Whip cold cream to stiff peaks and the trapped air, together with the sugar in condensed milk, stands in for a machine's paddle: both interfere with water freezing into crystals large enough to feel on the tongue, which is why the three-ingredient strawberry version turns out creamy rather than icy. Other bases do the same work — coconut milk carries the Raffaello pops, coconut cream the apple ones, and thick Greek yogurt fills the dark-chocolate ziplock bars while a honey-lemon sorbet fills the white. Keep any base thick, because a thin mixture freezes icy. Dry the fruit well and freeze it spread apart on a tray so it stays loose and blends to a thick purée, never one solid block. The iced coffee needs no freezer time at all: a shop-bought bar melts into the glass and its stick doubles as the stirrer.
These apple ice cream pops blend whole apples into a creamy frozen treat: blitz 3 cored apples (skin on) with 2 tsp apple pie spice, ¼ cup honey and 1 cup coconut cream until smooth, freeze in molds, then dip in melted dark chocolate. Naturally dairy-free and spiced like apple pie. Makes about 6.
This no-churn strawberry ice cream needs 3 ingredients and no machine: blend 340 g frozen strawberries into a puree, whip 480 ml cold heavy cream to stiff peaks, then fold in 400 g sweetened condensed milk and the strawberry puree. Freeze 6 hours for a pale-pink, creamy ice cream flecked with real fruit. Makes about 8 servings.
These chocolate-dipped banana peanut butter ice cream bars taste like a homemade Snickers: blend 1 banana, 2 tbsp peanut butter, 75 g yogurt, ¼ cup heavy cream and vanilla, freeze in popsicle molds for 4 hours, then dip in melted chocolate studded with chopped peanuts. The ice-cold pops set the shell instantly. Makes 4.
Homemade Raffaello ice cream needs 5 ingredients and no machine: whisk 75 g coconut flakes with ½ cup yogurt, 1 cup coconut milk, vanilla and a drizzle of honey, let the flakes soften, then freeze in popsicle molds for 4 hours. Roll each pop in extra coconut flakes for that signature Raffaello crunch. Makes 6.
Make iced ice-cream coffee in under 5 minutes with no machine: stand a chocolate-shelled ice cream bar in a glass, melt the shell with a splash of hot water for a sweet base, add ice, then shake 2 sachets of instant coffee with sugar and water until thick and foamy and pour it over. The result is cold, creamy, and ridiculously good — silky melted chocolate ice cream under a cloud of hand-shaken coffee foam, with the bar itself doubling as your stirrer.
These chocolate strawberry ice cream bars use a clever ziplock-bag trick: melt chocolate in small bags set in hot water, press it into a thin shell, then pipe in strawberry sorbet (frozen berries blended with honey and lemon) or a chunky strawberry-yogurt filling. Freeze until solid and snap into a fruity, chocolate-shelled bar. No ice cream maker needed — makes about 8.