on just how big you want your finished product to be) and then in between the layers add whatever flavor you like.  Then add icing, or frosting, or pretty much whatever.  My suggestion is chocolate cake with vanilla chocolate chip ice cream, topped with cream cheese frosting and strawberries.  But that's just me.  Luckily these are pretty easy to make your own so you can really do whatever! 

Why Eating Fruit For Dessert is Actually a Good Thing

Okay, okay I understand Fruit doesn't really count as dessert- or does it?  In this day and age yogurt has now become a dessert so why not fruit?  At the end of the day it tastes pretty good and it's much healthier than ice cream, but it still seems wrong.  But that's just my opinion- and really all logic is against me. 

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Grant you not all fruit was created equal.  Pineapple and Strawberries for instance are delicious and I would happily enjoy them for dessert.  Bananas- no freaking way.  I don't care how healthy they are.

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But, all babbling aside here are the reasons why eating fruit for dessert may not actually be the end of the world (however you may also be slightly less dramatic than myself).

1. They're Delicious!

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Unless you're an absolute crazy person you have to agree that fruit tastes pretty damn good.  It's sugary and tasty. 

2. It's easy to prepare

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Pretty much just add whipped cream- or honestly vanilla ice cream with most fruit is pretty dank.  For a fancier dessert melt Godiva chocolate (or any chocolate really-Godiva is just ridiculously delicious). 

3. It's Healthy

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Unlike many of the sweet treats that I've become addicted to over the years, the sugar in fruits is much more easily digested.  In both fruit and other treats like cake there is fructose and glucose, and typically an even distribution of both.  Even though fruit does contain a fair amount of glucose, which requires the release of insulin in order to be digested properly, the fiber and vitamins it contains helps move this process along- leaving you healthier and happier.   

4. (as a continuation of 3) Your Doctor Will Love You

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I don't know about anyone else, but personally my doctor can be a bit of a hard-ass.  She has no problem telling me that I need to eat healthier or get more exercise.  So as an attempt to please her and make myself feel better I have vowed to eat more fruit.  I was originally going to try vegetables but I really don't think I'm ready for that- fruit was the next best thing.  And, thus far, she approves! 

5. The Rest of you Body will Love you

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Towards the end of last semester I began to make a commitment to a healthier eating lifestyle.  While that doesn't mean that I'm going to cut out Brownie Sundaes completely it does mean that I have been trying to skip dessert some nights or simply have some strawberries of pineapple instead. 

Not only have I toned up a little bit but I have actually begun to feel exponentially better.  I'm happier and I have more energy (clichéd but true).

13 Of the Best Healthy Desserts Out There

1. Sweet Potato Banana Bread

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If you're looking to spice up you're regular Banana Bread, you gotta try this.  Made with chickpea flour and fat free yogurt, this dessert is healthy and delicious!  For a great recipe check out this link to all the recipes, a great website if you're not sure what to make.  If you're feeling super crazy try adding some chocolate chips!

2. Vegan Almond Butter Cups

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Packed with sugar and maple syrup, even though they taste ridiculously good these little treats are barely above 40 calories each.  Not to mention they're super easy to make.

3. Vegan Peanut Butter Cookies

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I know vegan peanut butter cookies sound weird, but trust me they're still pretty good.  They're chewy delicious, and with just a hint of vanilla they're absolute perfection.  If you're looking for a recipe try this one, it's amazing and crazy easy, perfect for the first time/ infrequent baker. 

4. Baked Pumpkin Donuts

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Now, I LOVE donuts.  I can literally eat three or four at a time and still feel fine.  If you're like me and are always looking for some new delicious donuts, you have to try these pumpkin donuts.  They're crazy good.  Bonus, you can always add a maple glaze to make them even more amazing, for a great recipe click here.   

5. Pumpkin Pie

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An all American classic, Pumpkin Pie is always delicious and is one of the best comfort foods out there.  Plus, it's pretty healthy and not too difficult to make.  But if you're looking for a healthy treat, Pumpkin Pie is always a good choice. 

