Sweet Sensations - 4 Quick & Easy Desserts to Make at Home

If you’ve been following our blog, you’re sure to have gleaned some solid inspo for cooking tantalising, healthy and creative dishes from all over the world. However, one thing you may notice is the relative absence of sweets and desserts from our repertoire.

All of that is about to change.

We’re thrilled to have recently launched our latest, and possibly most advanced, electrical appliance: The amazing GreenPan Frost Ice Cream & Frozen Drink Maker. This incredible machine is perhaps the easiest and quickest way to produce mouthwatering frozen sweet treats right on your countertop. With the Frost, you can create a wide range of desserts that make you look like a MasterChef, without Pressure Test complications

Frost’s built-in chiller helps you transform fresh ingredients into frozen delicacies in as little as thirty minutes. As an added bonus, the Frost is as quiet as a mouse, so making ice cream doesn’t feel like working on an airport runway.

To celebrate the latest addition to our lineup, we’re using the opportunity to share some truly delicious, professional tasting desserts. Not the fancy, three-day-advance-prep kind that requires a degree in pastry arts, but deceptively simple items that are within reach of every home cook - using the GreenPan Frost, of course!

However, this isn't just about our newest toy! It's about cracking the code on quick desserts that make family and dinner guests’ jaws drop, and you feel slightly guilty admitting how easy they were to create.

Why Quick Desserts Usually Disappoint (And How to Fix That)

Most "quick" dessert recipes cut corners in places that actually matter. Usually calling for generic, store-bought ingredients and cliche combinations that too often taste assembled, rather than made with love and creativity.

Sure, sometimes items from the supermarket shelf provide a welcome shortcut without sacrificing taste. Nevertheless, it’s crucial to be strategic about where to cut corners and where to opt for quality. Buying ready-made puff pastry makes perfect sense. However, using artificial vanilla essence instead of pure extract? Criminal. There’s a fine line between clever efficiency and disappointing compromise when it comes to understanding the secrets to creating great flavour.

1. Salted Caramel Ice Cream with Honeycomb Crunch

If you’re looking to flex your dessert mastery credentials, this recipe will foot the bill. Your grateful diners will assume you’ve spent hours slaving over it, when in fact, it’s surprisingly quick and easy. Don’t worry, your secret is safe with us!

Honeycomb freaks people out because it involves hot sugar and dramatic chemical reactions. We’re not going to lie, it can be just a wee bit tricky, but once you get the hang of it, you’ll be able to repeat it on autopilot.

To Make The Honeycomb

Ingredients:

• 200 g of caster sugar
• 4 tablespoons of golden syrup
• 2 tablespoons of water and two tablespoons of water
• 2 teaspoons of bicarb soda

Methods:

• Heat the water, caster sugar, and golden syrup in a saucepan without stirring until it reaches about 150°C and turns a rich, deep amber colour.
• Take it off the heat and whisk in two teaspoons of bicarb. Here is where it gets fun because the whole thing foams up like a science experiment gone right.
• Pour it onto a lined tray immediately, then leave it alone. Avoid touching or tilting the tray, as this may interrupt the magical chemical reaction.
• Once it's completely cool, smash it into chunks. If you have extra, keep these in an airtight container until needed.

The Ice Cream Base

Ingredients:

• 2 cups of full-cream milk
• ¾ of a cup of thickened cream
• ½ cup of white sugar
• 1½ tablespoons of vanilla extract
• ½ teaspoon of kosher salt
• ¼ cup of caramel sauce

Methods:

• Whisk all the ingredients together in a medium-sized mixing bowl until everything is evenly combined and the sugar has started to dissolve.
• Pour the entire mixture into the GreenPan Frost mixing bowl and affix the mixing bowl cover.
• Set the Frost to Soft Ice Cream Mode, level 4. Allow the mixture to churn until the Frost automatically switches to Cool and beeps
• Spoon out the required amount into your serving dishes. If you have extra, you can transfer it to an airtight container and store it in the freezer until you need it.
• Sprinkle the crushed honeycomb chunks over the top and serve

Optional Extras:

If you’re looking to make a powerful impression, we recommend adding one or more of the following finishing flourishes:

• A generous sprinkle of sea salt flakes for a gorgeous visual feel and a slightly saltier experience
• Lashings of fresh strawberries or raspberries for a burst of fruitiness that acts as a superb counterpoint to the salty caramel.
• A healthy splattering of toasted and chopped pecans or almonds for a satisfying crunch and nutty tones.

2. Mango Coconut Sorbet Sundaes with Lime Syrup

If a tropical vacation is out of your reach, this gorgeous finisher is the next best thing and will transport you to a place of sun and surf. For vegans or those sensitive to lactose, this refreshing burst of flavour is completely dairy-free, so everyone can fully enjoy the experience with no regrets or unwelcome after-effects.

Ingredients:

• Four ripe mangoes, peeled, flesh removed from the pit and chopped.
• 400 ml of coconut milk
• 200 g of sugar
• Juice of 4 limes
• Zest of 2-3 limes

Method:

• Blend the coconut milk, 100 g of sugar, and the juice of two limes until smooth and well mixed.
• Taste the mixture and adjust to your taste. Too tart? Add more sugar. Too sweet? More lime juice. You want that perfect balance where the tropical sweetness hits first and the lime cuts through at the end.
• Pop the mixture into the Frost on Sorbet setting.
• While the Frost is running, boil the remaining 100 g of sugar with 100 ml of water. When it reaches a boil, reduce the heat, add the lime zest and allow to simmer for 5 minutes.
• Remove from heat and stir in the remaining lime juice.
• Allow to cool
• When the Frost cycle is complete, remove the sorbet from the machine and transfer it to serving dishes. Then, drizzle the cooled syrup over the top.
• Serve topped with your choice of toppings. Chopped fresh tropical fruits, toasted coconut flakes, and mint leaves all work beautifully. If you’re going for the full (and slightly kitsch) experience, add a miniature paper umbrella! Squint your eyes, and you may almost be able to imagine you’re in Tahiti!

