RecipesPlay It Cool With Ben & Jerry's Valentine’s Ice Cream Recipes

First dates can be nerve-wracking, especially if they fall on one of the most romantic days of the year. We all want to make a good first impression and meet those unsaid expectations, and what better way to do that than by planning a dinner date?

“Dinner dates are the perfect way to connect on a deeper level with your date all while showing them how much you value them,” says our in-house dating coach, Jessica Pinker. From the appetizers to the drinks, dinner dates take a good amount of planning to pull off. Luckily if you’re looking for a dessert that’ll be the perfect crowd-pleaser, ice cream is a great place to start.

In this blog, the team here at LDV shows you how to play it cool by sharing our favourite Ben & Jerry’s Valentine’s ice cream desserts and cocktail recipes. What better way to break the ice and celebrate a dessert-fueled holiday like Valentine’s Day than with a pint of Ben & Jerry’s ice cream?

In this guide, we will share:

• Our favourite dessert recipes made with Ben & Jerry’s ice cream
• Our favourite frozen cocktails made with Ben & Jerry’s ice cream

Ben & Jerry’s Valentine’s Ice Cream Dessert Recipes

Ready to blow your date’s tastebuds away? The team here at LDV have taken three of their favourite dessert recipes and revamped them by incorporating a pinch of Valentine’s flare and a scoop of Ben & Jerry’s ice cream into the mix. With flavours so good that you’d “reach the bottom of the pint in a blink of an eye“ (well said by PR Newswire), we can’t think of a better way to say I love you this Valentine’s Day than with a homemade dessert made with the UK’s favourite take-home ice cream.

Vegan Strawberry Shortcake With A Chocolate Fudge Twist

Ingredients:

• 2 cups self-rising flour
• ¼ cup sugar
• 2 tbsp coconut milk
• 2 pints strawberries (sliced)
• 1 pint Ben & Jerry’s Chocolate Fudge Brownie Non-Dairy ice cream (melted)
• Sanding sugar

Step 1: Combine the pint of melted ice cream with the self-rising flour in a mixing bowl until it becomes a stiff dough.

Step 2: Lay the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead it until it can hold its shape. More flour may be added if the dough is sticking to your hands. Shape the dough into a rectangle that is roughly 10 cm wide, 20 cm long and 2 cm thick.

Step 3: Cut the dough into 8 equal pieces and arrange them on a greased or parchment-lined baking sheet. Brush the pieces with coconut milk and sprinkle sanding sugar on top.

Step 4: In a preheated oven of 93℃, bake the shortcakes for 14-18 minutes.

Step 5: Coat the strawberries in sugar and allow them to rest while the shortcakes bake & cool.

Step 6: Slice the cooled shortcakes in half and serve them with the sugar-coated strawberries.

Tip: Add an extra scoop of Ben & Jerry’s Chocolate Fudge Brownie Non-Dairy ice cream or whipped cream on top of the shortcakes to add some extra decadence to the dessert!

Chocolate Cookie Dough Panna Cotta

Ingredients:

• ½ cup of boiling water
• 2 pouches of unflavoured gelatine
• 1 pint of Ben & Jerry’s Chocolate Cookie Dough ice cream (melted)

Step 1: In a pot, boil ½ a cup of water and dissolve the gelatine.

Step 2: Pour the melted ice cream into a mixing bowl and remove the cookie dough chunks.

Step 3: Combine the dissolved gelatine with the ice cream in the mixing bowl. Immediately pour the mixture into a mould of your choice.

Step 4: Allow the mixture to set for 2 hours in the fridge before removing it from the mould.

Step 5: Serve with the garnish of your choice.

Tip: Garnish the panna cotta by pressing the leftover cookie dough chunks into the mould before pouring in the mixture!

