Labor Day Desserts to Beat the Heat

Cool down this Labor Day Weekend with a spiked slushy or ice cream made with high-quality ingredients. Artisanal creations venture beyond the conventional for unexpected flavor combinations and refreshing takes on staple summer delights. From floats to affogatos, ice cream sandwiches to tiki cocktails, these Labor Day desserts and frozen treats will help you send summer out in style.

Ice Cream and Gelato Recipes

Satsuma Dreamsicle Ice Cream | By Ashley Roussel, Lafayette, Louisiana

Lafayette chef Ashley Roussel utilizes Louisiana satsuma to incorporate some zing into an orange dreamsicle ice cream recipe.

Red Velvet Cake Gelato & Chocolate Chip Gelato | From Jaques Larson, Beardcat’s Sweet Shop, Sullivan’s Island, South Carolina

Little sister to Sullivan’s Island favorite Obstinate Daughter, Beardcat’s shares the same dedication to local ingredients channeled into innovative flavors at the gelateria.

Straciatella Gelato | By Paolo Dalla Zorza

Kentucky Colonel Mint Gelato Cookie Sandwiches | From Proof on Main in Louisville, Kentucky

Bourbon-smoked sugar cookies forge the base of this julep-inspired take on the classic drink, but in frozen form. Both the cookies and gelato hold their own individually, but together they pair for a worthy Labor Day dessert.

Chocolate Whoopie Pies with Mint Ice Cream | From TLP’s Test Kitchen

What feels more like summertime than an ice cream sandwich? We take the classic up a notch with a refreshing mint ice cream center.

Peach Iced Tea Sorbet | By Sheri Castle

Sipping a refreshing glass of iced tea goes hand-in-hand with summertime. But kick it up a notch for a spoonable Labor Day dessert this weekend.

LABOR DAY RECIPES: FROZEN DRINKS

If you’d prefer to drink your dessert (we’re right there with you), these frosty beverages keep the heat at bay during outdoor hangouts.

Frozen Mezcal Mangonada

From Las Almas Rotas, Dallas

The origins of the margarita belong, of course, to Mexico, but we have Texas to thank for the drink’s frosty, slushy iteration.

Frozen Old Fashioned | From Nelson’s Green Brier Distillery, Nashville

At Nelson’s Green Brier Distillery, brothers Charlie and Andy Nelson celebrate from Memorial Day to Labor Day with a frozen old fashioned made with their own Belle Meade Bourbon.

Jagermeister Root Beer Float | From Montage Palmetto Bluff, Bluffton, South Carolina

Slushy, Boozy, Sparkling Citrus Tea | By Sheri Castle