Ice Cream Social ~ Free Printables and Recipe

There's no better time than the first weeks of summer to host your very own Ice Cream Social for friends and family!

The great thing about an ice cream-themed party for adults is that the possibilities are limitless. We've designed some vibrant, summery printables you can download for free to help you set up for a "make your own sundae" buffet, complete with a variety of delicious toppings and ice cream flavors.

We also have a yummy recipe for frozen yogurt you can make yourself.

What You'll Need ~

Card stock or heavy-weight glossy photo paper for printing
Scissors and/or craft knife
Glass bowls/small hurricane glasses/ice cream sundae bowls/malt glasses
6" lollipop sticks
Malt spoons

Plastic utensils
Paper dinner napkins
Ice cream scoop
A variety of ice cream toppings (see toppings labels for ideas)
Plenty of ice cream & cones, of course!

We found that small glass hurricane candle holders and fishbowl-type glasses, along with tall malt glasses (all washed thoroughly, of course), served really well as vessels for the ice cream sundae toppings.

We purchased small glass bowls from Jo-Ann Fabrics & Crafts for less than $1 each and filled them up with toppings. The taller malt glasses were ideal for holding Pirouette Rolled Wafers and tall malt spoons. The long-handled malt spoons are a cute choice for scooping up toppings at the sundae bar.

For serving the ice cream, any bowls you have around the house are fine, or you can opt to simply serve sugar or waffle cones instead.

Be sure to label your toppings with our cute printables (instructions below) especially if you're offering any nuts - you never know who might have a serious allergy!

You'll also want to offer your guests napkins and a spoon since ice cream can turn messy in the warm summer air. We designed matching paper napkin rings you can print out and slide onto paper napkins for an added accent (instructions below).

If you'd like to try your hand at making your own frozen yogurt (either in place of store-bought ice cream or as a tangy and unique addition to your sundae offerings), give this recipe by MyGourmetConnection.com a try.

Strawberry Basil Frozen Yogurt ~

Ingredients

3 cups plain Greek-style yogurt
3/4 cup sugar
1-1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
1 lb strawberries, hulled and chopped
1 cup loosely packed fresh basil leaves

Preparation

In a large bowl, stir together the Greek-style yogurt, sugar, vanilla extract and balsamic vinegar until the sugar is completely dissolved.

Place the strawberries in the work bowl of a food processor and pulse until puréed. Add the fresh basil and pulse until chopped but pieces of the leaves are still visible. Combine the strawberries and basil with the yogurt mixture and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.

Transfer the mixture to an ice cream maker and freeze according to the manufacturer's instructions. Transfer to a tightly covered container and freeze for an additional 2 to 4 hours before serving.

Makes just under 2 quarts.

If you'd like to try a berry sundae and a grown-ups' ice cream soda, check out the Wild Hibiscus Ice Cream Desserts on MyGourmetConnection.com.

For the Printables ~

As long as you have a color printer, you can download and print our napkin rings and topping labels on cardstock or a heavy-weight glossy photo paper. Make sure your printer is set to allow for 1/2" margins on standard 8-1/2" by 11" paper. You can then use scissors or a craft knife to cut out the pieces.

The napkin rings print out five to a page and are very easy to assemble. Just cut along the dotted lines, bring the ends together and slide the slits into each other to form a ring.

Once your rings are assembled, you can roll your napkins. Lay a standard dinner-sized paper napkin out flat and fold in half diagonally into a triangle. Make sure the long side of the napkin is facing you. Place your plastic utensils parallel to the long edge (so that they're laying horizontally instead of vertically).

Fold the left and right sides (the points of the triangle) toward the center over the utensils' ends. Then tightly roll the utensils and napkin upward until you have a tube. Slip the napkin ring over the roll, and voilá!

The topping labels are simple, too. Just print them out, cut out the ones you need and affix them to the 6" lollipop sticks (we got 35 Wilton-brand sticks at Jo-Ann Fabrics & Crafts for $1.99) with double-sided tape or glue - whichever you have handy.

Plan an Ice Cream Social with Ice Cream Recipes and Free Printables

Please feel free to download & enjoy these free printables for personal use. If you wish to share them with others, kindly link back to this post and not directly to the downloadable PDF file!