Crisp-edged, crunchy cookies with an intense but perfectly balanced vanilla flavor make up these homemade vanilla cookies. These bite-size cookies go way beyond putting traditional ‘Nilla Wafers to shame, they’re a whole new ballgame.

Homemade Vanilla Wafers

I could not be more ecstatic over these vanilla wafer cookies: the crunch, the flavor, the everything. They are utterly wonderful. While I was working on the recipe for Banana Pudding Ice Cream, I became low-key obsessed with homemade vanilla wafers. (I’m happy to tell you that ice cream is fantastic with both homemade AND store-bought cookies, so feel free to go either route with that one.)

I made these cookies so many times that I lost count while working on this recipe. In the end, I am thrilled with them. So very, very happy. I never would’ve chosen a vanilla cookie as a favorite cookie before making these vanilla wafer cookies, but now? They’re a top 5 for me.

These cookies have proven completely irresistible to every single person who has tasted them, and we all wind up going back for “just one more” all day long.

I find it amusing that I adapted this recipe from a Swan’s Down recipe using their cake flour. But in the end, I preferred the vanilla wafers when I re-tested them with a slightly lowered amount of plain old all-purpose flour. If you prefer a chewier cookie, the cake flour delivers that. My goal was a crispy cookie, most similar to the original Vanilla Wafers, and the all-purpose flour delivers that.

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Indulgent, rich caramel ice cream studded with buttery bits of crunchy, chocolate covered toffee make this Heath Bar ice cream an ice cream to remember.

Heath Bar Ice Cream

When making this ice cream, I like to use miniature Heath bars. There’s a little bit more chocolate coating this way, providing a more chocolate and toffee flavor in every bite. You’ll need at least a dozen of the mini bars, though you can certainly use more or less if you’d like. If you want to tip the balance in favor of the toffee over the chocolate, you can use full-size bars.

If you prefer to slice the bars into pieces, you’ll want them to be room temperature for easier cutting. However, if you would simply like to crush and crumble them? The candy will break more easily when frozen first. Pop the bars in the freezer for at least 30 minutes before breaking them for best results.

The most popular question I get is whether it’s possible to make ice cream without a machine. The answer is YES. You can make ice cream without a machine. Find the full directions here!

This Heath ice cream is a good reason on its own for me to go buy a bunch of Heath bars. But if you have a stash of Heath bars to use up, we’ve got you covered.

Heath Bar Cookies start with a chocolate chip cookie dough base, but in addition to those melting semi-sweet morsels, these rich buttery cookies contain the toffee-tastic magic of Heath bars.

Buttery crunchy toffee and candy bar pieces are layered with cool whip atop a dessert so deliriously rich, this Heath Bar Cake should carry a warning label.

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If you haven’t roasted strawberries before, this is a great time to try it! Creamy strawberry ice cream made with roasted berries is a treat like nothing you can buy at the stores.

Homemade strawberry ice creams have very little in common with any of the commercial strawberry ice creams you’ve likely tried in the past. So, let this be your reminder to churn a batch this summer and guarantee smiles from everyone.

Roasted Strawberry Ice Cream

To make this ice cream, you’ll start by scattering some fresh berries on a baking sheet, (I typically use the less-than-perfect berries for recipes like this), drizzle them with a tiny bit of maple syrup or lightly sprinkle with sugar, and pop them in the oven for a while. You don’t need to babysit them, just give them a stir midway through the roasting time.

When the berries have softened and released their juices, you’ll transfer them to the blender along with any juices. Add some milk and puree until smooth. Then just add the remaining ingredients, pulse a few times to combine, and pour the mixture into your ice cream maker.

The most popular question I get is whether it’s possible to make ice cream without a machine. The answer is YES. You can make ice cream without a machine. Find the full directions here!

Strawberry Ice Cream Recipes

Homemade ice cream is about the easiest dessert you can learn to make, and roasting the berries for your next batch of ice cream brings a whole new strawberry ice cream to the table.

As I was writing this recipe out to share with you, I realized that I have a bit of a love affair with strawberry ice cream. It all started with this Read more

There’s something about strawberry sorbet that feels like pure summer in a bowl. It’s bright, refreshing, and so simple, it almost feels like a magic trick. Just strawberries, lemon, sugar, and a pinch of salt—that’s it.

Strawberry Lemon Sorbet

No fancy ingredients, no ice cream maker required if you don’t have one, and definitely no fuss. This is the kind of dessert you make when you want something sweet and cooling but don’t feel like turning on the oven or babysitting a stovetop.

The key to this sorbet is ripe, flavorful berries. If they taste amazing on their own, they’ll make an even better sorbet. That squeeze of lemon brings brightness and a touch of acidity that balances the sweetness perfectly. And don’t skip the salt—it might seem odd in a dessert, but it actually sharpens all the other flavors and makes everything pop.

Strawberry Sorbet

This recipe is wonderfully forgiving, too. You can adjust the sugar depending on how sweet your berries are, or how tart you like your sorbet. I started with a NY Times recipe for sorbet and tweaked it to our tastes.

I reduced the sugar significantly, and it’s still plenty sweet. I was taken with the idea of blending the entire lemon, much like the beloved Del’s does in Rhode Island. (And everyone LOVES Del’s lemonade!)

You can even blend this mix and freeze it in popsicle molds if you’re in the mood for something a little more playful or want to make your kids’ day with a treat on a hot afternoon.

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If a thick, chocolate malt milkshake is your kind of treat, just wait until you scoop into this chocolate malt ice cream—it’s everything you love, frozen into pure nostalgic bliss.

Chocolate Malt

One taste of a chocolate malt is all it takes to transport me back to childhood. My grandpa used to make chocolate malts for us when we visited and we’d very carefully carry them upstairs and out the second-story door to walk out on the roof and enjoy them. The excitement of being on the roof and also enjoying a frosty chocolate malt milkshake? Oh, that couldn’t be beaten.

This batch of chocolate malt ice cream took me right back to visiting my grandparents in Dewey, AZ in the summertime. There are so many memories attached to the foods we eat and I love when I can make something today that transports me back in time.

The most popular question I get is whether it’s possible to make ice cream without a machine. The answer is YES. You can make ice cream without a machine. Find the full directions here!

And if you love Whoppers or chocolate malted milk balls, you just might go a little crazy over this Chocolate Malted Crunch Ice Cream. Old-fashioned chocolate malt ice cream gets a little extra boost of fun from chopped malted milk balls.

Chocolate Malt Ice Cream

Making this ice cream is pretty darn easy. There are no eggs required and you won’t need a custard base for this ice cream. You’ll simply whisk together the cream, cocoa powder, malted milk powder, sugar, and salt in a saucepan and bring it to a simmer.

Stir in the chocolate until it melts, add the milk, and then chill your ice cream base until it’s good and cold. Once the mixture is cool, pour it into the ice cream maker and churn