We all scream for ice cream! July is National Ice Cream month (declared in 1984 by President Ronald Reagan), and the third Sunday of July (July 19, 2020) will be National Ice Cream Day. We sure hope you plan on celebrating! To be clear, there won't be any parades or special events going on in The Woodlands for this "holiday", but you can totally indulge on your own. Here are our 7 picks:
1. Your humble abode. Make ice cream in a bag at home. For 1 serving, you'll need the following ingredients: 1 cup half-and-half, 2 tbsp sugar, 1/2 tsp vanilla extract, 3 cups ice, 1/3 cup kosher salt or ice cream salt. Here's what to do:
(a) In a small resealable bag, combine half-and-half, sugar, and vanilla extract. Push out excess air and seal.
(b) In a large resealable bag, combine ice and salt.
(c) Place small bag inside the large bag and shake vigorously, 7 to 10 minutes, until ice cream has hardened. Your kiddos might want to wear oven mitts to protect their hands from the coldness!
(d) Remove ice cream from bag and enjoy with your favorite toppings.
2. Marble Slab Creamery - Marble Slab makes ice cream fresh, in-store, in small batches. When you order, they will hand-mix your favorite Mix-Ins, and serve it to you in your preferred container - a cup, regular cone, or specialty waffle cone. Marble Slab has 3 Woodlands locations to serve you: 6700 Woodlands Parkway (Sterling Ridge Village Center), 4747 Research Forest Dr (Cochran's Crossing Village Center), and 1201 Lake Woodlands (The Woodlands Mall). Through the month of July, when you buy two pre-packed quarts of ice cream, you'll get one free!
3. Buca di Beppo - Tackling a Colossal Brownie Sundae from Buca di Beppo is the ULTIMATE way to celebrating National Ice Cream month! This decadent, shareable dessert includes 12 chunks of freshly baked brownies layered with 6 scoops of vanilla and chocolate ice cream, topped with caramel and chocolate sauces, buried in mounds and whipped cream, and topped with a cherry! Your whole family can share this dessert which will cost you about $15. Buca di Beppo is located in the Shenandoah Portofino.
4. TCBY - Goodness, we love TCBY! The Woodlands-area location in Panther Creek serves premium, low-fat frozen yogurt (tastes like ice cream), cakes, and pies. On Waffle Cone Wednesdays, waffle cones are half off. If you've never had a soft serve frozen yogurt parfait at TCBY, you've totally been missing out!
5. Jordan's Sweet Shoppe - When you visit Jordan's, you'll find way more than ice cream! They serve sno cones too, plus a myriad of wonderful candies and chocolates! Jordan's is located in the Creekside Park Village Center, so when you visit, have the little ones in swimsuits so they can splash at the sprayground!
6. Baskin Robbins - Located in the Alden Bridge Village Center, Baskin Robbins is known for its hand-dipped ice cream and ice cream cakes. When you download the Baskin Robbins app, you can get a free, regular-sized scoop of ice cream when you make your first in-store purchase. On July 19 (National Ice Cream Day), you can score a free regular scoop of ice cream by using the code "BASKINSCOOP" when you place a $15+ order through DoorDash.
7. Dairy Queen - For a quick, classic, drive-thru treat, Dairy Queen is one of the best! Their two locations in the Woodlands serve Blizzards, dipped cones, sundaes, banana splits, and other novelties. Throw in a cheeseburger for good measure!
