Recipe | Mocha ice cream cones

These coffee and chocolate cornets have a real kick; because ice cream’s not just for children

Serves 4-6 

300ml double cream 

175g sweetened condensed milk 

4 tbsp instant espresso powder 

4 tbsp coffee liqueur 

100g dark chocolate, roughly chopped 

6 Waffle cones 

1 Using an electric mixer, beat the cream in a large bowl until soft peaks form. Add the condensed milk gradually, while beating, followed by the espresso powder and liqueur. Next, add the chocolate and continue beating until you have a light and fluffy mixture. 

2 Pour the mixture into a container suitable for the freezer, cover with a lid or foil, and freeze for approx 6 hours or overnight. When ready to make the cones, take the ice cream out of the freezer and leave to soften for 10 mins before filling each cone with a scoop or two of ice cream. Topping optional but you’d be mad not to want a cherry on top.

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More from our August issue…

More ice lollies for grown ups…

Recipe | Ginger snaps

Crunchy, spicy biscuits ideal for eating with pumpkin ice cream

Our October issue has a very special ‘gathering’ feature with recipes for a pumpkin party. It’s got everything from autumnal salads to a fabulously moreish sausage roll and even a pumpkin beer keg. But we have made a date to create the pumpkin ice cream sandwiches pictured above - sweet pumpkin ice cream squidged between ginger snaps and rolled in pistachios. Who says ice cream is for summer?

You can make them using any shop-bought ginger snaps but if you fancy going the whole hog, you can make the ginger snaps using the recipe below.

Ginger snaps

Makes 24

225g plain flour

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp bicarbonate of soda

1 tbsp ground ginger

Pinch of salt

120g unsalted butter

120g caster sugar

5 tbsp (75g) golden syrup

1 Preheat oven to 180C/Fan 160C/Gas 4. Line 2 baking trays with greaseproof

paper.

2 Sift the flour, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda, ginger and salt into a large

bowl. Cut the butter into cubes and rub into the flour until the mixture

resembles fine breadcrumbs.

3 Stir in the sugar. Add the golden syrup and mix together well. Bring it all

together with your hands to make a smooth ball of dough.

4 Break off small walnut-sized pieces, roll into balls and place on the lined

baking trays. Allow space between each ball as they will spread during cooking.

5 Bake for 10-15 mins until the ginger snaps have spread and turned golden

brown.

6 Leave to cool for 5 mins on the baking trays before using a spatula to

carefully move them to wire racks to cool completely.

Don’t forget to buy the October ‘create’ issue for the rest of the recipes for our pumpkin party.

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More biscuit inspiration…

More from our September issue…

Win | a sundae kit worth £100

Sunny days call for sundaes and you can win a sundae kit for summer here

What’s your favourite ice-cream sundae? Knickerbocker glory, chocolate fudge brownie, banana split, or perhaps peach melba? It’s a list of names to transport you back to childhood, when pushing a long-handled spoon through layers of ripe fruit, gloopy sauce and oozing ice-cream was the height of summery indulgence. It’s a tradition worth bringing back…

Mackie’s of Scotland knows all about good traditions. At their farm, making delicious ice-cream is a sky-to-scoop production – tending the grass-fed cows that produce Mackie’s thick and creamy milk and using renewable energy to magic it into frozen tubs of goodness in a range of flavours from raspberry ripple to salted caramel.

As well as offering fantastic flavours, Mackie’s has no shortage of inspiration on how to enjoy your ice-cream. Set out ice-creams, fresh fruit, sauces, nuts and sprinkles and let friends and family build their own sundaes. You can melt Mackie’s chocolate for an instant sauce, or dip wafers into it to make the best kind of glue for sugar sprinkles. You could even top a glass of prosecco with strawberry ice-cream for a grown-up take on an old-fashioned float. Mackie’s is giving away Summer Sundae Kits to get you started – for your chance to win, enter our competition (see below). Find out more at mackies.co.uk.

There are five Mackie’s Summer Sundae Kits up for grabs. Each includes:

12 Mackie’s vouchers for a 1 litre-tub of ice-cream

12 bars of Mackie’s chocolate

A selection of toppings

2 sundae glasses

A professional ice-cream scoop and 4 long spoons

A Mackie’s recipe book, tea towel and apron.

