Ice Cream Tartlets

Everybody loves ice cream, but there are only so many times you can just scoop it out into a bowl and eat it. (Although those times are very nice.) For a delicious and easy twist on basic ice cream, make these cute little Ice Cream Tartlets, one of the best frozen desserts.

Tartlets are just small pies or tarts. For this recipe, all you need is three ingredients: Premade tartlet shells, either pastry or graham cracker or made with another cookie; ice cream; and ice cream toppings. There are literally dozens of combinations you can make with these three ingredients.

Combinations I love include peppermint bonbon ice cream with hot fudge sauce, cookie dough with hot fudge sauce, chocolate or rocky road with marshmallow fluff, chocolate chip ice cream with chocolate syrup, and chocolate ice cream with chopped candies and nuts.

These are fabulous little make ahead desserts. In fact, in the summer, have your kids make as many as they want and keep them in the freezer for snacks and treats any time. The best part of an easy recipe like this one is that you can have fun picking and choosing and mixing and matching crusts, ice cream, and toppings to create your own masterpieces.

Make these all summer long.

Tips for the best Ice Cream Tartlets:

• The ice cream should be kind of soft, but not enough to be runny. If the ice cream melts completely, the texture will change and it will become icy and grainy, which is not what you want. It’s a good idea to use one flavor of ice cream at a time. Get it out of the freezer and let stand for about 10 minutes while you gather the other ingredients. Work with that ice cream, then return it to the freezer and start in on the others.
• Those little tartlet shells are pretty fragile, so handle them carefully. I find that they firm up in the freezer.

Why this recipe works:

• The crisp tartlet shell, sweet and delicious ice cream, fudgy and rich toppings, and crisp toppers all combine to make a fabulous dessert.