DIY Butterscotch Pudding

Butterscotch pudding has such a unique homey taste. It thankfully (and ironically) doesn't have any scotch in it, but rather gets its flavor from butter and brown sugar. Therefore, don't skimp on the butter or brown sugar, otherwise it won't really have the full butterscotch flavor.

Homemade Creamy Butterscotch Pudding Recipe

• 2 Tbsp butter
• ½ cup brown sugar
• 2 cups whole milk (divided)
• 1 egg
• 3 Tbsp cornstarch

1. In a small mixing bowl, begin by stirring together ½ cup milk, egg, and cornstarch until well combined.
2. In a medium saucepan melt butter.
3. Add brown sugar, and stir until dissolved.
4. Add 1½ cups milk, and stir well. 
5. Stir over medium heat to warm the milk.
6. Take a couple of big spoonfuls (¼ to ½ cup) of the warm milk mixture, and add it into the cornstarch and egg mixture. Don't skip this step. This tempers the egg and prevents it from becoming a scrambled egg when adding it into the hot milk.
7. Pour the cornstarch and egg mixture into the warm milk, and stir quickly to combine well.
8. Continue to stir over medium heat until the pudding thickens and begins to bubble.
9. You can serve this pudding warm (sounds good in the winter) or chill for at least 2 hours or up to 2 days and serve it cold.

DIY Vanilla Pudding

Vanilla pudding is great by itself or as a base for other desserts, like banana pudding. This easy, homemade vanilla pudding is so much tastier than the boxed version.

Homemade Creamy Vanilla Pudding Recipe

• ½ cup sugar
• 2 cups whole milk (divided)
• 1 egg
• 3 Tbsp cornstarch
• 1 tsp vanilla

1. In a small mixing bowl, begin by stirring together ½ cup milk, egg, and cornstarch until well combined.
2. In a medium saucepan, combine 1½ cups milk, sugar, and vanilla. 
3. Stir over medium heat to warm the milk.
4. Take a couple of big spoonfuls (¼ to ½ cup) of the warm milk mixture, and add it into the cornstarch and egg mixture. Don't skip this step. This tempers the egg and prevents it from becoming a scrambled egg when adding it into the hot milk.
5. Pour the cornstarch and egg mixture into the warm milk, and stir quickly to combine well.
6. Continue to stir over medium heat until the pudding thickens and begins to bubble.
7. You can serve this pudding warm (sounds good in the winter) or chill for at least 2 hours or up to 2 days and serve it cold.

DIY Yogurt Pops

Summer is a great time to relax and enjoy some simple pleasures, like these yogurt popsicles. They are fruity and refreshing and an even healthier alternative to these pudding pops. They are simple enough that an older child could help or even make them by themselves.

Homemade Yogurt Popsicles

• Yogurt (homemade yogurt flavored any way you like or using one of these frozen yogurt recipes works great!)
• Popsicle molds or cups and popsicle sticks (or even sturdy straws will work)
• Baking pans or cookie sheets (This makes transporting them to the freezer easier.)

1. Spoon the yogurt into popsicle molds or cups. (I usually make each popsicle about 1/4 cup (or 2 oz.), but you can make them any size you like.) Put the cups or molds on a pan or cookie sheet. If using molds, you can insert the sticks now.
2. If using cups, place in the freezer for an hour or two to allow them to freeze part way, and then insert the sticks. They will stand up much straighter than if you are impatient or in a hurry (like I am sometimes) and stick them in too soon.
3. Return to the freezer for a few more hours to freeze solid.
4. Running the cups or molds under warm water for a couple of minutes  makes it easier to get them out.
5. Enjoy!

DIY Pudding Pops

Summer is a great time to relax and enjoy some simple pleasures, like these pudding popsicles. They are creamy and rich but small enough that they make a great after lunch treat, afternoon snack, or they can satisfy a chocolate or caramel craving for mom! They are simple enough that an older child could help or even make them by themselves.

Homemade Pudding Popsicles

• 1 batch of pudding (homemade works great!)
• Popsicle molds or cups and popsicle sticks (or even sturdy straws will work)
• Baking pans or cookie sheets (This makes transporting them to the freezer easier.)

