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Caramelized Fig and Hazelnut Ice Cream Topping Recipe

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This roasted figs dessert with delicious ice cream topping recipe is made with roasted figs, toasted hazelnuts, warm spices, and Breyers Natural Vanilla Ice Cream. It is warm and creamy and perfect for casual evenings with friends.

Child eating a bowl of ice cream and roasted figs.
Let’s make a delicious roasted fig dessert.

This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Breyers for IZEA. All opinions are 100% mine.

This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Breyers. All opinions, extra calories consumed and quality time with my kids are mine all mine. 

Why You’ll Love This Easy, Roasted Figs Dessert

I’m just going to say it. This roasted figs dessert was so simple that we will for sure be making this again! You will love how the figs and ice cream complement one another, and the added crunch of toasted hazelnuts is *chef’s kiss*. It’s the perfect ice cream topping idea.

Related Post: Fruit Desserts for Summer

If you have spent any time around me or my blog then you know that I’m all about simple and easy. And it doesn’t get easier than this dessert with figs. It only takes a few easy ingredients to make, and literally one pan. You know I love one-pan recipes.

Ingredients

Ingredients to make a roasted fig dessert including vanilla ice cream, hazelnuts and roasted figs on a white counter top.
Here’s what you’ll need to make this roasted figs dessert.

I love that the spice mix is simple – just sugar, cinnamon, ginger, and cloves. They can be found at any grocery or big box store and most of us have them in our pantry.

If you haven’t had fresh figs for dessert before, you’re missing out. They are sweet and luscious, and oh-so-good. This is the perfect dessert to try them in for the first time.

Toasted hazelnuts are delicious on their own, but they make such a wonderful ice cream topping idea. They add just the right amount of crunch and texture.

Any vanilla ice cream will do, but we love Breyers® Natural Vanilla Ice Cream. I remember my mom made homemade vanilla ice cream one time when I was little. It was amazing. And this Breyers Natural Vanilla reminded me of that.

I know that Breyers Natural Vanilla is my go-to vanilla for everything from now on. No wonder it’s America’s number 1 vanilla ice cream. 

How to Make an Easy Dessert with Figs

Step 1

Position your broiler rack 6 inches from the heat source and preheat your boiler. Then, line a large baking sheet with aluminum foil.

Step 2

Mix the sugar and spices in a small bowl.

Child dipping figs in a bowl of sugar and spices.

Step 3

Slice figs in half lengthwise. Then dip the figs, cut side down, into the sugar and spice mixture to coat. Then coat the figs a second time and arrange them cut side up on the baking sheet.

A baking sheet full of figs in front of a child waiting for dessert.

Step 4

Broil the figs for about 4 minutes, or until sugar melts and begins to caramelize and the figs soften slightly and begin to ooze their juice. Watch them carefully so they don’t burn.

Blanched and toasted hazel nuts on a baking sheet in front of a carton of ice cream and a bowl full of figs.

Step 5

Divide the figs among 4 bowls. Spoon Breyers® Natural Vanilla Ice Cream into each bowl. Top with hazelnuts.

A fig dessert in bowls, next to a carton of ice cream on top of a blue and white kitchen towel.

To serve this delicious fig dessert, simply place the roasted figs in a dish, top with Breyers Natural Vanilla ice cream, and top with chopped roasted hazelnuts.

Variations

  • Change it up – We’ll also use this simple spiced sugar blend and roasting method to try out other fruits too. Fruits with a similar flavor profile would be dates, prunes, or pears.

Tips

  • Keep a close eye on your figs while they roast. I mentioned this earlier, but it’s worth sharing twice. They will burn quickly if you aren’t careful!

Get Your Kids Involved

I love to have my kids help me in the kitchen and they’ve been really interested in exploring new fruits lately.

Figs are sweet and interesting and I knew my kids would probably love them. Plus when you have kids help make something new, they are excited to try it.

I had my oldest carefully cut the figs in half. He also helped me coat them with the spiced sugar mixture and prepare them for roasting.

My other son just watched. I think he was only really concerned with knowing the exact moment the figs would be done so he could try them and have some ice cream. Before dinner. 

Two boys putting toasted hazelnuts on top of bowls of roasted figs topped with vanilla ice cream.

My older son helped me prepare each dish and sprinkled on the final touch.

A Simple But Elegant Dessert

Two kids eating an easy dessert with fresh figs.

It looks so simple. But looks are totally deceiving.

The flavor of this recipe is out of this world! The spiced figs were sweet and luscious. I couldn’t quit sneaking some extra hazelnuts. And the vanilla ice cream. Man! Where has this been all my life?! SO good.