6. Molten Lava Cake

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Ok, so this one is definitely a bit of a stretch but a good molten lava cake actually has loads of protein.  So therefore it's almost healthy, which basically means it's healthy.  But even if it wasn't it's so delicious that one every once in awhile is totally ok! 

7. Zuchinni Brownies

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I was very skeptical when I first heard about these, mostly because I'm a brownie fiend and I wasn't so sure if you could make them out of zucchini, but this recipe proved me wrong.  Maybe they aren't quite as good as regular brownies, but they're pretty damn close.  And they're healthy, so you can eat three and not feel bad about it.    

8. Vegan Iced Lemon Pound Cake

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Who doesn't love Lemon Pound Cake?  It's moist, delicious, and it's a treat you can totally take on the go.  The vegan option is almost as delicious as the original, and it's pretty healthy too.  If you're looking for a great recipe check out this one on popsugar.com

9. White Bean Blondie

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Easy to make, super healthy, and delicious- what more do you need?

10. White Bean Coconut Cake

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If you like black bean chocolate cakes, you have to try it's white bean counterpart.  Adding a little bit of coconut makes the flavors pop.  It's healthy, delicious, and totally worth the calories.

11. Strawberry Shortcake

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It's a classic dessert that's super sweet, super tasty, and relatively healthy.  Strawberries and whipped cream is reliably good, mixing that with shortcake just makes it perfect. 

12. Frozen Peanut Butter Pie

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Believe it or not, but this treat isn't nearly as unhealthy as you might think.  You can easily cut down on saturated fat by using fat free dairy products, and if you use only egg whites you can lower the cholesterol too.  So basically it's healthy, delicious, and totally awesome. 

13. Vanilla Lemon Berry Parfaits

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They're fruity, delicious, and super easy to make.  Not to mention they're ridiculously healthy.  Vanilla Lemon Berry Parfaits are the perfect dessert to whip up quick whenever you're craving something sweet. 

5 Reasons Why Dessert is the Best Course

1. A little chocolate each day keeps a stroke away 

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For those of you who love dark chocolate, you're in luck.  It's been proven that eating a bit of dark chocolate each day can actually help prevent strokes.  So now we all have a healthy excuse to eat a little bit of chocolate each day.  

Bonus: chocolate also helps lower blood pressure, but only a little.  

2. It's just f**king delicious

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Don't get me wrong, I love dinner.  But dinner will just never beat desserts, it's basically a fact.  Desserts are the course dedicated to pleasuring your sweet tooth, and who doesn't love that.  Chocolate, cakes, cupcakes, brownies, desserts have all the best treats.  Not to mention, leftover dessert is perfect for the midnight munchies.   

3.  Better sex

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It turns out that eating pumpkin can actually help improve your sex life.  The seeds are a natural libido booster, with tons of sex drive minerals and loads of zinc.  The seeds are supposed to increase testosterone levels, and simply the smell of pumpkin is supposed to have an aphrodisiacal effect.  And, even if it doesn't help turn you on pumpkin is crazy healthy for you anyways.  

4. Desserts make a great breakfast

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Who doesn't love eating dessert for breakfast?  I mean seriously, there is nothing danker than eating chocolate cake with some dark coffee for breakfast.  It's  been shown that sometimes eating desserts for breakfast can actually help you lose weight.  Eating dessert early in the day can help fill you up, and lower your cravings throughout the day.  Either way it's amazing.  

Tip: chocolate chip pancakes are always a good idea! 

5. What you see is what you get 

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Unlike a lot of what we eat, we know that sweet treats aren't really that good for you.  When you eat dessert you are consciously making the decision to be, maybe, a little unhealthy.  But that's totally ok!  Desserts are good for the soul, and therefore good for you.  There's nothing wrong with treating yourself, and a little chocolate each day is the perfect sweet treat :)