Happy Trails with Sweet Actions' Trail Mix Ice Cream

Get the recipe for Trail Mix Ice Cream, studded with almonds, peanuts, chocolate chips, rich peanut butter cups, colorful M&Ms and chewy raisins.
By: Holly Bryce

Sam and Chia, co-owners of "Sweet Action" ice cream in Denver, blaze a new delicious trail with this sweet and salty ice cream flavor.

Even rough and tumble cowboys need to get in touch with their sweet side, and no one understands this better than our friends out West at Sweet Action Ice Cream.  Chia Basinger and Sam Kopicko might not be traditional gun-slingin’, cattle ropin’ cowboys, but they’re definitely pioneering new frontiers in the ice cream biz. Since they opened Sweet Action in Denver, they’ve served up over five hundred fearless flavors, including more savory ones like Colorado Sweet Corn and Sour Cream and Chive. Sound risky? Well that’s because it is, but the flavors also happen to be insanely, out-of-this-world delicious.

Lucky for us (and for you, since we can’t keep a secret), we managed to wrangle the recipe of one of our favorite flavors — Trail Mix Ice Cream. Wondrously cold and creamy with just a hint of vanilla flavor, the ice cream base makes a sweet and subtle backdrop for all the yummy trail mix add-ins. Next comes the crunch factor. Studded with almonds, peanuts, chocolate chips, rich peanut butter cups, colorful M&Ms and chewy raisins, every icy bite explodes with sweet and salty crunchiness. And hey, if you don’t own an ice cream maker and don’t think you’ll be flying out to Denver any time soon, no worries. Try tossing a handful of your favorite trail or nut mix on top of your favorite vanilla ice cream. You’ll be glad you did.

As much as we love this recipe, the best take away from Sweet Action is their commitment to taking chances with their ingredients and recipes.  Don’t be afraid to explore new flavors and culinary frontiers, because (in the words of one very wise cowboy), “It’s the way you ride the trail that counts.” Thanks, Roy Rogers. And happy trails, foodies!

Make sure you watch Unique Sweets tonight at 10:30pm ET to see Sweet Action in action and all the epic sweets of the wild, wild West.

Recipes from the Episode:

Next Up

Mix It Up: Breadcrumbs in Ice Cream

Discover a new way to mix up your ice cream recipes -- breadcrumbs. Cooking Channel shares several ideas for mixing in breadcrumbs to your ice cream desserts.

Guide: Making Ice Cream

Making ice cream at home is rewarding and delicious. Get started now!

Honey-Rhubarb Ice Cream

Combining the mouth puckering sour flavor of rhubarb with sweet, creamy honey ice cream may just be the perfect marriage. Get the recipe at Cooking Channel.

Happy New Year: Our Sweet Rosh Hashana Menu

Try this Rosh Hashana menu from Cooking Channel for the Jewish new year celebration.

Summer's Hottest Ice Cream Flavors

Every year, ice cream store owners across the country predict which flavors will be the most popular. Dave Powitz shares the early ice cream trends from this summer.

Devour'd: Ice Cream Baked Potato

This baked potato might look like an average spud, but it's actually a sweet treat. Get this ice cream baked potato recipe just in time for April Fool's Day.

Philadelphia-Style Chocolate Ice Cream

This eggless version of ice cream is often referred to as Philadelphia-style. The texture is lighter but no less delicious, and it is so fast to put together.

On TV

So Much Pretty Food Here