Salt & Straw is celebrating fall and teachers too. The ice cream brand just dropped its new September, Apple Harvest series, with flavors that will have you eager to throw on your coziest fall flannel and head to the nearest apple orchard. Plus, with back to school season looking quite different for most this year, Salt & Straw is stepping in to re-cone-ize teachers across the country.
Designed to complement cooler fall temperatures and highlight all of the most delicious uses for fall’s favorite fruit the new offerings include: Beecher’s Cheese and Apple Pie, a delicious combo of traditional apple pie filling and flaky pie crust pieces swirled together with melted, creamy Beecher’s Cheese for a salty and nutty finish; Applesauce Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting, a salted apple ice cream filled with decadent chunks of cream cheese-frosted applesauce cake; and Hopped Apple Cider Sorbet made with Revival Hard Apple Cider from Reverend Nat’s.
Flavors are available by the scoop or pint at Salt & Straw shops throughout the West Coast, as well as online with national shipping. Guests visiting Salt & Straw locations also have the option to pre-order in advance for either pick-up or local delivery.
Salt & Straw has also dubbed September, Teacher Re-cone-ition Month. To honor teachers and make back to school season a little sweeter, Salt & Straw is giving a supply of Apple Harvest pints to a well-deserving teacher in each of the 50 states. Students and families can go online to nominate a teacher who has inspired them, gone above and beyond or simply made learning a little sweetener. Winners will be randomly selected at the end of September.
What’s a more delicious treat than a batch of mom’s homemade, fresh-baked cookies? Probably not much, but combining them with ice cream à la Baskin-Robbins’ ‘Mom’s Makin’ Cookies’ flavor has to be high on the list.
The ice cream retailer announced on August 4th (AKA National Chocolate Chip Cookie Day) that this fan-favorite flavor is returning to shops as August’s Flavor of the Month.
The ‘Mom’s Makin’ Cookies’ flavor originally launched for Mother’s Day in 2014 and is packed with cookie flavors. It combines brown sugar flavored ice cream with chocolate chip cookie pieces, chocolate flavored chips and a cookie dough-flavored ribbon.
The flavor will be available at Baskin-Robbins locations nationwide for a limited-time during August and September, and there’s no time like the present to treat yourself! The only question now is: cup or cone?
If you’re anything like us, your favorite part of camping is sharing homemade meals around the campfire. There’s something magical about firing up the fire pit and making s’mores with the kids. This summer, take your campfire desserts to the next level with these unique (but still simple!) camping recipes. From blueberry crisp in a dutch oven to melty, marshmallowy banana boats, there’s something for everyone. Keep reading to get inspired.
Campfire Dessert Pizza
Switch things up on your next camping trip with this awesome dessert pizza from Spaceships & Laser Beams. You can customize the toppings to your family’s taste, using anything from fruits and berries to marshmallows and chocolate chips. Click here to see the recipe.
No camping trip is complete without s’mores, and we’ve got you covered with a bunch of unconventional takes on the campfire classic. Click here to see them all.
With just four ingredients, this s’mores-inspired creation from A Duck’s Oven is super easy to throw together over the fire. Melty marshmallows, fresh strawberries—what’s not to like? To get the recipe, click here.
Apple crisp over the campfire—it doesn’t get any better than that. This recipe from Gimme Some Grilling includes instructions to make it over the fire, on the grill or in the oven. Don’t forget the ice cream! Click here for all the details.
These fun campfire cones from Pip and Ebby are guaranteed to be a hit with the little ones. Fill up an ice cream cone with goodies (think marshmallows, berries, chocolate, graham cracker pieces), wrap them in foil and heat them over the fire. To get the recipe, click here.
Via Dandies, here’s a new twist on kabobs that we haven’t seen before—fruit kabobs! Fruit and Dandies marshmallows are placed on skewers, then lightly charred to get a little caramelization. Click here to grab the recipe.