1. Make the pudding (see other posts for instructions), and allow it to chill in the fridge for at least an hour.
2. Spoon the pudding into popsicle molds or cups. (I usually make each popsicle about 1/4 cup (or 2 oz.), but you can make them any size you like. This way I can get about 8 pudding popsicles from one full batch of pudding.) Put the cups or molds on a pan or cookie sheet. If using molds, you can insert the sticks now.
3. If using cups, place in the freezer for an hour or two to allow them to freeze part way, and then insert the sticks. They will stand up much straighter than if you are impatient or in a hurry (like I am sometimes) and stick them in too soon.
4. Return to the freezer for a few more hours to freeze solid.
5. Running the cups or molds under warm water for a couple of minutes  makes it easier to get them out.
6. Enjoy!

DIY Chocolate Pudding

Caramel and Chocolate Pudding

Chocolate pudding seems like just about the perfect comfort food. This simple recipe for chocolate pudding tastes so much better than pudding from a box, and it is really easy to make. It is great when combined with caramel pudding!

Homemade Creamy Chocolate Pudding Recipe

• ½ cup sugar
• ¼ cup cocoa
• 2 cups whole milk (divided)
• 1 egg
• 3 Tbsp cornstarch

1. In a small mixing bowl, begin by stirring together ½ cup milk, egg, and cornstarch until well combined.
2. In a medium saucepan, combine 1½ cups milk, sugar, and cocoa. 
3. Stir over medium heat to warm the milk.
4. Take a couple of big spoonfuls (¼ to ½ cup) of the warm milk mixture, and add it into the cornstarch and egg mixture. Don't skip this step. This tempers the egg and prevents it from becoming a scrambled egg when adding it into the hot milk.
5. Pour the cornstarch and egg mixture into the warm milk, and stir quickly to combine well.
6. Continue to stir over medium heat until the pudding thickens and begins to bubble.
7. You can serve this pudding warm (sounds good in the winter) or chill for at least 2 hours or up to 2 days and serve it cold.

This is really good when combined with caramel pudding!

DIY Caramel Pudding

I love good caramel, not just any caramel, but rich, delicious (preferably homemade) caramel. This recipe for homemade caramel pudding tastes rich, but is actually quite low in sugar and fat compared to most recipes with caramel in them.

Homemade Creamy Caramel Pudding Recipe

• ½ cup sugar
• 2 cups whole milk (divided)
• 1 egg
• 3 Tbsp cornstarch

1. In a small mixing bowl, begin by stirring together ½ cup milk, egg, and cornstarch until well combined.
2. In a medium saucepan, melt sugar over medium heat, tilting and stirring the mixture frequently to prevent scourching.
3. After the sugar is all melted and caramelized (dark amber color), slowly add 1½ cups milk. This mixture will bubble and foam, and the sugar will harden.
4. Continue to stir over low heat until the sugar melts again.
5. Take a couple of big spoonfuls (¼ to ½ cup) of the warm milk mixture, and add it into the cornstarch and egg mixture. Don't skip this step. This tempers the egg and prevents it from becoming a scrambled egg when adding it into the hot milk.
6. Pour the cornstarch and egg mixture into the warm milk, and stir quickly to combine well.
7. Continue to stir over medium heat until the pudding thickens and begins to bubble.
8. You can serve this pudding warm (sounds good in the winter) or chill for at least 2 hours or up to 2 days and serve it cold.

DIY Banana Frozen Yogurt

This sweet frozen yogurt was a big hit around here. Bananas have so much natural sweetness in them that this frozen yogurt turns out well and tastes great with very little added sugar.

Homemade Banana Frozen Yogurt Recipe

• 2 large or 3 small bananas peeled
• 1/4 cup sugar (or honey)
• 3 cups plain yogurt (homemade works great!)

1. Peel bananas, and put in the blender with sugar and 1 cup yogurt.
2. Blend until smooth.
3. Stir in remaining yogurt (this keeps the yogurt from getting too runny).
4. Freeze in an ice cream freezer, or follow the directions here to freezer in your regular freezer.

