In each scoop of this chocolate chip ice cream, the delightful crunch of chocolate creates a fun contrast against the smooth vanilla backdrop. This ice cream has been a kid-favorite in our home ever since I first churned it.

With miniature chocolate chips swirled through every bite of this ice cream, the tiny bursts of chocolate will have you coming back for “just one more bite” until it is gone.

Ice Cream with Chocolate Chips

Do you love chocolate chip ice creams as much as we do? There’s something extra special about bites of chocolate that create a contrasting texture and different flavors in creamy sweet homemade ice cream.

Whether it’s chocolate Nutella swirls or chocolate flakes that melt on your tongue, or chunks of chocolate chip cookie dough, they all have a place in our freezer.

This recipe starts with a creamy sweet vanilla base (no eggs or cooking required). Just stir the base together in a bowl and pour it into your ice cream maker.

Ice Cream Ingredients

Please note that this recipe calls specifically for miniature chocolate chips. This isn’t negotiable. If you add full-size regular chocolate chips to ice cream and then put it in the freezer, each bite is going to feel as if you are chewing rocks.

Double-check your ingredients and make sure you have teeny tiny mini chocolate chips for this ice cream before you add them to the churned ice cream. For an unexpected treat, try adding some toffee bits for a fun new ice cream combination.

That chocolate chip and toffee ice cream has been one of my favorites for several years. And almost every time I make it my youngest son asks me to PLEASE make it with just the chocolate chips for him next time.

So, here you go, kiddo. Your own favorite ice cream. Enjoy!

Weekly Menu Plan – Dec. 4 to 10

Here is your weekly menu plan for the week! Use up those last Thanksgiving leftovers…

Monday: Leftover Turkey and Stuffing Acorn Squash

Tuesday: Scrambled Eggs with Leftover Cranberry Sauce Muffins

Wednesday: Roasted Pork Tenderloin

Thursday: Shepherd’s Pie

Friday: Chicken Artichoke Pasta

Saturday: Leftovers

Sunday: Smoked Meatloaf

READ: Weekly Menu Plan – Dec. 4 to 10

Easy Apple Dumplings with Sprite

Who knew that crescent rolls, cinnamon sugar apples, brown sugar, butter and sprite could make the best easy apple dumplings with Sprite ever!

Ditch your old apple dumplings recipe. Do it. Ditch it. These easy apple dumplings have a couple of very minor changes that make a HUGE difference and I’m totally not kidding. I’ll never make another apple dumplings recipe again.

This recipe reminds me so much of my grandma’s apple rolls recipe just because that sugar liquid is so deceiving. You pour it all around the rolls and it almost puts you into a panic attack seeing all of that liquid around the dough, like is this really going to work?! Are they going to be a soggy mess?!

And then those golden, crisp, pillows of dough come out and you’re a real life hero to the whole family.

Creating This Apple Dumpling Recipe

This is seriously the craziest apple dessert recipe. Most apple desserts seem to be inspired largely from the way apple pie is made. Think about it: apple crisp, apple pull-apart bread, and apple pie scones are all takes on the classic apple pie. 

This apple dumpling recipe is similar, but as I’ve been making recipes from others over the years I felt like there was always something missing. Sure, it is a good recipe and one that your guests will love you for, but couldn’t it be taken up a notch without changing the whole recipe?

We started experimenting, a lot. Too much. I could hardly stand to look at another apple dumpling recipe, let alone the apple dumpling itself.

And then it hit me, when you’re trying to do something awesome and it’s not coming together, go back to the original recipe.

So I did. And do you know what I discovered? The apples were not like an apple pie, they were completely plain. No, no, no! Apples need a little cinnamon sugar action to really drive home that fall smell and flavor!

Well don’t stop there, I thought. We need a little cinnamon action in the butter mixture as well. Too many recipes called for just butter and brown sugar. No. We need more. We added vanilla and cinnamon. Let’s get this party started!

How many waffle toppings can you think of off the top of your head? My family has a well-established weakness for waffles and with that comes a weakness for all the awesome ways that you can top a hot crisp freshly made waffle.

Is “waffle season” a thing? Or is that just me? We enjoy hot breakfasts all year long, but there is something wonderfully fall and winter about pulling out the waffle iron and watching the steam rise as they cook in the mornings.

All I know is that right now, we are deep in waffle season over here and we’re making all the toppings to pour, stack, and pile on top of our waffles.

Waffle Toppings

From the sweet to the savory there are so many options when it comes to dressing up your waffles. A basic buttermilk waffle can be transformed from simple to spectacular with the right combination of toppings.

I recently shared a list of some of my all-time favorite waffle recipes. After spending all that time thinking about waffles, it became clear that I’d need a whole other post just to talk about waffle toppings!

Craving something sweet? My Grandmother’s Waffle Sauce will forever reign supreme, (just ask literally anyone who has ever tasted it!) but there are so many other delicious ways to top them too.

Sweet waffle toppings are hands-down the most

Coconut Sweet Chex Mix Recipe

Sweet gooey Chex mix recipe – One of those classic party or holiday snacks that seems so lame when you look at it, but you can’t stay out of it once you try it.

We had a friend bring over a bag for Christmas this last year. I grabbed a handful and then the next thing I knew, the whole bag was gone. My husband and kids didn’t even get a bite. Oopsies…a classic snaccident!

It’s really that good and that addicting. You have to try it!

This is such a yummy treat to eat while watching a movie or hanging at a party etc! The ultimate party mix! It’s so simple and it’s a nice change from popcorn. You could totally mix things up and add nuts too.

Ingredients for Sweet Chex Mix

It’s the simple things that are the best, right?! There is nothing crazy in this recipe, just simple ingredients blended together in the perfect way. Here is your grocery list:

• Unsalted Butter
• Vanilla Extract
• Light Corn Syrup
• Sugar
• Corn Chex
• Rice Chex
• Golden Graham Cereal
• Slivered Almonds
• Shredded Coconut Flakes

The measurements for each ingredient can be found in the recipe card at the end of the post.

Variations and Substitutions

Feel free to add or swap any of the ingredients you want. Peanuts or cashews would be a great addition or mini pretzels. You can also swap the cereals for other ones you love…Wheat Chex, Crispix, Cheerios or Cinnamon Toast Crunch. I’ve seen people use those crunchy chow mein noodles in this mix too or Bugles for a little more salty taste.

If you want to play with the flavor a little, swap the corn syrup for honey and/or the granulated sugar for brown sugar.

Not a coconut fan? Just omit it!

How to Make Sweet Chex Mix Recipe

Snack foods should be simple and quick in my book. Otherwise, you’ve missed the point of a snack. Am I right? Yes, yes I am! Here are the basics:

1. Combine the cereals, nuts and coconut in a bowl and line two cookie sheets with parchment.
2. Add the butter, corn syrup, vanilla and sugar in a saucepan and bring to a boil.
3. Boil for 1 minute.
4. Remove from the stove and pour over the cereal mixture.
5. Stir together and then spread out on the parchment paper to cool.

These steps can be found in the recipe card below as well.

Reasons I Love This Recipe

Scalable: It’s so easy to scale up or down in the recipe. If you’re making neighbor gifts for the oven

No Bake: There is no baking, no oven, no long hours in the kitchen. I don’t have time for that when the holidays come around, so this is a great option for a quick and simple snack.

Fast: This recipe comes together in a total time of about 10 minutes with a little prep time and a couple minutes at the stove. Then it’s just a matter of letting it cool.

Addicting: I dare you try just one handful of this sweet snack mix! The combination of sweet and salty with crunchy tex