Make Your Own Cool Treats

Nothing beats an ice cream sandwich or a Popsicle during these hot days. By now , though, it's getting tiresome munching on the same kinds . What to do to liven up those treats? Make your own. Creating your own special one that is not only fun but tasty too.

One of the easiest cool treats to make is the Popsicle.It's probably the first recipe we ever tried making, thanks to pouring a favorite drink into a paper cup and then sticking a stick in it. You can still make them, using a popsicle tray. This can be found at any grocery store or even Target or K-Mart. Fill with your favorite juice or even soda for a fizzy frozen kick. You can also make an ice cream soda and then freeze it for something different. If you're into healthy , then juice fresh fruit and turn those into pops. Add the pulps and flesh for some texture too.If you want something exotic then try the Mexican paletas. These are pureed fruit pops and can be made with any kind of fruit from strawberries to blueberries to bananas. You can even make a refreshing pina colada flavor using pureed fresh pineapple. Pudding is another ingredient that is great for pops. Try one of the Hershey's dark chocolate ones to make an ultra rich Fudgesicle. Add mint for even more decadence.If you're looking for another healthy alternative try freezing yogurt into the molds. Make parfaits by alternating layers of fresh fruit and vanilla yogurt.

Ice cream sandwiches are another hot weather favorite. Take your favorite cookie and add your choice of ice cream. To amp it up buy those big sugar or chocolate chip cookies from your local bakery and sandwich any flavor of  gelato between them. You can also bake cookies ,such as shortbreads or chocolate chip and fill with homemade ice cream. There are cookbooks such as Vegan Ice Cream Sandwiches by Kris Holchek Peters that offer great recipes that combine these scratch cookies with homemade ice cream.For something a little less caloric use graham crackers . Crush up extra ones for decorating the middle. Ice cream cake is another treat and surprisingly easy to make.In fact .you can even make one using  store bought ice cream sandwiches.It's layering them with just ice cream and then topping it off with an "icing" of crushed chocolate wafers. You can also bake a regular cake and use ice cream as the filling and frosting. This is a nice idea for a summer birth day cake.You can also do the same with cupcakes by splitting them in half and filling them with ice cream and then add a blob of ice cream on top for decoration.

Homemade cool treats are not only fun to eat but fun to make. Be creative as you combine favorite flavors for a tasty way  to beat the heat. Lower the temps with a fresh popsicle or a slice of ice cream cake.