How to enter

For your chance to win, press the button below and tell us how many sundae glasses are included in the prize.

Terms & conditions: Competition closes at 11.59pm on 7 August 2019. Winners will be selected at random from all correct entries after this date, and notified soon after. You can’t swap your Sundae Kit for cash, and the prize is non-transferable. Vouchers can be redeemed at any Mackie’s stockist – find your nearest via mackies.co.uk. You’ll find our full terms and conditions on page 127 and online at icebergpress.co.uk/comprules.

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More ice cream ideas

More from our July issue…

Recipe | Apple & fennel granita with fennel shortbread

Gentle hints of aniseed in both the shortbread and apple granita show off fennel at its grown-up best

Apple & fennel granita with fennel shortbread

Fennel is just as comfortable in sweet settings as it is in savoury, and its aniseed flavour adds a sophisticated note to this grown-up dessert.

Makes 12 servings/biscuits
700ml cloudy apple juice
Juice of lemon
100g granulated sugar
1 head (or 2 tbsp) fennel seeds for the shortbread
150g soft salted butter
70g golden caster sugar, plus 2 tbsp for sprinkling
150g plain flour, plus extra for dusting
70g rice flour
2 tbsp fennel seeds

Cook’s note: The granita is easy to make, but you should ideally make the liquid and leave it to cool the day before you’re going to turn it into granita. Freeze early on a day when you’ll be in the kitchen a lot, as it needs a little attention periodically.

1 Pour the juices and sugar into a saucepan and gently heat until the sugar is dissolved. Add the fennel seeds and bring to the boil, then simmer for a few mins. Remove from the heat and leave to cool completely. 
2 Sieve into a plastic container with a lid and transfer to the freezer. Set a timer for two hours, then remove from the freezer and use a fork to break up the frozen edges and stir them into the centre.
3 Set a timer to repeat hourly, breaking up the ice crystals each time, shortening the timer to every half hour once it really starts to freeze. The more times you do this, the more snowy it will become, but even a few stirs will create a good result.
4 To make the shortbread, cream the butter and sugar together until fluffy, then add the flours, fennel seeds, and a pinch of salt. Mix together roughly, then use your hands to bring the mixture into a dough.
5 Roll out onto a floured surface, cut into rounds, and place onto a baking sheet covered with baking parchment. Prick all over with a fork, then chill in the fridge for at least 30 mins.
6 Preheat oven to 180C/Fan 160C/350F. Take the shortbread out of the fridge and sprinkle over 2 tbsp caster sugar. Bake for 20–25 mins until the colour of pale straw, then remove from the oven and leave to cool, transferring to a rack when they have hardened a little. Serve a small bowl of granita with a shortbread biscuit.

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View the sampler here.

More from the September issue:

More granita recipes:

Recipe | Tropical lime granita

The sharpness of the lime granita is a treat when balanced with lovely sweet fruit. Tastes of tropical beaches

Makes 700ml (6–8 servings)

180ml caster sugar
A pinch of coarse sea salt
4 kaffir lime leaves, torn to release their flavour
1 stick of lemongrass, bruised
150ml soda water
350ml lime juice (1 lime usually yields 20–25ml)
1⁄2 small pineapple (about 150g), peeled and roughly diced*
100ml coconut cream, to serve

1 In a large saucepan, heat 180ml water, the caster sugar, a pinch of salt, the lime leaves and lemongrass until the sugar has dissolved and the flavours have fused together; this should take 8–10 mins on a medium heat. Discard the lime leaves and lemongrass.

2 Add the soda water and lime juice to the pan and stir gently (try not to stir all the bubbles out of the soda water). Pour into a freezer-proof container with a lid and freeze. Take out every hour and, using a fork, scrape the granita so that you end up with fluffy ice, rather than one big block. It should take about four hours to freeze.

3 To serve, put a generous portion of pineapple in a bowl, top with a scoop of granita and pour over a little coconut cream. Sprinkle with a small pinch of sea salt.

* This works well with any fresh fruit but if you find yourself near an Asian supermarket, stock up on rambutan, lychee or mangoes.

Recipe from Cook Thai by Sebby Holmes (Kyle Books). 

