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.

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.
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 in to 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. 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.
For the month of August, Curtis and Lindsay created a simple dessert using fresh figs and hazelnuts. If you have spent any time around me or my blog then you know that I'm all about simple and easy. 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!
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 in knowing the exact moment the figs would be done so he could try them and have some ice cream. Before dinner.
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.
My older son helped me prepare each dish and sprinkled on the final touch.
It looks so simple. But looks are totally deceiving. The flavor on 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. 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. No wonder it's America's number 1 vanilla ice cream.
The verdict? We all LOVED this recipe. The warm figs started to melt the ice cream making it creamy and extra wonderful. It was so simple that we will for sure be making this again. And we'll also use this simple spiced sugar blend and roasting method to try out other fruits too. I also know that Breyers Natural Vanilla is my go-to vanilla for everything from now on. Happy Birthday Breyers!
Spice Roasted Figs with Hazelnuts and Vanilla Ice Cream
Ingredients
2 tablespoon sugar
½ tsp. cinnamon
½ tsp. ginger
⅛ tsp. cloves
8 ripe figs, halved lengthwise
1 ⅓ cups Breyers® Natural Vanilla Ice Cream
¼ 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 ⅓ cup of Breyers® Natural Vanilla Ice Cream into each bowl and sprinkle with hazelnuts.
This recipe was created by Chef Curtis Stone and his wife, Lindsay Price Stone, for 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.
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Melissa says
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... ;)
Sharon Garofalow says
SO GOOD! It's the perfect recipe for trying to make people you are way more fancy than you really are. ;)