This recipe makes about 1 quart or liter of frozen yogurt.

DIY Pretty Plum Frozen Yogurt

Plums produce a very subtle flavor in this sweet, fruity frozen yogurt.

Plum Frozen Yogurt Recipe

• 1 cup plums
• ½ cup sugar
• 3 cups plain yogurt (homemade works great)

1. Remove the pit from the plums, and slice them. (I didn't bother to peel them because I am lazy and don't like to peel fruit when it isn't necessary.)
2. Put plums, sugar, and 1 cup yogurt in the blender, and blend until smooth. This gets all ingredients super-smooth really fast. You can't even taste the peel. You can only see small specks in the yogurt. The plum peel gives this frozen yogurt its pretty pink color since the flesh of these plums was white.
3. Stir in remaining yogurt to prevent thinning the mixture to much.
4. Freeze in an ice cream freezer, or follow these directions to freeze in your regular freezer.

Recipe makes about 1 quart or liter of frozen yogurt.

DIY Caramelized Pear Frozen Yogurt

This frozen yogurt has the great combination of caramel balanced with naturally sweet fruit in a tangy yogurt base. My husband even liked this light fruit filled frozen yogurt better than rich caramel ice cream.

Homemade Caramel Pear Frozen Yogurt

• 1 large or 2 small pears finely diced
• 1/2 cup sugar (divided)
• 3 cups plain yogurt (homemade works great!)

1. After you finely diced the pears, put them in a small saucepan with 1/4 cup of sugar. Saute over low heat to caramelize the sugar. It may take a while to cook out the excess liquid from the pear to allow the sugar to thicken and caramelize.
2. Remove from heat, and allow the caramelized pear to cool.
3. Stir 1/4 cup of sugar into the yogurt.
4. Add the cooled pear pieces and stir to distribute evenly.
5. Freeze in an ice cream freezer, or follow these instructions to freeze in your regular freezer.

This recipe make about 1 quart or liter of frozen yogurt.

DIY Dreamsicle Frozen Yogurt

This light citrusy frozen yogurt is refreshing and great for a warm summer day. It also provides a little extra vitamin C to help boost your immune system anytime of the year.

Homemade Orange Frozen Yogurt Recipe

• 1 large or 2 small oranges peeled
• 1/2 cup sugar (or honey)
• 3 cups plain yogurt (homemade works great!)
• 1 tsp vanilla (optional)

1. Pull apart or cut 1 or 2 orange into segments, and put in the blender with sugar, 1 cup yogurt, and vanilla (if desired).
2. Blend until smooth.
3. Stir in remaining yogurt (this keeps the yogurt from getting too runny).
4. Freeze in an ice cream freezer or follow the directions here to freezer in your regular freezer.

This recipe makes about 1 quart or liter of frozen yogurt.

DIY Ice Cream Cones: Making Ice Cream Cones Without a Cone Stand

Want a cone to put your homemade ice cream or frozen yogurt in but don't have any on hand? Looking for a fun summertime activity? Or just want to make the whole dessert from scratch? Try your hand at making your own ice cream cones from this recipe adjusted slightly from Joy of Baking. They taste really good and are like a cross between a crepe and a sugar cone. It is a little tricky to get the hang of cooking the batter and rolling the cones. But if all else fails, line a bowl with them and call it a waffle crepe bowl. Bowl shaped cones are also less messy for little kids. The taste of these cones is so good that it makes up for any imperfections in presentation and makes it hard to go back to store bought cones.