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More from the August issue:

More icy recipes:

Recipe | Pimm’s jelly with cucumber sorbet

The fruit cup and all its trimmings in jelly form goes down well at garden parties 

Pimm’s jelly with cucumber sorbet

For 4 glasses of Pimm’s jelly
Pimm’s No1
Lemonade
1 lemon, sliced and quartered
4–5 strawberries, halved and sliced
1⁄4 cucumber, thickly sliced and quartered
8 sprigs of mint
Gelatine sheets

1 Fill each glass a quarter full of Pimm’s and top up with lemonade. Pour all of this liquid into a measuring jug. You will need one gelatine sheet per 100ml.

2 Place the gelatine sheets into a large heatproof bowl and pour a little of the mixture over them so that they are just covered. Put aside for 10 mins, or until they have softened.

3 Set a small saucepan of water simmering and place the bowl on top of it, until the gelatine has melted. Remove from the heat and pour in the rest of the Pimm’s, stirring as you go, then pour the mixture through a sieve into a second bowl, to catch any lumps of gelatine.

4 Tip it into a jug and then pour into the glasses, until they are about two thirds full. Place the glasses in the fridge, reserving the leftover jelly mixture.

5 After 2 hours, when the jelly has started to set, remove the glasses from the fridge and push in the fruit, cucumber and sprigs of mint. Once you have packed each glass with fruit, pour over a little liquid jelly (warm it a little if already set) to make the top smooth and glassy and return to the fridge for a further 4 hours at least before serving.

For the cucumber sorbet

700g peeled and deseeded cucumber (approx 2 whole ones, should weigh 700g after prep), cut into chunks
Juice of 1 lemon
200g caster sugar

Put all the ingredients into a food processor and blitz until smooth. Chill for 2 hours in the fridge, then churn in an ice-cream maker until stiff. Transfer to a container and freeze for around
2 hours before using. If eating at a later date, remove from the fridge 20 mins before serving. 

More from the June issue:

More ice cream recipes:

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View the sampler here

Recipe: Jostaberry Ripple Ice-cream

Ever wondered exactly what a jostaberry is? It is, in fact, a cross between a gooseberry and a blackcurrant – and the best of both. Jostaberries grow on a large bush with leaves and flowers similar to those of blackcurrant bushes, without the sharp needles of a gooseberry bush. The size of small marbles, with bright-green flesh and reddish-black skins, they have a flavour that swings more towards the blackcurrant. Their star attribute is not only their taste but their outstanding performance in the kitchen. When they are cooked for pies, fools and suchlike, their strong, concentrated flavour really shines. You could, of course, substitute blackcurrants in this recipe.

SERVES 6

For the vanilla ice cream

400ml milk
200ml double cream
1 vanilla pod
6 egg yolks, beaten
100g granulated sugar

For the ripple

400g jostaberries
200g granulated sugar

1 Put the milk and cream in a saucepan. Slit the vanilla pod open lengthwise, scrape out the seeds and put the seeds and pod in the pan. Heat slowly, stirring occasionally, until it is just too hot to put your finger in; do not allow it to boil.

2 Meanwhile, whisk the egg yolks and sugar together in a bowl. When the milk mixture is hot enough, pour it on to the eggs and sugar, whisking constantly. Return the mixture to the pan and heat gently, stirring, until it is thick enough to coat the back of the spoon. This can take up to 15 minutes. Remove from the heat and leave to cool, then chill for at least 2 hours.

3 For the ripple, put the berries and sugar in a pan, cover and cook gently, stirring occasionally to dissolve the sugar (there’s no need to top and tail the fruit, as the sauce will be strained once cooked). Once the fruit has split its skins and the juices are flowing, remove from the heat. Allow it to cool a little, then blitz in a food processor.

4 Strain through a sieve to remove the skin and pips, leaving the syrup to drip through until you are left with a dry pulp in the sieve. Cover the syrup and chill for a few hours.

5 Give the custard a good whisk to ensure it hasn’t separated, then churn it in an ice cream machine according to the manufacturer’s instructions. When it is thick and almost frozen, pour the syrup into the machine and allow it to streak the ice cream as much or as little as you wish.

