Sweets Treats to Try This Summer!

Another quarantine is among us and that means little to no opportunities of going out. While that sounds like a great idea to avoid the summer heat, it leaves a bitter taste in the mouth for you’re stuck at home…again!

That doesn’t mean it has to be a negative experience for you and your family. Being at home can give you chances to experiment with things you never tried, like making your own desserts! Here are some great summer sweet treats for 2021!

Ice cream with a special twist

Ice cream is easy to find and easy to eat. No wonder it’s considered a classic after-meal sweet! Whether 1, 2, or even 3 scoops, you can put a local twist on this classic dessert by topping it with CDO Nata De Coco and CDO Kaong. Their festive red, green, or white colors and sweet, fruity taste turns your simple dessert into a feast for your eyes and mouth!

Ice cream sandwich with pandesal

Before ice cream came in cones here in the Philippines, Filipinos preferred a unique way of serving and eating this sweet: in between a roll of bread! That’s right, they use pandesal (bread of salt) to carry ice cream scoops! All you need to do is heat up one pandesal, cut it in half, then place the scoop(s) of ice cream in the middle. Now you have an ice cream sandwich! You can also add syrup or nuts if you like!

Banana cue and brown sugar

Banana cue and brown sugar go together like peanut butter and jelly! Just slice a couple of latundan or lakatan bananas and deep-fry them in vegetable oil until they turn golden brown. Be sure to pat dry them with tissue paper after! Then, sprinkle brown sugar on a plate and dip the banana cues. The brown sugar sticks, adding a rich, crunchy texture and flavor to the fried fruit.

Turon

Similar to banana cue and brown sugar, but with a bit more effort, all you need to do is wrap slices of latundan or lakatan bananas in lumpia wrapper and deep-fry them in vegetable oil until they turn golden brown. Do the same process of pat drying them with tissue paper to suck out the extra oil. The lumpia wrapper becomes crunchy after being fried, again adding a different texture when paired with the soft banana. You can also dip in brown sugar to add more sweetness!

Halo-halo

This treat is the most recognizable dessert in the Philippines, named because it mixes (halo is the Tagalog word for mix) many desserts together. Some of the treats mentioned in this article are used, including ice cream (preferably ube, made from purple sweet potatoes), sweetened bananas, langka, and a selection of sweet preserves including CDO Nata De Coco (coconut gel), CDO Kaong (sugar palm fruit), red mung and white beans, just to name a few! The combination of these ingredients creates a unique treat that definitely beats the summer heat. You can even top it off with a few turon pieces. Now that’s creative!

Get creative and have some fun and with any summer sweet recipe Just add CDO Nata De Coco or CDO Kaong to create a sweet and fruity flavor that will fit your sweet tooth needs.