This past weekend, Mr. B had an after-dinner craving for ice cream. Strange? Yes, since it was 28 degrees outside and we were bundled up in thick socks and sweaters, but I’ve learned that Mr. B’s ice cream urges know no season. The challenge of this craving was that to drive to the nearest store and back home would take almost an hour, and neither one of us felt like venturing out into the dark cold night. I didn’t have any traditional ingredients on hand and besides making a custard base would mean we wouldn’t have ice cream for 4-6 hours. Way too long.

I opened the fridge anyways, hoping that some idea for dessert would jump out at me, and delightfully it did! We had an unopened bottle of Peach Kefir which I picked up on a road trip that took my by a Wholefoods, and we had a thawing ziploc of sliced peaches, from our summer bounty. All of a sudden, ice cream was very possible!

This summer I made an incredibly refreshing recipe for Lemon Kefir Ice Cream from Chocolate and Zucchini several times. It is the perfect easy summer dessert. My favorite thing about it, is that the kefir is already cold since it has been stored in the fridge, and you can quickly mix all the ingredients together and place them straight in the ice cream maker. Then it’s just a test of wills while you weigh waiting for the ice cream to harden up more in the freezer vs. digging in when it’s still a bit soft. If your craving is urgent, you can enjoy a semi-soft homemade ice cream in about an hour.

Mr. B’s other frequent craving (addiction?) is for Trader Joe’s Triple Ginger Cookies. So of course, he immediately suggested crumbling some into the ice cream to satisfy two cravings at once. These ginger cookies have a permanent place in our pantry even though TJ’s is hundreds of miles away. My kind mother is an enabler, and ships us a care package from TJ’s on a regular basis. Without her, we would go through cookie and coffee withdrawals…it wouldn’t be pretty!

The resulting peach kefir ice cream with ginger cookie crumbles was rustic, delicious, low fat, and very satisfying. Here’s the recipe for when the craving strikes!

1 1/3 cups Peach Kefir
1/3 cup Light Agave Syrup
2 T Honey
1 cup Sliced Peaches (peeled, fresh or previously frozen)
2 t Lemon Juice
1/4 t Vanilla Extract
Dash Cinnamon
Splash Limoncello (optional)
Pinch Salt
1/2 cup Crushed Ginger Cookies

In a medium bowl, mix everything except the peaches and the crushed cookies. Whisk together briskly until combined. Next add in sliced peaches and mix to combine. (At this point if you wanted a smoother ice cream you could blend the mixture until smooth. I left it alone, as we were in a hurry!) Pour mixture into your ice cream maker and follow instructions to operate the machine. (Mine is a small Cuisinart machine and took only about 10 minutes since the peaches were still slightly frozen. Typically it takes 20-22 minutes.) Once the mixture starts to firm up in the machine, add in the crushed ginger cookies. When mixture has firmed up completely, transfer to a freezer safe container and freeze until hardened. 30 minutes – 2 hours, depending on your patience!

Serve with ginger cookies on top.

Makes enough for 2-6 people, depending on their level of restraint.