Summer Survival Guide Ice Cream Hacks

Hack one pint of ice cream into five easy desserts

Don't just open and scoop your store-bought pint. Hack it instead.

Yes, that tub of ice cream in the back corner of your freezer is now a building block for ridiculously simple, crowd-pleasing summer desserts.

No idea where to start? We've got you covered with five cool, creamy desserts that take just minutes to prepare–all from our free Summer Survival Guide:


Slather Nutella over a waffle. Top with a handful of mini-marshmallows or halved large marshmallows and broil until browned, about 15 seconds. Top with a big scoop of ice cream.

Smash ice cream between your favorite cookies (soft-textured cookies work best). Freeze until hard.

Crush 6 cups of your favorite cereal (our favorite: Golden Grahams). Mix with ½ pound of melted chocolate and press into a 9½-inch deep-dish pie plate. Freeze for 20 minutes, then spread 2 pints of ice cream across the base. Freeze until hard.

The key to a successful mash-up is a complementary mix of textures and flavors. Our current favorite: salty pretzels, fudgy brownies and rich dulce de leche ice cream.

Mix ½ pound of melted chocolate and 2 tablespoons of oil (coconut oil tastes best, but any kind of oil works). Dunk small, well-frozen balls of ice cream into the chocolate; let the shells harden; serve.