Ice Cream Cone Recipe 

• 2 large eggs
• ½ cup sugar
• ⅓ cup flour
• ¼ cup oil
• ¼ cup milk
• 1 tsp vanilla or other extract (almond is excellent)

1. Whisk together eggs and sugar.
2. Add the rest of the ingredients, and whisk until smooth.
3. At this point, the batter should be quite thin but not a runny mess. It should be the same consistency as crepe batter. If the batter is too thick add more milk by the tablespoon. If the batter is too thin, add flour by the tablespoon.
4. Once the batter is whisked smooth and the proper consistency, spay a small frying pan with nonstick spray or brush with oil, and heat pan over medium low heat.
5. Scoop ¼ cup (or a little less) batter into the warm pan and tilt until a roughly 6 inch circle forms.
6. Cook until golden brown on one the bottom.
7. Flip, and cook the other side until golden brown.
8. Remove from heat, and place it on a plate to cool slightly so that you don't burn your fingers. Then, while still quite warm, roll into cone shape and pinch the bottom so that the cone won't drip.
9. Place on a wire cone rack, or if you don't have a cone rack, do as I did and twist a clean twist tie around the bottom and place them in a small jar or cup.
10. Cool completely, and then enjoy with your favorite ice cream or favorite  frozen yogurt.

(makes 6–8 cones)

These cones are best eaten immediately but can be stored in an airtight container and then be reheated the next day in an oven (350–400 F for 3–5 minutes) to crisp them up. Then you may need to roll them again. However, I really doubt you'll have any extra. And if you do, you can also just eat them by themselves like cookies.

DIY Milk Chocolate Frozen Yogurt

While this chocolate frozen yogurt isn't quite as good as real dark chocolate ice cream, it is still really good. It is easier, cheaper, and healthier too. A great any day dessert.

Milk Chocolate Frozen Yogurt Recipe

• ¼ cup cocoa powder
• ¾ cup sugar
• 3 cups yogurt (homemade yogurt works great)

1. Stir all ingredients together until thoroughly combined.
2. Freeze in an ice cream freezer, or follow these directions to freeze in your regular freezer.

This recipe makes about 1 quart or liter of frozen yogurt.

DIY Berry Frozen Yogurt

This berry frozen yogurt tastes so awesome that it rivals real ice cream in our house. This recipe is even more amazing with homemade almond flavored ice cream cones.

Berry Frozen Yogurt Recipe

• 1 cup berries (fresh or frozen)
• ½ cup sugar (more if your berries are really tart)
• 3 cups yogurt (homemade works great)

1. Choose your berries (blueberries, raspberries, strawberries, etc.), and wash them if they are fresh. For this batch, I used a combination of mulberries and Chinese waxberries (yǎ měi,  雅美). Yǎ měi taste like a combination of cranberries and raspberries. This was a really good combination. I think blueberries and raspberries together would produce similar results, but any kind of berry should be good.
2. Mix berries, sugar, and one cup yogurt in a blender until smooth.
3. Stir in the rest of the yogurt. This keeps the mixture from getting to thin.
4. Freeze in an ice cream freezer, or follow these directions to freeze in your regular freezer.

This recipe makes about 1 quart or liter of frozen yogurt.

DIY Peach Frozen Yogurt

White peach frozen yogurt
(you can see the small pink flecks of skin)

Light and refreshing, this fruity frozen yogurt is a real winner around here. Aaron even choose it over chocolate one night.

Peach Frozen Yogurt Recipe

• 1 cup peaches
• ½ cup sugar
• 3 cups plain yogurt (homemade works great)

1. I used fresh peaches, so first I removed the pit and sliced them. I didn't bother to peel them, because I am lazy and don't like to peel fruit when it isn't necessary. You can also use canned or frozen peaches if you don't have fresh.
2. Put peaches, sugar, and 1 cup yogurt in the blender, and blend until smooth. This gets all ingredients super-smooth really fast. You can't even taste the peel. You can only see small specks in the yogurt.
3. Stir in remaining yogurt to prevent thinning the mixture to much.
4. Freeze in an ice cream freezer or follow these directions to freeze in your regular freezer.

Recipe makes about 1 quart or liter of frozen yogurt.

DIY Chocolate Ice Cream

Mmmm chocolate. I love chocolate. I love ice cream. This is a really good, really chocolatey ice cream. If you use the full amount of good cocoa powder it will be a deep rich chocolate. This is great all by itself, with a brownie, or as a base for other types of ice cream.