Chocolate Hazelnut Soufflé With A Scoop Of Ben & Jerry’s Ice Cream

Ingredients:

• 300g of chocolate hazelnut spread
• 70g of sugar
• 50g of butter
• 4 eggs
• 1 pint of Ben & Jerry’s Chocolatey Love a Fair ice cream

Step 1: Brush a set of ramekins with butter and sprinkle sugar. Wrap a band of parchment paper around the exterior of the ramekins and secure it with string.

Step 2: Separate the whites from the yokes of the eggs and beat the egg whites until they form stiff peaks.

Step 3: In a separate bowl, combine the egg yokes with the chocolate hazelnut spread. Gently fold in the egg whites and pour the mixture into the ramekins.

Step 4: In a preheated oven of 200℃, bake the soufflés for 15 minutes. Remove the parchment paper when done and top with a scoop of ice cream. Serve immediately.

Tip: Tesco offers the best price for all the ingredients you need for this recipe! Use one of our Tesco discount codes to save further on your order.

Ben & Jerry’s Ice Cream Cocktail Recipes

What better way to break the ice or unwind after dinner than with a creamy frozen cocktail? You’re in for a treat as we’re combining the UK’s favourite ice cream with classic cocktail recipes to create the perfect Valentine’s drink. Whether you’re planning the perfect dinner date for two or would prefer to enjoy a little me-time, celebrate the most romantic day of the year by blending up some of our team’s favourite frosty drinks.

Boozy Ben & Jerry’s Valentine’s Ice Cream Milkshake

Ingredients:

• 1 cup of milk
• 3 oz vodka
• 1 oz grenadine
• 3 scoops of Ben & Jerry’s Strawberry Cheesecake ice cream
• 3 scoops of Ben & Jerry’s Baked Alaska Vanilla ice cream

Step 1: Add 3 scoops of vanilla ice cream, ½ a cup of milk and 1½ oz of vodka into a blender. Blend until thick & creamy then set aside.

Step 2: Add 3 scoops of strawberry cheesecake ice cream, 1 oz of grenadine and 1½ oz of vodka into a blender. Blend until thick and creamy.

Step 3: Pour the vanilla mixture first into a glass and top it with the strawberry mixture.

Tip: Feel free to decorate the milkshake with whipped cream and heart-shaped sprinkles to give it a festive feel!

Valentine’s Mudslide

Ingredients:

• 5 strawberries
• 1 oz of vodka
• 1 oz of coffee liquor
• 1 oz Irish cream liquor
• 1 scoop of Ben & Jerry’s Baked Alaska Vanilla ice cream

Step 1: In a blender, blend the strawberries and Irish cream liquor. Once the mixture is smooth, pour it into a glass.

Step 2: Add the coffee liquor, vodka and ice cream into the blender and blend until smooth. Pour this mixture over the strawberry mixture.

Step 3: Top with an extra scoop of ice cream or strawberries and enjoy!

Tip: This recipe is customisable! So you can swap the vanilla ice cream for any other flavour you’d prefer. Need a recommendation? Sainsbury’s offers a wide selection of Ben & Jerry’s flavours plus they accept Sainsbury’s discount codes!

Pink Squirrel

Ingredients:

• 1 oz of creme de cacao
• 1 oz of creme de noyaux
• 1 oz of Ben & Jerry’s Strawberry Cheesecake ice cream

Step 1: In a blender, blend the ice cream, creme de cacao and creme de noyaux until the mixture is smooth.

Step 2: Pour the mixture into a glass and enjoy!

Tip: Cut the cost of this exotic drink by using a Waitrose voucher code the next time you visit the supermarket’s online store!

Make Valentine’s Day Extra Special This Year With LDV

Valentine’s Day is bound to be extra special this year thanks to our Ben & Jerry’s Valentine’s ice cream recipes. Wondering what would make the perfect main course to pair with your Ben & Jerry’s ice cream dessert? Our Valentine’s Day Dinner For Two blog has a list of mouthwatering recipes you can use as inspiration. Not in the mood for ice cream? Not a problem, feel free to check out our Valentine’s Day Chocolate Ideas blog for some extra special gourmet gifts. Happy Valentine’s Day!