11 Innovative Ways to Enjoy Ice Cream Without a Cone

As the summer heat creeps up, the jingle of ice cream trucks can be heard throughout neighborhoods across the country. There’s a hint of nostalgia in every lick of ice cream, harking back to the sweet days of childhood.

Cones are a classic edible container to serve scoops of the delectable frozen treat. The first cone was invented in 1896 by Italian immigrant Italo Marchiony in New York City. It was later introduced at the 1904 St. Louis World’s Fair when an ice cream vendor ran out of dishes and used a crispy waffle pastry as a replacement.

While the crunchy foundation has become popular to serve with every ice cream flavor, there are plenty of cone cons. If you don’t eat your sweet treat fast enough, you can end up with a melted mass on your hands. Plus, you’re missing out on all the modern transformations and combinations of ice cream that you might never know existed. Here are 11 ways to try something new the next time you pull your favorite pint out of the freezer.

Some coffee drinkers prefer cream and sugar to liven up the bitter flavor. Considering the two ingredients are the main components of ice cream, it’s no surprise that someone eventually thought to add a scoop to their mug.

In Italy, an affogato is a dessert beverage featuring espresso poured over a scoop of vanilla gelato. Affogato, which means drowned in Italian, is a favorite after-dinner special, thanks to its creamy texture, contrasting temperatures, and balanced flavor profile. You can easily make your own at home if you have an espresso machine and some vanilla ice cream, or even order one at McDonald’s.

In Australia, the dessert is commonly referred to as iced coffee. Instead of a black roast with some ice cubes, you’ll get a couple of espresso shots served over ice cream and milk at coffee shops Down Under.

Waffles and ice cream have gone hand-in-hand since the invention of the waffle cone at the end of the 19th century. Since then, a new kind of waffle from Hong Kong has made its way through ice cream parlors and street carts around the world. Bubble waffles are egg-based waffles that look like a sleeve of bubble wrap or a fluffy honeycomb. 

Though they started out as egg puffs, a pastry made with broken eggs from grocery stores in Hong Kong in the 1950s, the unique mold was eventually created to make the treat more appealing. Instead of griddle marks, the waffle has spongy cake bubbles in the center and a crispy edge.

The bubble waffle can be shaped into a cone and stuffed with ice cream or act as a foundation for a sundae with all your favorite toppings. Shops across the U.S. and Europe have adopted the Hong Kong street food snack and created a niche by pairing it with ice cream. Order a specialty bubble waffle iron online and easily make your own at home with eggs, flour, milk, and sugar.

Dessert cocktails are the sweetest sip at the end of a nice meal. Ice cream is just a creamier and more flavorful version of ice for your favorite cocktail on the rocks. For a simple take, blend some Baileys into your next milkshake or pair a scoop of vanilla with a citrus-forward gin. Swap out non-alcoholic root beer for a spiked version and make your own root beer float. Any drink that requires heavy cream can also be replaced with ice cream, like a minty green Grasshopper with creme de menthe and white creme de cacao.

If you really want to impress your guests, take a leaf out of a legendary beverage expert’s book. Arnold Palmer is famous for his namesake concoction of iced tea and lemonade. But the late professional golfer had another treasured bar order called the Bay Hill Hummer made with vanilla ice cream, brandy, vodka, and dark creme de cacao. Golf and ice cream enthusiasts can order it at Palmer’s own golf course, Bay Hill Club and Lounge in Orlando, Florida. Warning: If you make this for a dinner party, just make sure your guests have a ride home. The sweet boozy blend can be dangerously strong.

Ice cream and cake are a match made in dessert heaven — the warm spongy texture pairs perfectly with every smooth chilled bite. But when they share the same plate, the duo can create a soupy mess if you’re not quick enough. The solution? Layer the two to build a celebratory ice cream cake for special summer events. The ice cream cake was inspired by the trifle, a dessert with layers of biscuits and homemade cream that dates back to the Renaissance.

You can try a no-bake version with five layers of customizable toppings. Or add ice cream to a traditional icebox cake, a famous recipe on the back of Nabisco wafer boxes. In the Philippines, the mango float cake is popular, featuring a combination of ladyfingers or graham crackers, cream or custard, and fresh mangoes. If you don’t have time to build your own, you can always snag the fan-favorite Dairy Queen ice cream cake. Every slice features creamy layers of vanilla and chocolate soft serve, Oreo cookie crumbles, chocolate fudge, and a whipped frosting.

Skip the spoons and sandwich some ice cream between two cookies for a handheld delight. Making a cookie sandwich at home requires a bit of care to balance the contrasting temperatures of the two components. To assemble the perfect ice cream sandwich, make sure to pair freshly baked cookies with extra cold ice cream.

Katie Sarna, co-founder of the organic popsicle company Santa Cruz Fungi, likes to level up her ice cream sandwich with marshmallow spread. “Spread or even torch a little marshmallow on the cookie, and you’ve got gooey goodness that makes every bite feel like a campfire treat,” she shares exclusively with Chowhound. 

Transform grandma’s oatmeal cookies with some coffee ice cream in between, or recreate the taste of the soft store-bought classic, using thin layers of chocolate cake batter for your cookies. And if you want to think outside of the cookie box, try a brioche con gelato, Sicily’s take on an ice cream sandwich with a puff-topped brioche in place of cookies.

