Beat the Heat: Homemade Ice Cream Sandwiches!!

Well, since we were all about ice cream at the beginning of the week, why not just stick with what we know and let the frosty deliciousness just keep on rolling!!  Next up, an ever so yummy treat from Country Living via Delish to keep you cool as we head on into the thickest part of the season!  Take a look . . .

MINT CHOCOLATE CHIP ICE CREAM SANDWICHES


Ingredients:
~ 2 cup(s) all-purpose flour
~ 1/2 cup(s) cocoa powder
~ 2 tablespoon(s) cocoa powder
~ 1/4 teaspoon(s) salt
~ 1 cup(s) (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
~ 1 1/2 cup(s) confectioners' sugar
~ 2 large egg yolks
~ 1 teaspoon(s) pure vanilla extract
~ 2 quart(s) mint chocolate-chip ice cream, slightly softened

Directions:

1.) Make the cookie-sandwich dough: Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Sift together the flour, cocoa, and salt in a medium-sized bowl and set aside. Beat the butter and sugar together in a large bowl with an electric mixer set on medium speed until light and fluffy. Add the egg yolks and the vanilla to the butter mixture and beat to incorporate. Reduce mixer speed to low and slowly add the flour mixture. Beat until a firm dough forms. Divide dough in half and shape each half into a rectangle, about 4 by 3 inches. Wrap in plastic and chill for 20 minutes.

2.) Shape the cookies: Line a 13- by 9-inch baking pan with plastic wrap and spread the ice cream in the pan. Cover with plastic wrap and refreeze. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside. Roll one rectangle of dough out to 1/4 inch in thickness -- approximately 9 by 11 inches. Cut the dough into six 2 1/2- by 5-inch rectangles. Repeat using the remaining dough for a total of 12 cookies. