Pre-Scoop And Freeze Ice Cream For Easy Party Prep

If you're hosting an elegant cocktail hour at home, your time may be better spent mingling with your guests than hovering over ice cream pints and scooping up servings to serve. Plan for your party hostessing duties in advance by rolling up pretty scoops of ice cream to freeze before the first attendee arrives. Then, when it is time to serve dessert, you'll simply need to shift your pre-scooped ice cream balls into dishes to offer to your eager guests. 

Line up ice cream scoops on a parchment paper-covered baking sheet and store them in your freezer until it is time to offer something sweet. Whether you decide to top homemade fudgy brownies with scoops of vanilla ice cream or simply plate fruit sorbet into pretty glass dishes, your wrists will be saved and you won't have to worry about servings melting before they reach the hands of your guests. Topped with a prepared garnish like whipped cream, crushed roasted nuts, or delicate mint leaves, photos of your beautiful presentations may even find their way onto your friends' social media feeds.

Ideally, your pre-scooped balls of ice cream and sorbet will have several hours to chill in the freezer before finding their way into your dinner party. If your freezer space is limited, you can use empty ice cream buckets, muffin tins, or take-out containers to stack the rolled ice cream balls inside. It can be helpful to spray muffin tins with a cooking spray for easy removal. 

Organize scoops of ice cream and sorbet according to colors and flavors to help you quickly assemble colorful presentations to offer to your guests. You can separate scoops with layers of parchment paper if you're using one container to store the pre-scooped ice cream. If you have silicon molds, you can use these to create unique shapes of ice cream to freeze and serve at tomorrow's party. The time you save scooping the ice cream in advance can be better spent refilling glasses or making sure your friends feel welcome at your gathering.