A glass bowl filled with roasted figs, vanilla ice cream, and toasted hazelnuts, with a spoon sitting in front of a carton of vanilla ice cream.

The verdict? We all LOVED this Spice Roasted Figs with Hazelnuts and Vanilla Ice Cream recipe. The warm figs started to melt the ice cream making it creamy and extra wonderful.

Our Experience with Breyers®Natural

I’ve never been a vanilla ice cream kind of girl.

For as long as I can remember, I preferred something with a chocolate base, a crunch of some kind, and quite possibly a swirl of something like caramel or fudge.

Plain vanilla ice cream? Forget about it. But over the last few years, I’ve learned that not all products are created equal. It really doesn’t have anything to do with price.

It has everything to do with quality ingredients and a drive to create a superior product. When I was asked to recreate this fig dessert recipe and pair it with Breyers Natural Vanilla ice cream, the ice cream had a supporting role in my eyes.

And then I tasted it. Like, whoa! I still wouldn’t call myself a vanilla ice cream fan. But I now consider myself a Breyers Natural Vanilla super fan. 

All Breyers vanilla is real and from sustainably farmed, Rainforest Alliance Certified™ vanilla beans. And they only source milk and cream from cows not treated with artificial growth hormones.* I never expected that I would crave a simple bowl of vanilla ice cream, but now I do.

To celebrate their 150th(!!) birthday, Breyers partnered with chef Curtis Stone and his wife Lindsey Price Stone to create a year’s worth of delicious recipes to help us bring the celebration into our own homes. They created 12 recipes (one a month) based on the season’s freshest ingredients and how well they would pair with this insanely flavorful vanilla ice cream.

For the month of August, Curtis and Lindsay created this easy dessert with fresh figs and hazelnuts.

This dish was easy to recreate but was unique and creative and something I will absolutely make for my next dinner party. This dish is only as good as it is because of the Breyers Natural Vanilla. Do not substitute! 

Happy Birthday, Breyers! 

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*Suppliers of other ingredients such as cookies, candies, and sauces may not be able to make this pledge. The FDA states that no significant difference has been shown between dairy derived from rBST-treated and non-rBST treated cows.

More Easy Dessert Recipes

You could probably use this movie-inspired White Russian cocktail too.

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A collage of three images showing roasted figs on a baking sheet and in glass bowls filled with ice cream and hazelnuts.

Easy Roasted Figs and Ice Cream Dessert Idea

This easy roasted figs dessert and delicious ice cream topping is the perfect dessert for easy entertaining. You will love how simply sweet and creamy it is.
5 from 1 vote
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Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 5 minutes
Assembly Time: 5 minutes
Total Time: 15 minutes
Servings: 4 desserts
Calories: 238kcal

Ingredients

  • 2 TBSP sugar
  • 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
  • 1/2 tsp. ginger
  • 1/8 tsp. cloves
  • 8 ripe figs halved lengthwise
  • 1 1/3 cups Breyers® Natural Vanilla Ice Cream
  • 1/4 cup blanched hazelnuts toasted, coarsely chopped

Instructions

  • Position broiler rack 6 inches from heat source and preheat boiler. Line a large baking sheet with aluminum foil.
  • In a small bowl, mix sugar and spices.
  • One at a time, dip figs, cut side down, in sugar mixture to coat. Then coat figs a second time with sugar mixture and arrange cut side up on the baking sheet.
  • Broil figs, watching closely, for about 4 minutes, or until sugar melts and begins to caramelize and figs soften slightly and begin to ooze their juice.
  • Divide figs among 4 bowls.
  • Spoon 1/3 cup of Breyers® Natural Vanilla Ice Cream into each bowl and sprinkle with hazelnuts.

Notes

This recipe was created by Chef Curtis Stone and his wife, Lindsay Price Stone, for Breyers.
Change it up – We’ll also use this simple spiced sugar blend and roasting method to try out other fruits too. Fruits with a similar flavor profile would be dates, prunes, or pears.
Keep a close eye on your figs while they roast. I mentioned this earlier, but it’s worth sharing twice. They will burn quickly if you aren’t careful!

Nutrition

Calories: 238kcal | Carbohydrates: 38g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 10g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 5g | Cholesterol: 19mg | Sodium: 37mg | Potassium: 377mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 32g | Vitamin A: 331IU | Vitamin C: 3mg | Calcium: 107mg | Iron: 1mg
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2 Comments

  1. Roasted figs? This is a genius idea for ice cream. I’m with ya… I typically stray from the traditional vanilla but with roasted figs in the mix… ;)

    1. SO GOOD! It’s the perfect recipe for trying to make people you are way more fancy than you really are. ;)

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