For More Flavorful Snow Cones, Make Them New Orleans-Style

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When you're young, the only thing you care about when diving into a snow cone is that it's cold, colorful, and sweet. If the ice shards were too big or the syrup was sickly sweet, it was no big deal because you were a kid, and sugar in all its forms was king. Presumably, as you grew, so did your tastes, and you began to see that not all snow cones were created equal. The great city of New Orleans knows this well, and this wonderful metropolis that's known for its food has found a way to make the unassuming snow cone a dessert worthy of even the most refined palates. In the Big Easy, they are known as snoballs.

New Orleans snoballs are made with fluffy, very finely shaved ice that is nothing like the ice chips that some snow cones are known for. This kind of ice holds together well — like snow — and actually hangs on to syrups and flavors instead of letting them sink to the bottom. While you can certainly get snoball flavors in the standard flavors like cherry, grape, and watermelon, the NOLA version is known for unique options, such as pineapple cilantro, Earl Grey, satsuma, and wedding cake. Even more exciting is that snoballs often come with the option of being doused with creamy sweetened condensed milk or fresh fruit, or being filled with ice cream. In other words, these icy treats are alive with layers of flavors and textures, and put many traditional snow cones to shame.

Making New Orleans-style snoballs definitely requires a higher level of involvement than shaving some ice and pouring bottled syrup on top. Perhaps the most important element of this treat is the ice; you really don't need a fancy ice shaving machine (but if you have one, these will be much easier to prepare). You can simply blitz ice cubes, a cup at a time, in a high-powered blender until the ice reaches the consistency of fluffy snow. Immediately transfer to a metal bowl and place in the freezer while you prep the rest of the mix.

To assemble, scoop your shaved ice into a bowl or paper cone and add your syrups (Amazon offers plenty of varieties). Pour some sweetened condensed milk over the top for a sweet, creamy finish, plus any other desired toppings like fruit, sprinkles, or freshly whipped cream. For an ice cream-stuffed version, place half of the shaved ice in your serving dish along with your syrup of choice, then place a scoop of ice cream on top, adding the rest of your ice and syrup on top of that.