Dark Chocolate Ice Cream

• ¾ cup sugar
• 2 cups whole milk (divided)
• 5 egg yolks
• ½ cup cocoa powder
• 1 cup heavy (whipping) cream

Get out all of the ingredients, as well as a saucepan, a small bowl, a mixing bowl, a whisk, a spatula, measuring cups and spoons. Begin heating 1 cup of milk, sugar, and cocoa slowly in a saucepan. Whisk egg yolks, and begin adding some of the warm milk mixture to the egg yolks. When the egg yolk mixture is warm, add it into the milk mixture, and continue heating over low heat, stirring frequently until the custard thickens enough to coat the spatula or spoon. Pour 1 cup milk and 1 cup cream into the mixing bowl. Add the custard into the milk and cream. If the custard has any lumps, pour through a strainer when adding it to the milk and cream.

At this point you can freeze the ice cream in an ice cream maker if you have one. If you don't have an ice cream maker, you can follow the directions here for freezing in your regular freezer. If you wish to add additions, stir them in before the ice cream is too firm.

DIY Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream

Mint chocolate chip is one of my favorite ice cream flavors. It is simple and refreshing.

Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream

• ¾ cup sugar*
• 2 cups whole milk (divided)**
• 5 egg yolks**
• 1 cup heavy (whipping) cream**
• 1 tsp mint extract
• ½ chocolate chips or chunks (homemade works great)

Get out all of the ingredients, as well as a saucepan, a small bowl, a mixing bowl, a whisk, a spatula, measuring cups, and spoons. Begin heating 1 cup of milk and sugar slowly in a saucepan. Whisk egg yolks, and begin adding some of the warm milk mixture to the egg yolks. When the egg yolk mixture is warm, add it into the milk mixture, and continue heating over low heat, stirring frequently until the custard thickens enough to coat the spatula or spoon. Pour 1 cup milk and 1 cup cream into the mixing bowl. Add the custard into the milk and cream. If the custard has any lumps, pour through a strainer when adding it to the milk and cream. Add mint extract, and stir well.

At this point, you can freeze the ice cream in an ice cream maker if you have one. Or if you don't have an ice cream freezer, you can follow the directions here to freeze in your regular freezer. When the ice cream is mostly frozen, stir in chocolate, and continue freezing until firm.

This recipe makes about 1 quart or liter of ice cream.

* Reducing the amount of sugar or changing the type of sweetener can dramatically effect the consistency of frozen yogurt or ice cream.

** Personally I love this ratio of sugar, milk, egg yolks, and cream. I think this is very rich recipe the way it is. However, if you want an even richer ice cream, you can use 2 cups cream, 1 cup of whole milk, and increase the egg yolks up to 8. If you are looking for a lighter frozen treat, you could try one of these frozen yogurt recipes.

DIY Moose-tracks Ice Cream

Chocolate, peanut butter, and ice cream mixed together is hard to resist. I made it for my husband's birthday, and it was his and both boys' favorite.

Chocolate Peanut Butter Chunk Ice Cream

• 1 quart vanilla or (1 recipe of Classic Vanilla Ice Cream mostly frozen)
• ½ cup peanut butter
• ½ cup powdered sugar (homemade works fine)
• ½ cup chocolate chips or chunks

Make vanilla ice cream, or soften store bought vanilla. Mix peanut butter with powdered sugar, and roll into half in balls. Freeze until firm. Mix peanut butter balls and chocolate into semi-soft ice cream, and continue to freeze until firm.

DIY Vanilla Ice Cream: Making Ice Cream Without and Ice Cream Maker

Classic and Creamy Vanilla Ice Cream

Classic vanilla ice cream is the perfect base or accompaniment for so many desserts. The plain "vanilla" ice cream here is mostly not really vanilla flavored. In fact, some white kinds of ice cream here are labeled as taro (a vegetable pretty close to a potato), and that is how the less expensive ice creams here taste. I like potatoes. I like taro too, sometimes. But not so much in ice cream. So I set out to learn how to make my own. I started browsing recipes online and used David Lebovitz's Vanilla for inspiration. The result is pretty amazing. I might have a hard time going back to store bought vanilla anywhere, even in the US. This is a rich recipe, if you are looking for something on the lighter side try vanilla frozen yogurt. Personally, if I am going to spend the money on the cream and the time to make a real homemade ice cream, I make it really good. For healthier, easier, and cheaper frozen desserts, I go with some kind of frozen yogurt instead of trying to make light ice cream.

Adding egg mixture

Classic Vanilla Ice Cream

• ¾ cup sugar*
• 2 cups whole milk (divided)**
• 5 egg yolks**
• 1 cup heavy (whipping) cream**
• 1 tsp vanilla

Custard thickening

Get out all of the ingredients, as well as a saucepan, a small bowl, a mixing bowl, a whisk, a spatula, measuring cups, and spoons. Begin heating 1 cup of milk and sugar slowly in a saucepan. Whisk egg yolks, and begin adding some of the warm milk mixture to the egg yolks. When the egg yolk mixture is warm, add it into the milk mixture, and continue heating over low heat, stirring frequently until the custard thickens enough to coat the spatula or spoon. Pour 1 cup milk and 1 cup cream into the mixing bowl. Add the custard into the milk and cream. If the custard has any lumps, pour through a strainer when adding it to the milk and cream. Add vanilla, and stir well.

Mixing custard into milk and cream

At this point, you can freeze the ice cream in an ice cream maker if you have one. Or if you don't have an ice cream freezer, simply mix all ingredients in a freezer safe bowl or pan and place in your regular freezer. After about 30–60 minutes, check on the ice cream, and stir vigorously with a spatula or hand mixer to break up the ice crystals. Repeat this process every 30–45 minutes until the ice cream is frozen well. In general, the more you break up the ice crystals, the longer it will take for the ice cream to freeze, but the smoother the end result will be. There is a lot more information on making ice cream and frozen yogurt on David Lebovitz's site.

This recipe makes about 1 quart or liter of ice cream.



* Reducing the amount of sugar or changing the type of sweetener can dramatically effect the consistency of frozen yogurt or ice cream.

Ready to go into the freezer

** Personally I love this ratio of sugar, milk, egg yolks, and cream. I think this is very rich recipe the way it is. However, if you want an even richer ice cream, you can use 2 cups cream, 1 cup of whole milk, and increase the egg yolks up to 8.

Frozen Yogurt Recipes

We love ice cream, but around here most of the ice cream is less than stellar. Even the cheapest ice cream isn't that cheap and often has a strange taste. Chocolate lovers beware of Chinese chocolate; we've eaten tastier crayons. And I don't know about you, but we can't be spending $13.50 for a pint of Haagen Daz very often. So aside for buying an occasional giant tub of ice cream, I've come up with some great frozen yogurt recipes for everyday desserts. Although they are certainly good enough to serve for company, and most are healthy enough to eat for breakfast.

All of these recipes can be made using plain homemade yogurt, and you don't even need to own an ice cream maker. Just use the method described here to churn out your own frozen treats.

• 1-2-3 Ingredient "Vegan Ice Cream"
• Banana Frozen Yogurt
• Berry Frozen Yogurt 
• Caramelized Pear Frozen Yogurt
• Dreamsicle Frozen Yogurt 
• Grape Frozen Yogurt
• Kiwi frozen Yogurt
• Lemon Ice
• Mango Frozen Yogurt
• Milk Chocolate Frozen Yogurt
• Peach Frozen Yogurt
• Plum Frozen Yogurt
• Vanilla Frozen Yogurt

DIY Mango Frozen Yogurt

Three simple ingredients combine to make a light and refreshing summer treat. It is such a healthy recipe too, so it is like you are eating frozen breakfast for dessert. Or you could even serve it for breakfast and make everyone extra happy.

Simple Mango Frozen Yogurt

(makes about 1 quart or liter)

1 large mango mashed or pureed
3 cups of yogurt
½ of sugar

Peel mango, and remove pit. Puree in a blender, or mash well with a potato masher. Stir in yogurt and sugar.

Freeze in an ice cream freezer or in a regular freezer using the method described here.