This sweet recipe from Almost Supermom will get everyone in on the action. All you need is a tube of crescent rolls, cinnamon sugar and a frosting drizzle if you like. Using s'mores skewers, roll the crescent dough around the skewer and roll in the cinnamon sugar. Cook over a campfire for about five minutes, rotating frequently. Top with a drizzle of frosting.
Using your cast iron skillet or a foil baking dish, top blueberries with a crisp topping that's made by combining oats, cinnamon, sugar and spices. Dab with butter, cover with foil and bake away! Mommy Hates Cooking says that you can use any fresh fruit or even canned fruit in place of the blueberries. Top it with vanilla ice cream that you can make in a bag and HEAVEN. Bonus: leftovers are perfect for breakfast.
This brilliantly-easy dessert (or breakfast?) from The Starving Chef uses store-bought individual shortcakes, canned pineapple rings, brown sugar and maraschino cherries to create this kid-favorite treat over the campfire.
This recipe from Tablespoon is super easy and fun as it cooks the brownie right inside an orange peel! Use your favorite boxed brownie mix and get these puppies baking over the fire in no time.
For this delicious campfire treat, start by peeling a portion of the banana and splitting the banana down the middle length-wise. You can stuff it with whatever you'd like including chocolate chips, mini marshmallows, Teddy Grahams and trail mix. Wrap each banana in foil and roast over the fire. Let these guys cool off before you enjoy them as the banana will be hot!
Corn dogs, deep-fried Oreos and funnel cakes—oh my! You may not be heading to your usual state fair or summer festival this year, but you can still bring some of the foodie fun to your kitchen in the meantime. From turkey legs to churros, we’ve found some amazing recipes that are just as delicious as the county fair’s version. Read on to let the festivities begin.
Is there anything better than the cinnamon-sugar goodness of a county fair churro? For those looking to recreate this particular magic at home, we present this recipe from Peanut Butter & Peppers. The secret here is that the churros are baked, not fried—which means they have all the sweet, doughy crunch you expect, but you can skip the greasy frying. For the whole scoop, click here.
From ye olde Renaissance fairs to 4th of July fairs, there’s something about roasted turkey legs that makes them a summer fest staple. If you arm yourself with this recipe from Vodka & Biscuits, you can chomp away at home. Get all the info here.
When you’re tromping around a summer fest in the hot sun, nothing hits the spot like an icy snow cone. We like this idea from Super Healthy Kids for homemade cones using fruits and veggies for color instead of dyes. Get the snowy scoop here.
If the aroma of this caramel popcorn from Life Made Full doesn’t lure the whole family in, then the taste sure will. The beauty of this sweet treat is that it echoes your fave fair food but omits the corn syrup and refined sugar. Yum! Learn more here.
How many times have you visited a summer festival, and kissed sweet-smelling breath goodbye as you made a beeline for the booth that said “Garlic?” It’s a small price to pay for delish garlic fries like these from Damn Delicious. Unlike your fair’s fries, these are oven-baked—but they still serve up that addictive garlicky taste you love. Learn more by clicking here.
Do your little pickles like to snack on fried pickles at the county fair? This recipe from BS’ in the Kitchen uses panko crumbs for the breading, and the crispy-tangy result may send the family back for seconds. Get the how-to here.
There’s no sugar-coating it: these are seriously fancy caramel apples. Glorious Treats shares how to create these festival-worthy treats at home. So gather your tots, their favorite toppings, and click here for more info.
Why are gyros such a popular festival food? It might be how easy they are to whip up. It might be their bold flavor. It might be the fact that they make great on-the-go meals. Any way you slice it, gyros are golden for feeding the family. You can make your own, thanks to this recipe from Crème de la Crumb. Get the lowdown here.
You know that moment when you’re wandering a summer festival, and you catch a whiff of candied nuts? You can experience it at home with this recipe from Damn Delicious. These cinnamon and sugar confections are super easy to make and irresistible. Click here for the sweet recipe.
