Save Mediocre Store-Bought Ice Cream With A Simple Fruit Purée

Store-bought ice cream offers plenty of delicious options to satisfy sweet cravings and provide convenient desserts to place onto kitchen tables with minimal effort. Unfortunately, however, not every pre-made ice cream hits the spot when it comes to both texture and taste. If your pints of regular vanilla ice cream or sorbets are simply underwhelming, the good news is you don't have to be stuck with subpar treats.

If you're looking to make the most out of the frozen pints you have stocked away in your freezer, we have an easy hack that can take that ice cream to new heights. We understand it isn't always realistic to whip up your own batch of ice cream from scratch, but making your own fruit purée to mix into the ice cream you do have can convert a store-bought dessert into something close to homemade. Whether you have fresh, seasonal berries or a jar of your favorite preserves, get ready to add a delicious fruity touch to pre-made ice cream.

While you can mash softer fruits like blueberries and blackberries to fold directly into store-bought ice cream, you can also make a purée out of the fruits you have to drizzle on top of bowls of ice cream and mix into pints. First, create a sugary syrup by mixing your preferred fruit with toasted sugar and a sprinkle of salt. Depending on the fruit you choose, a splash of lemon can bring out some of the fruit's sweetness, or consider adding extracts of vanilla or almond, rose water, or elderflower liqueur to your syrup for a more nuanced flavor. Simmer the mixture to your preferred thickness and strain the syrup to remove seeds or pieces of fruit. (If you'd like a more natural, homemade texture to your ice cream, skip this step.)

Lastly, drizzle this syrup on top of individual servings of ice cream or create layers of ice cream with the fruit purée in a larger container to easily scoop up and serve the next time sweet cravings strike. After sampling this fruit-enhanced ice cream, you'll never see a plain pint of vanilla ice cream in quite the same way again.