7 Transfer to a plastic container and freeze. Soften slightly before serving.

Recipe from Fern Verrow by Jane Scotter and Harry Astley. Photography by Tessa Traeger (Quadrille).

This recipe features in August's issue of The Simple Things - out 29 July 2015. 

More ice cream recipes

Blackcurrant leaf ice lollies

Peppermint chocolate chip ice cream

Easiest strawberry ice cream ever

Roasted strawberry and coconut milk lollies 

Berry coconut ice lollies

Recipe: Easiest strawberry ice cream ever!

No fancy ice cream machine? Fear not, for this frozen berry beauty from our friends at Abel and Cole you only need a freezer. And by using coconut milk instead of cream, is good for vegans too. Everyone's a winner!

Ingredients

1 punnet strawberries
2 tablespoons icing sugar
A splash of cream, coconut milk or orange juice

1. Trim the tops off the berries and roughly chop. Freeze until frozen solid, at least 2 hours but preferably overnight.

2. Break the frozen berries up and place in a food processor with the sugar and 50ml cream. Start the motor going on your food processor and trickle in more cream until the mix comes together.

3. Take it slowly, though, and don't go mad with the cream as the berries will warm up as they churn, gently softening the mix to the most stunningly fresh homemade ice cream you'll ever dip your spoon into. 

Abel and Cole have even made a video showing just how simple this is.

July is National Ice Cream month so give our Peppermint Chocolate Chip recipe a try as well!

Recipe: Peppermint chocolate chip ice cream

Homemade and anything but lurid, this peppermint chocolate chip ice cream recipe is all grown up.

We thought that mint choc chip was a pleasingly synthetic treat we'd left behind in childhood. Then this recipe came along, offering cooling mint flecked with devillishly good chocolate in a wholesome creamy form. We're converted.

Don't be tempted to use milk chocolate over dark, say Bountiful authors Todd Porter and Diane Cu. "It doesn't work as well."

Peppermint Choc-Chip Ice Cream

Makes about 1 litre

360ml double cream 240ml milk 100g caster sugar Peppermint leaves from 15 stems 5 egg yolks 140g dark chocolate, finely chopped

You will need an ice cream maker

1. In a pan over medium heat, mix the cream, milk, sugar, a pinch of salt, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Bring to a simmer, stirring often. Add mint. Cover and set aside for 30 minutes.

2. In a bowl, whisk egg yolks. Sieve cooled cream and discard leaves. Slowly whisk into egg yolks. Return mixture to pan and stir on a medium heat. Cook until custard thickens to coat the back of a wooden spoon.

3. Pour custard through a sieve into a clean container. Place container in an ice bath, stirring occasionally until cool (about 20 minutes). Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours.

4. When ready to freeze, set a bowl over a pan of simmering water and melt the chocolate. Stir until smooth, then remove from the heat.

5. Freeze the custard according to the ice cream machine instructions. While it's churning, place storage container in freezer to chill.

6. In the last moments of churning, drizzle a fine stream of chocolate into the ice cream. If your ice cream machine makes this tricky, fold in chocolate manually straight after churning. Transfer into the chilled storage container and freeze.

Recipe from Bountiful by Todd Porter and Dian Cu. To order a copy for £18.99 with free P&P, call 01903 828503 and quote ref 50480.

Inspired by...ice cream!

You'll never met someone who didn't like ice cream, celebrate your love for this summertime treat with our favourite recipes and ice cream inspired accessories from around the web.

Top row (left to right): Wheel thrown ice cream bowls JD Wolfe Pottery, strawberry and mint froyo, mint chocolate ice cream print Painter Peeps

Bottom row (left to right): Roasted strawberry and coconut lollies, personalised ice cream pots Randomalia Designs

Find out more about everyone's favourite summer treat from our ice cream expert inside issue 13.

Roasted strawberry and coconut milk lollies

Wow. When we found this recipe for roasted strawberry and coconut milk lollies we were instantly smitten.

A little while ago, Sprouted Kitchen taught us how to make roasted strawberry ice cream. Kimberley from The Year in Food has gone one better and come up with a lolly version (or popsicle, if you'd rather), which eliminates the washing up and means we can eat these pretty much anywhere. Which is what we're planning on doing.

Whichever version we choose, we predict this recipe will be featuring heavily in our freezers this summer.