pumpkin spice vanilla ice cream with blue bunny + a giveaway

I’ve been in a bit of denial that summer is just days away from being over. Fall is just around the corner, but it’s still in the 80’s here in Minnesota. And that to me still screams summer. Don’t get me wrong, I love fall. It’s probably my favorite season. So I am taking the approach of savoring the last gorgeous days of summer while anticipating fall.

I’ve partnered with Blue Bunny to help spread the word of their Final Cone-Down contest, which is all about savoring summer to the very last cone. Now this is something my three year old can get really excited about. When she woke up from her nap  on Sunday (yes, my 3.5 year old still naps! Such a beautiful thing) she came downstairs to see an ice cream table set up and the promise of an ice cream cone with gold sprinkles.

For those of you that follow me on Instagram, you know that my daughter Juliet is an ice cream fanatic. I supposed most 3 year olds are. If it were up to her she would eat ice cream for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. And while I do sometimes let her over-indulge I don’t quite let her enjoy her favorite treat that much.

This partnership was a perfect match and made my daughter a very happy little girl.

Because every little girls wants sprinkles on top of their ice cream cone. Besides sprinkles, Juliet is a purist when it comes to ice cream. She loves vanilla and strawberry best. 

I invited my family over on Sunday afternoon to savor these last summer days and enjoy an ice cream buffet.

It included:

Gingersnap pumpkin spice ice cream sandwiches. What? Yes. You heard that correctly. Recipe below.

Pumpkin spice shakes

Pumpkin spice affogato

Mini apple pies with a scoop of pumpkin spice ice cream

Pumpkin coffee cake with streusel topping and a maple vanilla glaze  

Vanilla ice cream cones with gold sprinkles

It was all quite indulgent and delicious. Pumpkin spice ice cream!!! So easy to make using a really good vanilla ice cream.

One thing I learned the hard way, photographing ice cream is not easy! It melts. Like really fast.

My approach to most dessert tables is a mix of store-bought and homemade elements. Because I’m a working mom of two and I’m busy. I don’t have time to make everything homemade. Incorporating both is a good balance I think.

The star of the dessert table, and the base of most of the desserts was the pumpkin spice ice cream. The recipe is below and is super easy and super delicious. You know you all have cans of pumpkin in your pantry, here is another way to put it to good use that doesn’t include baking.

A pumpkin spice shake. Easy peasy. All you need is vanilla ice cream, pumpkin spice (if you don’t have it you can use cinnamon) and canned pumpkin puree. Recipe at bottom of the post. 

For you coffee lovers. A scoop of pumpkin spice ice cream with hot, steaming coffee poured on top. 

Super easy gingersnap pumpkin ice cream sandwiches. Made with store-bought cookies. 

She was so patient as I made her wait to eat her cone while I took photos! 

Until September 22nd you can participate in the Blue Bunny Final Cone-Down to win prizes like personal electronics and other gear. Entering to win is super easy. Just take a photo enjoying the last days of summer and share it on Instagram or Twitter with the hashtags #FinalConeDown and #BlueBunnyWinBig. Full details are available on the contest page.  

And the fun doesn’t stop here. I’m giving away 5 vouchers for Blue Bunny ice cream. Because everyone needs 5 quarts of ice cream in their freezer, am I right?

To enter simply leave a comment below with how you’re savoring these last days of summer. Be sure to leave your email address. Eligible to US residents only. Contest will end at midnight on 9/22/15.

Disclosure: this post was sponsored by Blue Bunny. As always, all opinions are my own.