Ever since the first fried Oreo, festival food has involved a lot of deep-fried versions of already-popular treats. This recipe from Cooking Classy takes that idea and “cheats” by skipping the usual oily mess. Learn more by clicking here.
Baked Corn Dog Muffins
kae71463 via flickr
Corn dogs are pretty much a summer fair classic, so no at-home festival would be complete without them. To shake up your fried-food-on-a-stick expectations, why not go for baked corn dog muffins? They’re perfect for little hands, but we guarantee grownups will love them, too. Get the recipe here.
You know you can't make it through an entire festival season without having at least one funnel cake. Take a gander at this recipe from Dine & Dish because indulging in a homemade fried treat was never tastier, thanks to pumpkin spice batter. Plus, the mini size is better for mini hands. Get the instructions here.
When we think of fair food, we think of food on a stick—so these cute Rice Krispies from Tast-e fit the bill! This kid-favorite is taken to the next level with a hint of strawberry flavor and some fun sprinkles. To get the recipe, click here.
Have you ever wanted to drink a rainbow? Now you have your chance. Carvel has just released a Tie-Dye Specialty Shake that is not only delicious but colorful too.
The new Tie-Dye Shake tastes like cake batter and is blended with swirls of color that gives it the red, orange, yellow, green, and blue shades layered through the frozen treat. It’s topped with whipped cream, pound cake bites, and rainbow sprinkles.
Also Carvel’s Unicorn Fairy Dust Specialty Shake is returning after it’s limited release last summer. This ice cream drink has pink and purple marshmallow drizzles, whipped cream, purple sprinkles and a rainbow sprinkle cone.
Dinner isn’t the only thing going curbside these days. Friendly’s recently announced on Instagram that it’s now selling DIY Sundae Making kits!
For $29.99, customers will get all they need to make the sundae of their dreams any day of the week. Each order comes with a carton of ice cream, three toppings of your choice, cones, cups and of course, whipped cream.
When it comes to toppings, take your pick from nuts, M&M’s, gummy bears, hot fudge, caramel, peanut butter, chocolate sauce, cookie dough, Oreos and more.
While dining rooms are closed, Friendly’s is accepting online orders to go. You can place an online order by heading to the Friendly’s webpage and looking under the Family Meals section.
If you’re looking for a frosty treat, start heading to your local Dairy Queen. Customers have been reporting that the long-rumored Cotton Candy Dipped Ice Cream Cones have arrived!
The traditional dipped ice cream cones have taken on the perfect palette for spring and its the ideal way to enjoy two of the world’s sweetest treats at the same time.
The cotton candy cone is already on the Dairy Queen online menu but won’t officially be available nationwide until Mar. 19. In the meantime, you may get lucky enough to snag one at your local DQ franchise.
“Summer,” I said, answering “What is your favorite season question” by my daughter Mia, who has asked me year after year. To be completely honest, I start with “I love every season” but she forces me to pick a favorite. It’s summer and I think it has a lot to do with how I have spent working during the summer months for 38 years. For nearly four decades I worked at the Little Folks Summer Camp, a small day camp for 2-to-5 year olds in Washington, D.C., and there will always be a special place in my heart for summer and spending it with young children.
While many of today’s camps for small children boast computer labs, violin lessons and opportunities to build your own canoe, the camp I worked at relied on the magic of sidewalk chalk, bubble wands and that old standby, the backyard hose!
Every summer began the same with 30 tiny pairs of hands planting seeds in little pots with the hope of a marigold or zucchini sprouting up come August. Day two, had those same hands slathering pine cones strung on twine, with “sun butter” and hung from trees in the local park. Seeing the faces of young children when they find barely a trace of the pine cones a week later is joyous indeed. What’s even better, is to later discover that a bird has put the twine to good use to build a nest We would spend several days a week in a local park, and there is an extraordinary transformation that happens when kids spend days in a meadow with few toys, but lots of time and space. What at first can be a bit intimidating to some, becomes a happy and familiar place where they do what comes naturally to them—they use their imaginations! Suddenly they are inventing games with the seedpods and the pebbles they collected. The jump rope is a snake or better yet a fire hose to put out the big fire only they can see. They are lying in the grass and looking at the clouds. And only with lots of time does a game like “Ball in the Tree” get invented.
