Tis’ the season of eating!  With Thanksgiving a mere days away, the pressure to plan the perfect meal is all the more imposing. But you know what pressure makes? Diamonds, baby. Which is why Peekaboo Ice Cream is coming to the rescue to make sure there’s no way your mother in law can complain that there aren’t enough veggies on the table. We’re serving up some recipe gems to sneak some extra veggies into your Thanksgiving feast.  Ditch your lame apple pie recipe and try out some of our delicious and nutrition-packed Peekaboo Ice Cream desserts.

A unanimous decision has been made that Thanksgiving dessert is all about ice cream this year. And this isn’t just your average (“joe-shmoe”) spoonful of vanilla. Peekaboo Vanilla Ice Cream with Hidden Zucchini is a creamy blend of pure, sweet cream, Madagascar vanilla and zucchini that you can’t see or taste. 

What’s the best part about our Thanksgiving recipes?  You’ll have the satisfaction of serving up a sweet surprise with veggies hidden in every bite.  Stay tuned for the surprised reactions after the truth comes out.  

To navigate this hectic foodie holiday, we’ve categorized the recipes for a quick guide on what to bring to Friendsgiving, a family meal, or the office party. Whether it’s kid-friendly or adult-friendly, these easy, crowd-pleasing recipes will be a guaranteed hit. 

Four Ice Cream Desserts for Thanksgiving  

Kid-Friendly

Caramel Cutie Pie Milkshakes

Although apple pie is a Thanksgiving classic, it’s a bit monotonous and could use a serious upgrade. This easy milkshake is everything you love about apple pie with an extra boost. It’s kid-friendly and fun. Just grab a straw and serve! 

Ingredients
 

1 Pint Peekaboo Vanilla Ice Cream with Hidden Zucchini 

1 to 1 1/2 cups chilled apple cider

1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce

2 tablespoons pure maple syrup

1 Tub of Whipped cream

Caramel sauce

Ground cinnamon

To make, add 2 scoops of Peekaboo Vanilla Ice Cream, 1 cup of apple cider, and applesauce to a blender. Pulse several times and with the blender running on low speed, stream in maple syrup and just enough of the remaining 1/2 cup of apple cider to create a thick milkshake texture. Drizzle caramel sauce down the sides of your favorite large glasses and then add milkshake mixture. Top with whipped cream, more caramel sauce and a few pinches of ground cinnamon. Serve immediately (and wait for smiles).

Family-Friendly

Apple Bottom Ice Cream Trifle

So, there’s the traditional apple pie, and then there’s the apple crisp, caramel-covered apples, apple cheesecake and our personal favorite, caramel apple trifle. You will have to turn the stove on for this one, but it’s worth it (and still counts as easy in our book). 

Ingredients

1 Pint Peekaboo Vanilla Ice Cream with Hidden Zucchini
4 apples (Granny Smith or McIntosh), finely chopped

4 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened

1/2 cup lightly packed brown sugar

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

Crushed Cookies (Biscoff, Nilla Wafers, Graham Crackers)

Good-quality caramel sauce topping

Sea salt

Whipped Cream

Walnuts or Pecans  

Start by making the apple layer by melting butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the apples, brown sugar, and cinnamon, and stir until well combined. Cook, stirring occasionally, for about 10-15 minutes, until apples are tender and the brown sugar creates a thick glaze. While apples are cooling, mix sea salt into the caramel for salted caramel flavor. 

Assemble in layers, filling dessert cups with salted caramel, apples, cookies, and Peekaboo Vanilla Ice Cream. Top with whipped cream, more apples and a few pinches of ground cinnamon. To add a bit more flavor, sprinkle with an assortment of crushed nuts like walnuts or pecans. Apple bottoms up and enjoy!

Friendsgiving

Boozy Bourbon Baked Apples 

Wine tends to be our go-to Friendsgiving contribution, but this year, we’re going the extra mile with boozy bourbon baked apples.  You’ll be sure to earn some extra brownie points.   

Ingredients 

1 Pint Peekaboo Vanilla Ice Cream with Hidden Zucchini

6 large honeycrisp apples

2/3 cup oats

2/3 cup loosely packed brown sugar

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 cup softened unsalted butter

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 cup apple cider

1 Bag of Crushed Mixed Nuts (like hazelnuts, walnuts and pecans) 

1/3 cup bourbon, or less, depending on how much you enjoy bourbon

Pour bourbon on the apples. And then bake them. And then cover them in ice cream, crunchy apple crisp mix, and serve. It’s really that simple but here’s the breakdown: Start by preheating the oven to 400 degrees. While that’s happening core the apples so that the inside forms a little cup. Remove the core and the seeds. 

In a bowl, combine oats, brown sugar, nuts, salt, cinnamon, softened butter and vanilla. Mix thoroughly with a fork and your hands until it becomes clumped together. Spoon the mixture into the core of each apple. Sprinkle with cinnamon. Place apples in a large baking dish and pour apple cider and bourbon in the bottom of the pan and bake for about 45 minutes. While cooking, spoon the cider/bourbon mixture over the top of each apple – about every 10 minutes. 

Once the skin looks dark and wrinkly, remove from the oven. Serve immediately with a heaping scoop of Peekaboo Vanilla Ice Cream ice. 

So boozy, so bourbon, so delicious. 

Crowd Pleaser 

Pumped Up Ice Cream Pie

Fall is the season of pumpkin spice and everything nice.  As an ode to the fall-favorite, we’re pumping up the traditional pumpkin pie and adding our own Peekaboo Ice Cream twist.  Pie filling gets a rich and creamy flavor boost that is so good, it might just become the classic.

Ingredients 

1 Pint Peekaboo Vanilla Ice Cream with Hidden Zucchini

1/3 cup unsalted butter, melted
1 1/3 cups graham cracker crumbs

1/4 cup granulated sugar

1 cup pumpkin puree

1/3 cup light brown sugar, packed

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice

Tub of Whipped cream 

Preheat oven to 350F and spray a 9-inch pie dish with cooking spray and set aside.

Melt the butter, about 1 minute on high power in a large microwave-safe bowl. Add the graham cracker crumbs, granulated sugar, and stir to combine. Pour mixture into pie dish and pack around the sides to make a nice crust. Bake for 10 minutes, set aside to cool. For the filling, add the Peekaboo Vanilla Ice Cream, pumpkin, brown sugar, vanilla, cinnamon, and pumpkin pie spice to a large bowl. Mix with electric mixer until smooth and combined. Pour filling into crust and place in the freezer to chill for at least 4+ hours (overnight is fine) or until set. To serve, let soften slightly on the counter and top with whipped cream. 

However you slice it, veggies always win.  Bon appetite!     

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Where to Try Peekaboo

Peekaboo’s five flavors are available online as well as major stores, groceries and local shops throughout the country. Click here to purchase your pint now.