Recipes

Mini Ice Cream and Toasted Almond Tartuffi

Take plain old vanilla ice cream and elevate it with form and fashionings to suit any summertime gathering

By Caren McSherry /

Credit: iStock / badmanproduction

Make these delicious ice cream balls in advance of a party, then pop onto serving dishes and top with caramel or fruit sauce

These little frozen ice cream treats will keep you cool all summer long

They taste divine and they look perfect. Just use a silicone muffin pan, or a mini muffin pan if you want smaller portions. These perfect little dessert balls can be made up to a week in advance of a party.

Ingredients

  • 2 cups good-quality vanilla ice cream
  • ¾ cup crumbled amaretti cookies
  • ½ cup brandied cherries (or fresh fruit)
  • 1 cup chopped toasted almonds

Instructions

  1. Soften the ice cream just enough so that it can be pushed into the silicone muffin cups. Fill the bottom half of six muffin cups with half the softened ice cream.
  2. Top with 1 Tbsp. of the crushed amaretti cookies and three or four of the brandied cherries (or fresh fruit). Top each of these with more ice cream, pushing down to seal the edges.
  3. Freeze the tray for 4 to 6 hours or overnight. The ice cream must be set.
  4. Early the next day, place the toasted chopped almonds on a baking sheet. Release the ice cream balls from the muffin pan (they will pop out easily) onto the tray of nuts.
  5. Roll the ice cream in the nuts, forming a nice ball shape. Be generous; coat them entirely, making sure you press hard so that the nuts adhere.
  6. Transfer the coated balls to a tray and refreeze until serving time. Serve with fruit or a caramel sauce.

Note: If you don’t have a silicone muffin pan, just use a metal muffin pan and line with plastic wrap. Remove the wrap after chilling.

Makes 6.

Listen to Caren McSherry Thursdays between 11 a.m. and 11:40 a.m. on CKNW 98.

Originally published in TVW. For daily programming updates and on-screen Entertainment news, subscribe to the free TVW e-newsletters, or purchase a subscription to the weekly magazine.