Just like with the seasons, it is hard for me to pick a favorite day, but our Fourth of July celebration is especially joyous. Birthdays are always special with us, but America’s birthday really stands out. A boom box playing Stars and Stripes forever, kids marching around the meadow with homemade flags…what could be more perfect? Plus I personally believe kids are never too young to learn about the “March King,” John Phillip Sousa!
Water, especially in the heat and humidity of a city like Washington, becomes the key ingredient for summer fun. Our tiny outdoor space would be transformed into a miniature water park with the help of the hose, a kiddy pool and lots and lots of buckets.
By design, planning was kept to a minimum with one special project a day and then sitting back to let the summer unfold before us. I admit that my inspiration for this program was the long, lovely days of my own summers, which were filled with backyard talent shows, treasure hunts, lemonade stands, and bake sales. I know that the Little Folks camp is building those same kinds of memories. I try to make a special visit to the summer camp to attend the annual Pretzel and Lemonade Sale. This event is the culmination of a morning of children making “Cheesy Pretels.” Tickets are sold, everyone at the sale has a job and there is excitiment in the air as family and friends come to buy the baked delights. Not only is it a joy to witness, but I am able to catch up with several of my former nursery school students who are spending their summer working at the camp before heading off to college.
I was always especially touched by those phone calls and emails I would get each spring from former students, then in high school or college, who would want to come back to work at our summer camp. They would recount fond memories of their days at camp and would want to know if we still had the Treasure Hunt and end of camp Music and Art Fair. For a teacher, there is no greater reward than knowing that those early connections are lasting ones. It makes me feel as if I have planted my own seeds and like my young charges, I wait in anticipation to see what I have helped to grow.
I am a parent and grandparent with over four decades of experience in early childhood education. I share my passion, wisdom and experience, with parents and the people who care for and about children at Little Folks Big Questions, where we're out to answer the questions parents face in today's world.
If your young Jedi’s Baby Yoda obsession is next level, they’ll be over the Endor moon for the Baby Yoda ice cream being dished up at this Southern California gelato shop.
Eiswelt Gelato is betting Star Wars fans will fall hard for their Baby Yoda-inspired ice cream cones and we think they’re right. The dessert shop in Westminster, California, which is already famous for its animal-shaped scoops, is now serving up a cone that resembles The Child from the Disney+ series The Mandalorian.
Customers can order the “Alien Baby” treat with any of the shops green colored flavors like matcha, avocado, pistachio or green tea. It can be made to order in a cup or a cone.
Tuck the kids into bed and treat yourself to a new chocolate treat unlike anything you’ve had before. Pink chocolate is officially a trend and what’s not to love?
Häagen-Dazs Ruby Cacao collection is the latest entry into the parade of sweet treats to feature this unique cacao bean and you’ll be dying to try it. The brand has not one, but two new limited-edition ice cream treats featuring the newly created chocolate.
As Häagen-Dazs explains, the ruby cacao bean gives the taste of intense berry fruitiness (similar to blueberries). The end result of processing this special cacao bean is a special chocolate that is pink and fruity without the addition of any color or fruit flavoring.
The ice cream maker is introducing both a pint and a bar featuring this intriguing new ingredient. The Ruby Cacao Crackle TRIO CRISPY LAYERS features Häagen-Dazs pistachio and sweet cream ice cream layered between crispy ruby cacao.
The other limited release flavor, Ruby Cacao Ice Cream Bars is a sweet cream ice cream dipped in rich ruby cacao coating with berry fruity notes.
Both new treats will be available in stores nationwide now through September. Starting Feb. 1. Häagen-Dazs shops will also offer ruby cacao sundaes, dipped bars and cones.