Zero-Waste Sundae Upgrades

This is a sponsored post by Hudsonville, but the text and opinions are all mine. Thank you for supporting brands that make Kylee's Kitchen possible! 

If you enter my kitchen on any given week, there’s a small collection of “almosts.” A couple of strawberries past their peak; a banana that’s a little too spotty; the last handful of cereal; and broken pretzel bits at the bottom of the bag. 

Many people probably think of these things as scraps, easy to overlook and toss. But the more I’ve become mindful about food waste, the more I see them differently—not as leftovers, but as ingredients with potential.

My husband is very creative with turning anything and everything into an ice cream topping for a little late night, sweet treat. So as we approach Earth Day, I had this idea for “zero-waste sundae upgrades” in which I turn food scraps into ice cream toppings. These are meant to be flexible recipes designed to work with what is already in your kitchen.

For the base, I’m using Hudsonville’s new Dirt Cake ice cream. It is a delicious collab from two family-owned Midwest-based brands, Hudsonville Ice Cream and Albanese Confectionary. It is vanilla and chocolate pudding flavored ice cream with cream-filled chocolate cookies (the dirt!). And Albanese developed gummy worms that stay chewy even when frozen. It felt very appropriate for Earth Day and the perfect starting point for our zero-waste sundaes!

Salted Banana Caramel

Bananas that are covered in black spots aren't just good for bread. They are the perfect starting point for a rich and quick caramel sauce.

Ingredients

• 2 very ripe bananas
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt 

Directions

1. Blend bananas and heavy cream until smooth.
2. Add sugar to medium stainless steel saucepan.
3. Cook sugar over medium heat, stirring constantly with spatula. Sugar will clump before it eventually melts into an amber-colored liquid.
4. Once there are no clumps, slowly pour in banana cream mixture, whisking constantly.
5. Continue to whisk until the caramel thickens and becomes a rich, brown color.
6. Turn off heat and add vanilla extract and salt.
7. Pour into heat-resistant container and cool before using.

Pantry Clean-Out Crumble

I think this is my favorite topping because it’s never the same twice. This recipe is the best way to use up random bits of food in your pantry. Granola, chips, cereal, crackers, pretzels—you name it! 

When mixed with melted butter and toasted, it turns into a salty-sweet topping that adds so much texture to sundaes.

Ingredients

• 2 cups cookies, cereal, pretzels, crackers or granola
• 2 Tablespoons salted butter, melted
• Optional: 1 Tablespoon granulated or brown sugar 

Directions

1. Crush snack mixture until pieces are slightly bigger than crumbs and mostly uniform in size
2. Stir in melted butter and optional sugar
3. Toast in skillet on medium-low heat for about 5 minutes or until mixture is golden
4. Cool until crisp

Strawberry Top Syrup

I have washed and prepped strawberries for snacks many times at my daughter’s preschool. I’m sure if you've been around toddlers, it comes as no surprise when I say the students don’t like to eat around the stems and leaves and ask for them to be cut off. That’s a lot of strawberry tops—and a lot of flavor—going to waste!

So instead of throwing away the tops, you can simmer them with water and sugar to create a delicate, lightly floral syrup.

Ingredients

• 2 cups strawberry tops (washed well)
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1 cup water

Directions

1. Simmer everything for about 15 minutes, occasionally mashing strawberry tops to release the juices. 
2. Strain liquid from strawberry tops and return liquid to pot.
3. Simmer liquid until it thickens slightly, about 20 minutes.
4. Pour into heat-resistant container and cool before using.

Zero-Waste Sundae Assembly

Ingredients

• 2 to 3 scoops Hudsonville Dirt Cake ice cream
• Salted Banana Caramel
• Pantry Clean-Out Crumble
• Strawberry Top Syrup

Directions

1. Add a few scoops of Hudsonville Dirt Cake ice cream to a sundae bowl.
2. Drizzle a few spoonfuls of Salted Banana Caramel over ice cream.
3. Add one or two spoonfuls of Pantry Clean-Out Crumble on top.
4. Finish it off with a splash of Strawberry Top Syrup.

Scoop up Dirt Cake ice cream from Hudsonville Ice Cream at a grocery store near you! You can use their scoop locator tool to find it!