5 superfood topping combos that will change the way you look at ice cream forever.

On a hot summer day, it’s hard to turn down a cold creamy refreshing bowl of ice cream! We get it. But why stop there!? Gone are the days of a simple vanilla ice cream scoop, topping-less and void of flavor. Turn up the flavor with these five sinfully delicious ice cream pairings of salty, sweet and savory. Not only are they delicious, they’re simple and healthy – perfect for a poolside afternoon treat or to impress your guests at a summer dinner party.

Chopped Pistachios & Fig Jam

This heavenly combination of savory and sweet is simple sophistication at its finest. The sweet fig jam paired with the salty pistachios marries perfectly over a scoop of creamy vanilla ice cream. This combo is the ultimate dessert to cap off any dinner party.

Ingredients

2 lbs fresh figs, washed, stems removed and cut into quarters
1 1/2 cups honey (I used local raw honey, in it’s liquid state)*
1/4 cup water

1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
2 teaspoons lemon zest

Instructions

Place the figs in a large saucepan, add the honey and water. Let sit (unheated) for about 20 minutes.

Over a medium-high heat bring the mixture to a boil, boil for about 2 minutes, then bring it down to a simmer. Cook for about 45 minutes to an hour at a low simmer. Stir quite often, you don’t want the honey to burn.
The figs will start to break down as that time goes on and you can continue to mash them up a bit with a potato masher if you’d like. I leave a few of the big chunks, but not a ton.
Add the lemon juice and the lemon zest. Stir and cook for another 3 to 5 minutes. Turn off the heat and allow the jam to cool a bit. Then ladle it into your clean jars. Place the lids on and allow the jam to cool before placing it in the fridge.

Tahini & Maple

Move over peanut butter, there’s a new nut butter in town: tahini! Try out this new and exciting take on sweet and salty with tahini, which is simply ground sesame seeds and maple’s natural sweetness. This combination is a perfect topper over any ice cream flavor, vanilla, chocolate, coffee – you name it! Making homemade tahini is painfully simple; impress your guests with this fresh, flavourful and creamy tahini recipe!

Ingredient

3 cups of sesame seeds (1 lb.)

Instructions

First, you may want to toast your seeds to bring out the most flavor. You want your seeds to become fragrant and slightly darker during the process. Toast them in the oven or over a skillet until they’re golden brown!

Allow the seeds to cool a bit, place them in your food processor or blender, and process on high until creamy, scraping down the sides as needed. Will take approximately 5-10 minutes to blend depending on your equipment.
Store the tahini in an air-tight container in the fridge.

Balsamic-Soaked Strawberries

Transport yourself to Rome instantly with this long-beloved Italian classic! The balsamic vinegar brings out the sweetness in the strawberries without any refined sugars or additives! Simply toss some sliced strawberries with a little balsamic and pile the gorgeous mixture high on strawberry or vanilla ice cream. Yum!

Molasses & Chili Powder

Molasses doesn’t get enough love. This often forgotten sweetener is the health-aware sugar lover’s dream! Simply drizzle the deep, dark molasses over sweet ice cream and follow it up with a dusting of spicy chili powder. This combination will leave your taste buds excited, happy and satisfied!

Olive Oil & Sliced Peaches

Capitalize on the summer peach season by bringing it to a new level with this fruity, nutty, healthy oil. This is the perfect opportunity to use that small bottle of high-quality extra-virgin olive oil you’ve been meaning to finish! Simply chop up some peaches and drizzle it with olive oil, over a scoop of sweet vanilla ice cream.