Few things are more refreshing on a 90-degree day than a melting, double-scoop ice cream cone — undoubtedly among the most popular desserts. However, these DIY home recipes will not only save you from forking out on over-priced desserts, but will help you save calories (1/2 a cup of Ben and Jerry’s Brownie Batter will add 300-calories-plus to your diet) thereby getting ready to make your beach appearance, are healthier, lighter, and easier to do than you think!

Benefits of Homemade Ice Cream vs. Store Bought
Store-bought products are infamous for the amount of chemicals and toxins that they contain — something that you’ll easily be able to avoid if you make your own dessert from scratch. By the same token, users who are trying to lose some weight will undoubtedly benefit too. For example, while store-bought desserts are nearly always laden with excessive fat and sugar, homemade ones will yield greater precision over the quality of your ingredients. Therefore, you can make healthier swaps like skimmed milk and fat-free Greek yogurt instead of heavy cream, natural sugar substitute instead of regular sugar and honey instead of golden syrup. This will also allow you to fully indulge in your ice cream and even go for seconds and thirds without the usual side-serving of guilt.

Making your own dessert is also advantageous in the sense that you can hoodwink your kids into increasing their fruit intake as several ice cream makers allow you to turn frozen fruits into a nutritious dessert with the same taste, texture and consistency of regular ice cream, but without the calories. Parents can also add chilled vegetables or fruit smoothies in their ice cream makers instead of the regular custard.

Making your own ice cream will not only help you avoid the harmful and calorie-laden ingredients present in store-bought treats, but can be used to whip up nutritious desserts while boosting your intake of vitamins and minerals. Best of all, preparing a fresh batch of homemade ice cream is a great way to bond with your family.

2 Ingredients, No Machine Ice Cream
Here’s a recipe for homemade ice cream that takes 20 minutes to prepare, comprises 2 ingredients, requires no machine, and makes 3 pints (1.4 liters).

Ingredients:

· 14 ounces (1 can/400ml) of cold, sweetened condensed milk (fat-free or regular)

· 2 cups (16oz/450 ml) of cold whipping cream

Instructions:

1.  Place sweetened condensed milk in the fridge to keep cold.

2. Beat cold heavy cream on medium in a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment (or using a hand mixer) until stiff peaks form.

3.  Turn down the speed a little and pour the condensed milk into the whipped cream (stir in vanilla extract now if desired).

4. Turn up machine speed again and whip until mixture is thick and forms stiff peaks.

5. Now you have your ice cream base, add your desired flavors. Experiment and enjoy.

6. Place in a large resealable container and freeze at least 6 hours or overnight before eating.

Flavoring your ice cream base:

·Strawberry cheesecake ice cream: Mix 1 cup cheesecake into 2 cups ice-cream base and add strawberry puree

·  Honeycomb: Mix ½ cup crushed honeycomb into 2 cups ice-cream base —don’t add too much as it will make your ice-cream soft.

· Cookies and Cream: Mix ⅔ cup crushed Oreo cookies into 2 cups ice-cream base.

·Mango: Swirl ¼ cup mango puree into 2 cups ice-cream base.

· Rainbow Cake: Mix 1 cup frosted Rainbow cake into 2 cups ice-cream base.

· Birthday Cake: Mix 1 cup frosted Funfetti cake (or cupcake) into 2 cups ice-cream base.

So, get ready for summer with these DIY ice cream recipes that are invigorating, light, healthier, cheaper and easy to do!