Pumpkin Ice Cream Bars & Sandwiches

All the pumpkin spice love started in September, but this past week, we broke it out for the first time during our in-home therapy sessions and made Pumpkin Ice Cream bars and Sandwiches.

I came across a recipe for Pumpkin Ice Cream Cake or Sandwiches while at my parents in a pumpkin activity book. I'm pretty sure my mother has all the books that have ever been sold, so it's not surprising that she has a pumpkin activity book. I found it so fun to flip through the pages and search for ideas, something I haven't done for awhile. It looked super simple and a bit messy, which meant the kids would love it without a doubt. ;)

Unfortunately, I forgot the book before heading to the grocery store. So, to the internet I went and by golly there was Liz Fourez from Liz Love Grows Wild. This woman has some wonderful recipes, décor and style tips. I definitely recommend checking her blog or IG page out for some inspiration! Also...her pictures of this recipe pretty much had me from the start. Goodness gracious.

Anyways, back to the ice cream party. During our sessions this week, we used the activity to work on vocabulary, following directions, recalling and sequencing steps or events, controlling impulses (very tough to do when sprinkles are involved) and asking and answering wh- questions.

Not to mention the value of creating and accomplishing something new to share with others. That might just be the very best part of it all.

The desserts were ready for the freezer within 45-60 minutes, however if you followed the exact steps, it would be around 60-80 minutes for the activity.

During the first session, I used Liz's recipe, but swapped out ginger snaps for graham crackers and used sprinkles instead of pecans.

Sprinkles + children = motivation. At least that's what I was hoping.

Also, I knew that adding sprinkles might mean they’d actually try it. #spoileralert…while both children were extremely pumped about the sprinkles, turns out even sprinkle magic can only go so far.

My assistant chef during the first session was not so into the pumpkin puree, but handled it with some encouragement. 

Pumpkin Puree - not a Fan
Crushed Graham Cracker Crust - For the win.

She was however, all about crushing up the graham crackers (picture above) and the sprinkles (picture below). They may have ended up in a single location on the dish, but I'd honestly be skeptical if they were sprinkled ever so perfectly across the dish...wouldn't you? 

There's no such thing as "portion control" when it comes to sprinkles. Hehe.

When creating anything with kids, we reealllyyy need to be careful about being too focused on the product vs. the process. It's tough. But you can do it. I promise.

She was not so eager to try them, but shared with her sister in a heartbeat who reported back that they were scrumptious. Solid evidence that this in fact will be worth trying again. ;)

The second session, we modified the recipe a bit. I was working with a younger child and thought ice cream bars would be best. So, we used Liz’s ice cream mix, but smushed the ice cream between two lovely graham crackers and rolled the ice cream sandwich in sprinkles. 

I'll be honest, I rolled the ice cream bars in the sprinkles, because the smushy ice cream was melting -- quickly. Actually by the end of it, we were both just throwing sprinkles on the ice cream. No shame in that. This was by far the best part of the session. He LOVED it! And the sprinkles were a hit once again. 

Another sprinkle explosion.

You could also use ginger snaps or oatmeal cookies. I left the decision up to him and he chose graham crackers, so there ya go. ;) Either would be yummy though!

Here is the Pumpkin Ice Cream Bars recipe from Liz Love Grows Wild blog. 

I did find that we didn't use all of the pumpkin ice cream mix, so if you're making the bars (not the sandwiches), then it may be a good idea to cut back a little on the amounts, or get a deeper dish.

If you choose to just use the mix to squish between cookies or graham crackers and make sandwiches, then all you need to do is mix the following:

Pumpkin Ice Cream Mix

1 cup pumpkin puree

1/2 cup sugar

1 tsp pumpkin pie spice

1/2 tsp salt

1 quart of vanilla ice cream, softened

You'll also need:

Graham Crackers, Ginger Snaps or Oatmeal Cookies (A full box or container to make sure you use all of the pumpkin ice cream mix)

SPRINKLES

** In Liz's recipe, she says to put the ice cream mixture in the freezer for 20 minutes before pouring it over the crust for the ice cream bars. 

I would probably try this for the ice cream sandwiches as well, so that they don't melt as quickly as they did for us. 

Reading and following directions is a brilliant concept, one that I teach, but when it comes to baking or cooking, sometimes I ignore. Oops! We only had about 45-60 minutes to make this though, so it wouldn't have mattered.

Modifications for Ages & Stages

Break It Up

This activity could definitely be broken up into different times during the day or done over the course of two, maybe three days. 

For example:

Day 1: Measure and mix dry ingredients or all of the pumpkin mix. Then, freeze.

Day 2: Make sandwiches (add sprinkles or save for third day).

Day 3 (Optional): Save for sprinkles or frosting, whatever you decide.

Less Mixing, More Store-Bought

If you're working with younger children (ages 2-3), or running really short on time, then I'd recommend breaking it down to graham crackers, store-bought pumpkin ice cream and sprinkles. This would be really easy to do in a classroom setting for instance if you only had so much time to get an activity done.

Ways Child Helps

Another way to modify it would be to decide beforehand how you'd like the child to help you. 

Will they be the one helping measure, mix, and/or pour? 

Will they do all of it or will there be items you do instead? 

What skills are you working on? 

Is this just a fun activity where things can get messy?

Should you measure out the ingredients and let them dump? Can you hold their hands while they measure, or are they fully capable of measuring themselves?

Kids can be a part of the cooking or baking process no matter the recipe, but modifications are definitely helpful for holding their interest.

I hope you enjoyed this "inside scoop" on therapy this week and give this activity a try at home or school with your kids before fall is long gone. Yes, November people is HERE like next week. 

It really was so much fun and can be done with children of all ages. 

Enjoy!

Michelle