Shortly after our three children are tucked into bed, it’s not uncommon for my husband to appear with a bowl of Hudsonville Ice Cream in his hands.
I laugh every time, because I know that my better half has pilfered his treat from the hidden stash that he keeps in our basement freezer. In other words, the kids are not allowed to have it!
Not to worry, we keep a carton of Super Scoop on hand for our little ones to enjoy. But my husband’s favorite Hudsonville flavors like Mackinac Island Fudge? He likes to enjoy them by himself, while unwinding at the end of the day. When I asked why Hudsonville was his ice cream of choice, my hubby simply replied “it’s my Dad’s favorite,” and “he always told me that most of the world’s problems could be solved with ice cream”.
I fell in love with that simple yet profound perspective, and I’ve come to enjoy taking part in this evening ritual with my husband. As busy parents, it’s so challenging to find time just to ourselves. It’s been fun and even vital to carve out a space for just the two of us. We have a chance to enjoy rare, uninterrupted adult conversation! It’s a great way to connect at the end of a long day of working and parenting.
Being a born and raised Michigander with a passion for supporting local business, I’ve enjoyed learning more about the Hudsonville brand. The Hudsonville Creamery is based in West Michigan and believes in sourcing quality, local ingredients. Paying homage to its home state, Hudsonville uses locally sourced milk and cream in the crafting of each product. In fact, the company built its facility near local dairy farms so it could have access to the freshest milk for their ice cream. There truly is local goodness in every bite!
We’ve sampled many Hudsonville flavors over the years, including some really fun Limited Edition varieties. While Mackinac Island Fudge has always reigned supreme, a new flavor is offering up some competition this month: Creamery Blend Vanilla. Yes, vanilla! This intriguing new vanilla first caught my attention due to its fancy new packaging. The classic blue and white Hudsonville packaging has been revamped. Creamery Blend Vanilla was the first flavor I noticed in the grocer’s freezer with the new look. I soon came to learn that this “new” vanilla is a classic Hudsonville flavor that has recently been reintroduced. Of course, I had to try it!
This got me to thinking: why not mix it up? My husband and I decided to host an ice cream party with our friends to create some fun, adults-only treats. Each person or couple was asked to come up with a recipe, using their own favorite Hudsonville Ice Cream flavor. We’d sample each boozy concoction, and vote on a winner! I stocked up on Creamery Blend Vanilla, and prepared for the fun!
What a great evening! The creativity was amazing and the competition was stiff! It was so hard to decide, that we finally declared two winners.
Drumroll, please!
Raspberry Beret
- Two scoops of Hudsonville Creamery Blend Vanilla Ice Cream
- 1-2 ounces vanilla vodka
- 1-2 ounces raspberry liqueur
- 1 tablespoon frozen raspberries
- fresh mint spring, for garnish
Blend all ingredients in a blender until smooth, garnish with mint spring and a raspberry. Enjoy!
Sticky Whisky
- Hudsonville Creamery Blend Vanilla Ice Cream or Hudsonville Seaside Caramel Ice Cream
- Salted Caramel Whisky Butter Sauce
- 1 cup sugar
- 6 tablespoons water
- 4 tablespoons butter
- 1/4 c heavy cream
- 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
- 2 – 4 tablespoons whisky
- chocolate chips for garnish
Directions
- Place sugar and water into a saucepan over medium low heat and occasionally stir the mixture until the sugar dissolves. {note: sugar crystals may form on the side of the pan, wipe them away with a pastry brush dipped in cold water}. Once sugar is completely dissolved, increase the heat to high.
- Keep an eye on the caramel but do not over-mix! Instead, grab the handle of the pan and swirl the sugar water mixture occasionally.
- The color will start to darken after about 5 minutes
- When the mixture has reached a dark amber, stir in the butter and heavy cream
- Note:: The mixture will bubble like crazy!
- Whisk or stir to combine
- Set aside to cool
- After about 10 minutes, stir in the salt and whisky
- Drizzle over ice cream & enjoy!
- Top with chocolate chips for garnish
- Extra sauce may be saved in a glass jar in the refrigerator for up to two weeks. Reheat using a water bath for best results.
If you’re looking for a fun evening with friends, try an adults-only Hudsonville Ice Cream party of your own! We’re not going to lie, our recipes are pretty fantastic and we’d love to hear your thoughts!
Comment below with a friend you’d share this boozy treat with, and let us know when you’re most likely to indulge in ice cream for your chance to win a Hudsonville Ice Cream prize package!
The winner will be selected at random, and will receive a shipment of Hudsonville Ice Cream, plus some amazing swag!
Hubby and I love ice cream! We eat some almost every night after the baby is fed and calmed down for the night! These sound deliscious!
Ice cream is my go to treat and My brother used to live in Hudsonville, so it is a fave at my house. I like to just pour some baileys on it…:)
I would share the boozy treat for a girls night definitely. Though it would also be great for one of our at home ‘date nights’ – we have 2 littles so these happen often, ha. Ice cream is a food group in our house…so I am likely to eat it (frequently) with the whole family!
Girls night!
I’d love to share an ice cream treat with my hubby after his long day of work.
Yes, great time to enjoy!
My hubby! He is one of the only people who appreciates ice cream as much as I do. In fact, we had an ice cream sundae bar at our wedding reception instead of cake.
I understand that! 🙂
I would share this with my husband John. Both recipes look delicious!
Both recipes are amazing! If you have a chance to try one out, we highly recommend them 🙂
I’d share with my Hubby or just eat it all by myself, though since I’m pregnant, I guess I am technically sharing with my baby too! 😉 When is there not a good time to eat ice cream?!? So yummy!
Love it!
I’d share with dh after the little one goes to sleep, because surviving another day of parenting should be rewarded with a sweet treat.
2 Scoops of vanilla, shot of Bailey’s, shot of Amaretto.l poured over top. Biscotti for dunking. Favorite summertime evening relaxer with my love. My favorite is limonchello over vanilla. Yours is up to be made this weekend. They look insanely yummy thank you for sharing your recipes.