Yum! Celebrate National Ice Cream Month with these 3 treats

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July is National Ice Cream Month. President Ronald Regan created the designation in 1984 as a way to recognize ice cream as a fun, nutritious food that 90 percent of Americans enjoy.

To celebrate, Blue Bell Creameries created a special flavor. Nutty Chocolate Ice Cream is a chocolate ice cream loaded with milk-chocolate coated pecans, dark-chocolate coated peanuts, white-chocolate coated almonds and roasted walnuts.

Here are three recipes for refreshing, sweet treats to impress your family and friends.

Summer Snowballs
• 1 cup shredded sweetened coconut
• 4 rounded scoops Blue Bell Nutty Chocolate Ice Cream
   (approximately ½ to 2/3 cup each)
• 4 T. chocolate dessert topping
• 4 t. finely chopped roasted almonds

Finely chop coconut in a food chopper of food processor.

Place in a small shallow dish. Roll ice cream scoops in coconut to completely coat (Scoops may be prepared ahead of time and placed on a waxed paper-lined plate, covered with plastic wrap and stored in freezer for up to 24 hours).

Place each scoop in a small chilled dessert bowl.

Drizzle each scoop with 1 tablespoon chocolate sauce and sprinkle with 1 teaspoon almonds.

Serve immediately.

Makes 4 servings

Nutty Butter Chocolate Pie

• 1 half gallon Nutty Chocolate (can substitute Dutch Chocolate) softened
• 1 12oz jar of Peanut Butter (creamy)
• 2 Graham Cracker Pie Shells
• Whipped Topping
• Blue Bell Homemade Vanilla Ice Cream

Soften, don’t melt, the Dutch Chocolate or Nutty Chocolate in the refrigerator for approximately 3 hours.

In small batches, mix 2 cups ice cream and 1 cup peanut butter together until blended in a large mixing bowl.

Continue to add to the mixture in small batches until the ice cream and peanut butter are completely blended.

Work fast as to not let the ice cream completely melt.

Pour the blended ice cream and peanut butter evenly into both pie shells, cover, and place in freezer overnight.

When serving, remove the cover and lift the pie from the aluminum pan.
Place on a cutting board.

With a large knife, cut servings and replace remaining servings into aluminum pie pan.

Top each serving with a small scoop of Blue Bell Homemade Vanilla then top the Homemade Vanilla Ice Cream with a large dollop of whipped topping.

Nutty Chocolate Banana Parfait

• 3 small scoops Blue Bell Nutty Chocolate Ice Cream (approximately ¼ to 1/3 cup each)
• ½ of a small banana, sliced into ¼-inch thick rings (about six rings)
• purchased chocolate ice cream topping
• frozen whipped topping, thawed
• chocolate shavings from your favorite chocolate candy bar

Place one scoop of ice cream in a chilled parfait glass.

Top with 3 slices of banana and drizzle with chocolate topping.

Repeat layers.

Add another scoop of ice cream to the glass.

Top with a dollop of whipped topping and sprinkle with chocolate shavings.

Serve immediately.

Makes one parfait.