Ice Cream Social Guide

Article archived: September 2010

Hot temperatures mean prime ice cream weather. Celebrate this creamy frozen dessert — and the spirit of friendship — with an easy, do-it-yourself ice cream social.

Shopping for your ice cream social
Setting up your ice cream social
More ideas for entertaining with ice cream

Shopping for your ice cream social

Use this easy shopping list to purchase everything you need for your ice cream social — it's all available at your nearest Giant Eagle^®.

Ice cream flavors and varieties
Ice cream toppings
Ice cream accompaniments
Cookies for your ice cream social
Suggested drinks

Ice cream flavors and varieties

Stock up on at least three or four different flavors of ice cream to give your guests choices. The following ice cream varieties work best for an ice cream social. (Editor's note: Some beloved flavors, such as chocolate chip cookie dough, are so rich and complex that they're best enjoyed on their own rather than as a base for a sundae, a banana split or a root beer float.)

Giant Eagle Creamery Classics^® Premium ice cream varieties:

Butter pecan
Cherry vanilla
Chocolate
Chocolate chip
Chocolate fudge
French vanilla
Fudge swirl
Mint chocolate chip
Neapolitan
Strawberry
Vanilla

Giant Eagle Creamery Classics^® Churned Light ice cream varieties:

Chocolate
Mint chocolate chip
Neapolitan
Strawberry
Vanilla

Ice cream toppings

Assorted ice cream toppings, including hot fudge, chocolate fudge, butterscotch, strawberry, caramel and marshmallow crème
Assorted nuts, sprinkles and candies
Giant Eagle^® maraschino cherries
Giant Eagle^® ultra-pasteurized whipped cream or Giant Eagle^® whipped topping, assorted varieties

Ice cream accompaniments

Giant Eagle^® ice cream cups, assorted varieties and sizes
Giant Eagle^® sugar cones
Giant Eagle^® root beer for floats
Sliced fresh fruit, especially bananas and strawberries for sundaes and splits

Cookies for your ice cream social

Giant Eagle^® sugar wafers, assorted flavors — Sugar wafers make perfect toppings for sundaes and splits.
Giant Eagle^® vanilla wafers — These buttery vanilla cookies taste great in banana splits or as bases for mini ice-cream sandwiches.
Valu Time sandwich cream cookies, assorted flavors — Crumble a few of these rich cookies in a dish of chocolate or vanilla ice cream and savor the crunch!
Giant Eagle^® Bakery cookies, assorted varieties — These cookies taste great crumbled on top of ice cream or as a side.

Suggested drinks

Since ice cream tastes very sweet, you'll want to choose beverages that complement this dessert without overwhelming guests' taste buds. The following beverages work wonderfully with ice cream dishes:

Giant Eagle^® ginger ale
Giant Eagle^® root beer
Iced tea
Iced coffee or iced espresso
Fruit-flavored seltzers

Offer several pitchers of chilled water for guests who like to keep drinks simple.

Setting up your ice cream social

The ideal way to host an ice cream social is to serve the desserts buffet-style. To accommodate guests' preferences, you'll need multiple bowls, plates and spoons to hold and serve varieties of ice cream, toppings and accompaniments. Make sure to stock up on plenty of disposable bowls and spoons for guests.

To arrange your ice cream buffet, group items by type and in the order guests will serve themselves. Visually organizing the buffet helps guests quickly locate what they want.

Follow this step-by step list to set up the perfect ice cream social:

Gather all bowls, cutlery and napkins — as well as tall soda glasses and straws for root beer floats — and place those first in line along the buffet table.
Group all of the ice cream containers in one area, and place them next in line.
Group bowls of toppings — including whipped cream, nuts, sprinkles and cherries — in another area next to the ice cream.
Arrange your ice cream accompaniments and sidekicks — including cones, sugar wafers and cookies — on platters, and place them second-to-last in line.
Group drinks and cups together and place them at the very end of the buffet.
Stack clean-up items, including wet wipes and paper towels, in a different area away from the buffet. Ice cream gets sticky, and a cleaning station will allow guests to clean up without interrupting the flow of traffic through the buffet.
If one of your guests has a specific food sensitivity, such as an allergy to peanuts or chocolate, include allergen-free ice cream and accompaniments for him or her.