Easy, Last Minute Holiday Dessert Recipes with Graeter’s Ice Cream

Who doesn’t love the holidays? Christmas carols, holiday décor, spending time with friends and family and best of all – lots of delicious meals! I teamed up with my friends at Graeter’s Ice Cream this holiday season to share a few holiday dessert recipes! I’ve created these decadent desserts to make the holidays even more special with my loved ones this year.

I wanted to create desserts that are not only easy to make but also delicious to eat! I came up with a “Spiced Fruit Bake” and a “Peppermint-Chocolate Ice Box Cake” and I’m sure that you’ll love both!

Spiced Fruit Bake:

Note: This recipe was baked in a three-cup baking dish. To bake in a larger dish, double the ingredients.

Ingredients:

1 Cup Chopped Pineapple

2 Chopped Apples (Dealers choice! I used Macintosh but Granny Smith would also be perfect.)

1 Chopped Pear

1/3 Cup Cranberries

Juice from 1/2 of a lemon

4 Tablespoons Butter (Can substitute with coconut oil.)

1 Teaspoon Nutmeg

2 Teaspoons Cinnamon

4 Tablespoons Brown Sugar

1/4 Cup Chopped Walnuts

1 Pint Graeter’s Bourbon Pecan Chocolate Chip Ice Cream 

Instructions:

1. Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees.
2. Mix chopped pineapple, apple, pear, cranberries and lemon juice together and place into baking dish.
3. Melt butter and blend with nutmeg, cinnamon, and 2 tablespoons of brown sugar.
4. Pour butter and spice blend evenly over the fruit in the baking dish.
5. Top the fruit with remaining 2 tablespoons of brown sugar and chopped walnuts.
6. Bake for 25 minutes or until top turns crispy/brown (whichever comes first).
7. Let cool for 10 minutes.
8. Top with Graeter’s Bourbon Pecan Chocolate Chip Ice Cream
9. Enjoy!

Left: fruit topped with butter and spice mix (step 4). Right: pre-baked dish (step 5).

Spiced fruit bake – post bake!

The final product! Spiced-fruit bake topped with Graeter’s Bourbon Pecan Chocolate Chip Ice Cream.

Peppermint-Chocolate Ice Box Cake:

Note: This recipe was baked in a three-cup baking dish. To bake in a larger dish, double the ingredients.

Ingredients:

1/2 Cup Chocolate Wafer Cookies (Chopped/crumbled into crumbs.)

1 Tablespoon Butter (Can substitute with coconut oil.)

1 Cup Heavy Cream

1 Teaspoon Vanilla Extract

1 Teaspoon Cinnamon

1 Tablespoon Confectioners’ sugar

2 Large Candy-Canes (Crushed into crumbs.)

2 Small Candy Canes (Optional.)

1 Pint Graeter’s Peppermint Stick Ice Cream 

Instructions:

1. Whip heavy cream, cinnamon and vanilla extract until you’ve created a thick whipped cream, set aside.
2. Melt butter and mix in bowl with chocolate wafer crumbs (keep 2 tablespoons of chocolate wafer crumbs aside).
3. Spoon butter/chocolate wafer blend into baking dish and use spoon to flatten the bottom layer.
4. Use half of the whipped cream to create an even layer on top of the chocolate wafer blend, use spoon to even out the layer.
5. Use entire pint of Peppermint Stick ice cream and create a third layer, on top of the whipped cream, use spoon to even out the layer.
6. Use remaining half of whipped cream to create the top layer.
7. Use remaining 2 tablespoons of chocolate wafer crumbs to top the entire dish.
8. Use crumbs from the two large candy-canes to create a border (or other design!) around the dish.
9. Use two small candy-canes to create a heart on top of the dish.
10. Set in freezer for at least two hours.
11. Slice, serve and enjoy!

Top right: bottom layer (step 2). Top left: whipped cream layer (step 4 & 6). Bottom right: Peppermint stick layer (step 5). Bottom right: Finished product (steps 7, 8, 9).

A Graeter’s peppermint stick slice of heaven.

Who wouldn’t want to indulge in this peppermint deliciousness?!

Post-slice, Graeter’s Peppermint Stick layered ice-box cake!

*Disclaimer: this post was made in collaboration with Graeter’s. My opinions, as always, remain my own.