3. Strawberry Cheesecake Ice Cream Sandwiches

These are fun. Handheld desserts that combine cheesecake flavours with the convenience of ice cream and a sublime, crumbly shortbread crunch for the ultimate decadent ensemble. Great for dinner parties, great for kids, great for eating while standing at the kitchen counter at 11 pm, just because!

The Sandwich

Shortbread brings the recipe together. You can use store-bought shortbread if you’re short on time or energy. However, most commercially available shortbreads tend to be a little on the thick side, whereas this recipe works best with a slightly thinner cookie. Home-made shortbread is superb, easy to make and allows you to control the thickness to deliver the perfect balance. The method looks like it has a lot of steps, but in practice, it’s straightforward, so don’t get spooked!

Ingredients:

• 250 g of salted butter, softened to room temperature
• ¾ of a cup of icing sugar
• 2 cups of all-purpose flour

Method:

• Preheat the oven to 150 °C. If you’re not using a fan-forced or convection oven, bump this up slightly to 160 °C.
• Beat the butter until it’s very smooth.
• Add the icing sugar and beat it until it’s well combined.
• Add half the flour and beat together until the mixture has the consistency of wet sand.
• Add the remaining flour until it’s hard to work with a spoon
• Use your hands to bring the dough together and lightly knead it.
• Grease a baking pan and line it with baking paper. Then, add the dough and press it down gently until it is a consistent ½ centimetre thickness. You can use a rolling pin or a glass jar for a more even thickness, but be careful not to press too hard; otherwise, your shortbread will get too brittle.
• Pop the sheets in the oven and bake for 20 minutes. By this time, the edges should be golden brown and the rest of the surface just starting to take on a golden hue.
• Remove from the oven and very quickly cut into your desired shape, depending on how big or small you want your sandwiches.
• Return the dough to the oven for a further 8 minutes, or until the surface is golden brown. Switch off the oven and leave the door ajar, letting the finished shortbread cool for about an hour, while you’re making the filling.

The Cheesecake Ice Cream

Ingredients:

• 250 g of softened cream cheese
• 400 ml of cream
• 100 g of icing sugar
• 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
• 200 g of chopped fresh or frozen strawberries

Method:

• Beat the cream cheese and icing sugar together using a hand blender or whisk.
• Add the cream and vanilla, and beat the mixture together until thoroughly combined.
• Transfer the mixture to the Frost and set it to Frozen Yoghurt [1] setting. This creates a slightly denser texture that holds up better in sandwich form.
  When done, remove the mixture and very gently fold in the strawberries.
  there is no frozen yogurt setting. Select the Soft Ice Cream Mode and choose level 4. Churn until the Frost switches to Cool and beeps, or until your preferred texture is reached.

Putting It Together

• Assembly works better while the ice cream is still relatively hard, so once it’s ready, scoop your desired portion between your shortbread pieces (enough to make a 3-4 cm layer is usually about right, but go with whatever feels right for you).
• Press the sandwich gently so the ice cream spreads to the edges, and smooth with a knife.
• For an added touch of class, roll the sides in crushed freeze-dried strawberries or mini chocolate chips.
• Wrap each sandwich in cling wrap and put it in the freezer for at least 2 hours before serving.

4. Summer Ginger, Peach & Nectarine Slushie

With summer fast approaching, it’s time for Australia to dust off the deck chairs and start thinking about outdoor entertaining and al fresco dining once again. If that sounds like your perfect way of spending a balmy holiday evening, then this recipe is going to tickle your fancy.

A highlight of summer is always the spectacular stone fruit that abounds when the weather warms up. This slushie combines two varieties, pairing them with a range of refreshing flavours for a light, exhilarating way to stay cool and satisfied. For a tangier version, choose yellow fruits; for a sweeter experience, go with the white varieties

Ingredients:

• 2 ripe nectarines
• 2 ripe peaches
• 1 cup of ginger ale/beer (pro tip: ginger-flavoured kombucha works magnificently)
• 2 tablespoons of maple syrup. Feel free to add more if you like it sweeter.
• 2 limes, 1 juiced and 1 sliced into wedges for garnish
• Mint leaves

Method:

• /peel the stone fruit and remove the flesh from the stones.
• Add the fruit flesh, ginger ale, maple syrup and lime juice to a blender and blitz until smooth.
• Transfer the mixture to the Frost and set it to Slushie mode, level 3.
• Let the Frost do its thing until it switches to “Cool” and gives you a beep.
• Gently bruise the mint leaves to release the flavour, then apportion to cups.
• Add the slushie mixture to the glass and lightly stir to mix the mint leaves around.
• Add a slice of lime wedge to the side of the glass, strategically place a mint sprig for garnish and serve immediately.
• Optional extra bling: Scoop some passionfruit onto the surface of the slushie for a next-level twist.

Now You Do It

These four desserts cover different approaches to quick, impressive sweet endings. Some rely heavily on the Frost, others use it as one part of the whole thing. All of them make producing a restaurant-quality dessert deceptively simple.

Therein lies the power of the Frost. Its ground-breaking technology puts otherwise inaccessible desserts within reach of the everyday home chef, putting the power to turn regular meals into something extraordinary. Inspired to create more? Head to recipes page to discover more delicious GreenPan Frost recipes