Ice Cream Playdough

Happy summer, friends! It’s the first official day of the season, and you know what that means? ICE CREAM! ALLLLL the ice cream. To be perfectly honest, I can eat- and love- ice cream any time of year, even in the dead of winter, but, really, what is summer without it?

My kids love ice cream just as much as I do, so I decided to add “ice cream” to the list of foods available in our little playroom market. We already had some scoops, sundae cups, and this topping set, so I made two tubs of this ice cream dough (vanilla & chocolate) and added some ceramic “cones”- actually little sundae cups from the Target dollar area (since my kids are a little older, I’m ok with letting them use these ceramic cups for play, but they are breakable, so you could also use paper cones or even real ice cream cones).

Here’s what I love about this playdough: it looks, smells, and ACTS like real ice cream, and it’s taste-safe. Since it’s made out of canned frosting and powdered sugar, it’s perfectly safe if someone acidentally (or accidentally-on purpose) gets a taste of it. The flavoring in the frosting makes it smell just like ice cream. And it scoops perfectly.

To make this “ice cream” you’ll need one 16-oz can of store-bought frosting and about 3-1/2 cups of powdered sugar per flavor. Empty your can of frosting into a bowl and start adding your powdered sugar, mixing as you go. When it gets too hard to mix with a spoon or spatula, knead it with your hands until it no longer sticks to you and reaches the right consistency. You’ll know it’s right because you’ll be able to scoop it just like ice cream. If you accidentally add too much powdered sugar, you can add some cocnut oil or vegetable shortening in small amounts until you’ve softened the dough enough.

Store your playdough in the fridge when not in use (you’ll need to let it soften a little before playing). Remember that this dough IS perishable, so always check for signs of mold before using!