Cones aren’t the only shape to mold a crisp thin waffle pastry into. In the early ’80s, the Philadelphia-based company Jack & Jill transformed the cone into a hard taco shell and created the Choco Taco as a way to evenly distribute the ice cream and toppings in every bite. The treat is filled with fudge-swirled vanilla ice cream and coated with peanuts and chocolate. In 1989, Klondike (owned by Good Humor) took over the brand, and it quickly became an ice cream truck, pool concession, and gas station freezer favorite.

Unfortunately, Good Humor discontinued the beloved childhood treat in 2022 to focus on more popular products. But that doesn’t mean you can’t make your own version at home. Pour a thin layer of batter in a waffle iron, and once the flat wafer has cooled, fold it in half to create a shell to hold the chilled contents.

The original ice cream float was born out of a Philadelphia soda fountain shop in 1874. When Robert Green ran out of cream for his sodas, he figured ice cream would do the trick, and luckily, his customers agreed. The shop quickly pivoted and began selling soda water with 16 choices of flavored syrups accompanied by a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

Root beer is the most popular soda for an ice cream float. The carbonated beverage with notes of vanilla and wintergreen blissfully complements the creamy texture. Frank J. Wisner, owner of Cripple Creek Brewing in Colorado, was inspired by the snow-capped Cow Mountain when he created it in 1893, first referred to as the Black Cow drink.

But don’t hold yourself back with just one soda, swap out root beer for an orange Sunkist soda if you want to create a creamsicle dream. Or sip on a Boston Cooler, which is actually most popular in Detroit, featuring vanilla ice cream and Vernor’s ginger ale, one of America’s oldest sodas. And if you want to try another combo, lime sherbet with Sprite can brighten any summer day.

Throwing anything into greasy bubbling oil is going to make it instantly better, and ice cream is no exception. Fried ice cream upgrades any banana split with a new layer of crunchy texture. You can usually find it at fairs along with everything from fried Oreos to Twinkies and huge blocks of cheese. But you don’t need an industrial-grade deep fryer to make it at home. 

First, make sure your favorite ice cream flavor is firmly frozen. Then, coat it in a batter made with crushed sugary cereal or panko mixed with cinnamon and sugar, before sticking it back in the freezer. You’ll need to recoat it, but this time, dip it in beaten egg whites before the crumbly batter. Freeze it again while you heat vegetable or canola oil on the stovetop. Once hot, carefully drop the ice cream into the oil and fry until golden brown. If you fear oil burns and want to avoid the mess of a deep fryer, sautee some cornflakes in butter and roll a scoop of ice cream in it for a similar effect.

If you need a dessert to pass around at the end of a large dinner party, bite-sized balls of ice cream coated in chocolate are an easy solution. Ice cream truffles can be made up to a week in advance and preserved in the freezer ahead of your big event. All you really need is some ice cream, semi-sweet chocolate chips, and a freezer. 

First, line up small scoops of ice cream on an aluminum foil-covered sheet and freeze them for 24 hours. When you’re ready to cover them in chocolate, melt your chocolate in the microwave or on the stovetop. Then spoon the gooey coating on top of your ice cream balls, making sure you cover all sides, and place them back in the freezer until you’re ready to serve. For another layer of crunch, roll the chocolate in some nuts, or place your ice cream balls on top of a vanilla wafer for a bonbon creation.

One of the quickest ways to transform your favorite frozen treat is to spread it over a layer of graham cracker or cookie crust to create an ice cream pie. Seriously, it can take as little as 10 minutes.

Try a popular mint chocolate chip ice cream pie, a kid-friendly recipe for the whole family. Crush up some Oreo cookies in a freezer bag for the crust and toppings. Layer the crumbles on a circular pie tray, and spread out three pints of your softened mint chocolate chip ice cream. Top it with whipped cream and the rest of your cookies, and freeze it until it’s firm.

You can also grab a pre-made graham cracker crust and customize your pie with any flavor of ice cream. Get creative with the toppings and sprinkle it with crushed candy bars, chocolate shavings, pretzels, or marshmallows for an elevated look. It’s as easy as pie.

In 1949, Pillsbury started the Pillsbury Bake-Off Contest, a competition among home chefs to promote its products and share family recipes. Every year since, thousands of bakers have submitted recipes made with the company’s croissant rolls, chocolate chip cookie dough, pie crust, cinnamon rolls, and more.

In 2010, Sue Compton from Delanco, New Jersey, won $1 million for her mini ice cream cookie cups, the perfect alternative to a cone. The recipe calls for a Pillsbury sugar cookie dough placed in a greased mini muffin tray to form the cups, then baked until golden brown. Once the cookie cups have cooled, dip the tops into melted chocolate and walnuts and spread a spoonful of raspberry jam on the bottom. After they’ve rested in the freezer, top them with a scoop of vanilla ice cream and raspberry before serving. You’ll quickly understand why these were a million-dollar winner.

Cookie cups can be any flavor you’d like. For a summer birthday twist, try Funfetti cookies and a fruity sherbet. For chocolate and peanut butter fans, add a scoop of chocolate to peanut butter cookie cups and crumble Reese’s on top. There are endless possibilities for your own million-dollar creation.