Welcome to the ultimate guide to deliciously beating the summer heat! As temperatures rise, there's nothing quite like having a cold treat to keep you cool and refreshed. Whether you're a fan of some frozen classics or eager to discover something new, this blog is for you! Join me as I count down my favorite summer treats that are sure to make your taste buds happy and your summer days extra sweet. Get ready to take your summer snacking to a whole new level!

The 8 Best Summer Snacks to keep you cool

1. Sour Patch Frozen Grapes: 

Frozen grapes are incredible as they are, since they are naturally sweet and very refreshing on a hot day, but this is the perfect way you can spice them up this summer.

• For best results, use seedless red or green grapes

• Wash and dry them

• Dip each grape in lime or lemon juice (or both), then roll it in your choice of flavored jello powder - I prefer putting the jello powder in a plastic bag and then shaking all of the grapes in there at once

• Finally, freeze the coated grapes. For a colorful assortment, use various flavors of jello mix!

2. Chocolate peanut butter banana bites: 

All you need are three simple ingredients - chocolate, peanut butter, and bananas. They are incredibly easy to prepare and a favorite among everyone who tries them!

• Slice a ripe banana into rounds

• Spread a dollop of peanut butter between two banana slices to form a sandwich (microwaving the peanut butter makes it easy to spread).

• Place them on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, and freeze until solid.

• Once frozen, microwave your favorite kind of chocolate, dip each one until completely covered, and place back in the freezer.

• Once chocolate has hardened, all that’s left to do is enjoy!

3. Watermelon Sorbet 

This may be one of the easiest, but also one of the best tasting! The best part? You only need three ingredients and a food processor or blender!

• Start by cutting up a watermelon, and placing it in a container in the freezer. Let it get nice and frozen!
• Once it’s frozen, add it to a blender with a squeeze of lemon juice and a pinch of salt
• Blend it all up, and enjoy! Simple as that. I love doing this after a day at the pool or beach to cool off and hydrate, and a big watermelon can make a pretty big batch perfect for sharing :) 

4. Yogurt Parfait (with a twist)

Okay, I know what you’re thinking… obviously this is a lot of people’s go-to during the summer. But I have a way to take it to the next level!

• Start by throwing a peach into the freezer for a few hours
• Once it’s frozen, grab some vanilla yogurt and use a cheese grater to grate the frozen peach on top of the yogurt
• Add a squeeze of orange juice, some pistachios, and a drizzle of honey or agave.
• This combo is SO good and extremely refreshing!
• P.S. This recipe is very versatile, and works with pretty much any fruit, yogurt flavor, and toppings! If you try a different combo, let us know!

5. Fruit with Tajin

I am aware this isn’t exactly a recipe, but it was brought to my attention recently that tajin is extremely tasty on fruit! I may be late to the game with this one, but it’s a great way to spice up your favorite fruits if you’re getting tired of them.

• Cut up any fruit of choice (mango is my favorite for this)
• Add Tajin, and eat! It’s that easy!
• Honorable mentions for watermelon and pineapple as well. It is also really good when the fruit is frozen!

6. Homemade Tru-Fru

If you’re anything like me, tru-fru is one of your favorite frozen snacks. This DIY copycat of the delicious (but expensive) tru-fru chocolate covered raspberries only requires 3 ingredients and makes a lot more than you would get in the bag you find at the store!

• Wash and dry your raspberries, then place them in the freezer. freezing your raspberries will make them a lot easier to handle.
• Once frozen, melt some white chocolate and completely coat the raspberries. Then, return them to the freezer.
• When the white chocolate has set, melt dark chocolate and repeat the process of coating your raspberries. Return to the freezer one more time!
• Once the chocolate has hardened, they are ready to serve and enjoy!
• I have personally never tried this with other fruits but I am confident it would taste good with strawberries or bananas!

7. Frozen Lemonade

Another copycat recipe, but this one comes in hand especially on Sundays when Chick-fil-a is closed. Frozen lemonade is one of my favorite ways to treat myself during the summer, and it’s another recipe that requires just a few ingredients and a blender! All you’ll need for this one is Lemon juice, sugar, ICE-COLD water, ice cream, and sliced lemons for garnish. 

• Start by pouring 1 cup of lemon juice and ½ cup of sugar into a blender. Blend until the sugar completely dissolves.
• Next, pour in 1 & ½ cups of ICE-COLD water to dilute and chill the mixture.
• Add in 6 cups of ice cream and blend until the mixture is smooth and well combined. This makes enough to fill about three glasses!
• To finish, garnish each glass with lemon slices and enjoy right away using a straw or spoon.
• Chances are this won’t turn out to be very yellow… if that is important to you a couple drops of yellow food coloring will do!

8. Chocolate chip ice cream sandwiches 

When I am feeling really motivated, I make the chocolate chip cookies from scratch, but more often than not I just bake some Pillsbury chocolate chip cookie dough. In any case, this recipe is pretty self explanatory. You will need cookies, ice cream, and chocolate chips/sprinkles.

• Start by baking your cookies according to the instructions on the back of the package. If I DO make the cookies from scratch, I always use Joanna Gaines chocolate chip cookie recipe.
• After baking the cookies and letting them cool, take the ice cream out of the freezer and allow it to soften at room temperature for 3-5 minutes until it's easy to scoop, but still frozen.
• Divide the cookies into pairs, turning one cookie in each pair so the bottom faces upward.
• Take a ¼ cup measuring cup or ice cream scoop to portion about ¼ cup of ice cream onto the upside-down cookie. Next, place the second cookie on top and gently press them together to evenly distribute the ice cream in the center.
• Optional but very tasty: press mini chocolate chips or sprinkles into the ice cream along the edges of the sandwich
• Repeat until all of the cookies have been used and freeze them on the baking sheet until hardened! Leftovers can be stored in a tupperware container in the freezer until the craving hits again (which won’t take long)!
• This goes without saying, but this combo goes a long way. I have not met a cookie/ice cream combo I have not liked! 

And that concludes my favorite summer snacks to stay cool! These all make for fantastic summer snacks because they're easy to make, bursting with flavor, and offer a cooling sensation, perfect for hot days. Additionally, they're all customizable with different ingredients, making them appealing to both kids and adults. Ideal for picnics, parties, or just chilling at home, these are sure to be a hit during the summer months! 

Of course I couldn’t write this blog without getting the input of the rest of the office... so enjoy a Killarney Metals exclusive of every single one of the employee’s summer favorites!

Georgia Scott: Reeses milkshake 

Abigail: “I really like feta, cucumber, tomato in the summer… or mango sorbet”

Walter: Butter Pecan Ice cream in a waffle cone or caramel frappuccino from Starbucks 

Shiv: Oreo/chocolate chip cookies

Nelson: "Sliced tomatoes, a generous amount of salt and pepper, and Dukes mayo between 2 pieces of white bread" 

Scott: “Watermelon dipped in the Atlantic off the coast of a tropical island” 

Cathy: Watermelon with feta cheese

Victoria: Strawberry smoothies 

Cory: “All the fruit”

Melanie: Tomatoes and cucumbers (or any fresh veggies) + frozen grapes 

Toni: “Fresh cucumber halves with a hint of salt are a lifelong fav summer snack. But so is watermelon!”

Christine: Fruit pizza and mint chocolate chip frozen greek yogurt bars 

Liz: Beef jerky and Blueberries 

Jake: An ice cold Celcius 

David: A veggie tray with a good ranch dip!

Gabe: Watermelon 

Martavius: Banana Split  

James: Fruit strips 

Alexander: Krispy Kreme donut