Day 169: Brownie Ice Cream Sammies

Day 169.

Millie had been begging me to buy ice cream sandwiches next time we went to the store. Well guess what we forgot to buy? So we tried these instead, and honestly? I think I prefer these.

Here's what you'll need.

1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter
3/4 cup cocoa powder
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla
2 eggs
1 cup flour


Preheat oven to 350*.
Line a jelly roll pan with foil.


In a medium saucepan, melt the butter.


Add in sugar, vanilla and cocoa.


Whisk until smooth.


Add eggs, one at a time, whisking after each addition.


Add flour and salt, stirring until very smooth.


Pour into foiled pan.
Bake at 350* for about 10 minutes, or until set.


Once brownies are baked, stretch a sheet of parchment paper on the countertop. Turn pan upside down onto parchment.


Lift pan and peel away foil to expose brownies.


Invert pan on top of brownies.


Give it a good smoosh.


Place some cans in the pan, on top of the brownie to squish it. Leave it alone for 30 minutes.


After 30 minutes, remove the cans and pan.


Cut into squares.


To assemble sandwich, place one brownie square on a plate.


Top with ice cream.


And add another brownie square.


What a happy kid!

You can also assemble these, then wrap in parchment paper. Stick them in the freezer, and you've got sandwiches ready.

Day 158: Cinnamon Ice Cream

Day 158.

This is so good that, L, the neighbor girl says this is what she wants from us for her birthday. Funny girl. I like it over apple pie. Mmmm.

Here's what you'll need.

1 cup sugar
1 1/2 cups milk
2 eggs, beaten
1 cup heavy cream
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 tablespoon cinnamon


Begin by combining the milk and sugar in a saucepan.


Let the mixture come to just a simmer.


Whisk a little bit of the mixture into eggs. This is called tempering. You do this so the hot liquid doesn't "scramble" your eggs. Once you've tempered the eggs with about half the mixture...


combine it all back into the saucepan.


Now stir in the heavy cream.


Cook until the mixture is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon.


Remove it from the heat and whisk in the vanilla.


Add the cinnamon.


And whisk until combined.


Transfer to a bowl, and chill completely.


Once the mix is chilled, hook up the mixer and go to town!


It always helps to have willing helpers that will get that last little bit out of the bowl. :)

Day 123: Cupcake Cones

Day 123.

Since Millie has a summer birthday, she celebrated her "birthday" at school on Monday. These were the treats we took.

Here's what you'll need.

24 ice cream cones
1 box of your favorite cake mix
Icing
Sprinkles or other decorations

Preheat oven to 350*


Mix the cake according to package directions.


Prep your cones. I've found it easiest to put each cone into the cup of a mini muffin tin.


Fill each cup approximately 2/3 full (about 1/4 cup of batter)


Bake for 15-20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.


Let cool and decorate as desired.

Day 119: Mint Sherbert

Day 119.

I came across this recipe in a book from the library, and it sounded too good to pass up!

Here's what you'll need.

1 cup sugar
1 1/4 cups water
2 1/4 oz fresh mint
1/2 cup lemon juice


Heat the sugar to boiling in a sauce pan. Boil 2 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool slightly.


Meanwhile, strip the mint leaves from their stems. I'm not sure how much 2 1/4 ounces is. About this much.


Put the leaves in a food processor and process until very finely chopped.


Mix leaves into sugar mixture. Let it cool to room temperature then refrigerate for at least 2 hours, or until cold.


After mixture is cooled, strain the mixture through a fine mesh strainer.


Stir in the lemon juice.


Hook up the ice cream maker and go to town!

Day 96: Brown Sugar Ice Cream

Day 96.

Ahhh, brown sugar ice cream. Amazing is all I can say about this. Kurt and I were watching Food Network one night (be jealous. It's okay. That's what we do around here) and someone on some show or another mentioned brown sugar ice cream. Kurt's eyes lit up, and he shot me a look that said "Make me this. Now. I require it." So the next day, I did some Google-ing and found a recipe that sounded pretty good. So here it is.

Here's what you'll need.

Funny story...I was so excited to make this that I forgot to photograph the ingredients. By the time I realized it, all that was left to add was the vanilla. That's why it's there.
You also need:
4 egg yolks
1 cup heavy cream
1 cup packed brown sugar
3 cups half and half
1 1/2 tsp. vanilla (as shown)


MMmk. Add the brown sugar and eggs to a non aluminum pan. Whisk together until thick.


In another pan, mix together the cream and half and half. Bring it just to a boil on medium heat.


Once it boils, add just a bit to the brown sugar mixture. You don't want to add it all at once, or you'll end up with scrambled eggs. And scrambled egg ice cream is just gross.


Ok. Now cook this custard on low heat, stirring constantly.


You'll know it's done when it coats the back of a spoon.


Pour the mixture into a bowl.


Stir in the vanilla, and let the mixture set on the counter until it reaches room temperature, about 30 minutes. Stir it occasionally.

After 30 minutes, pop it into the refrigerator until completely chilled, about 4-5 hours or overnight.


When it's chilled, hook up your ice cream maker and go to town!


Here's the finished product. It's super good, but crazy rich. We each could only eat a couple of bites, but it has a wonderful almost caramel-ish taste. I'll be making this one again. Soon.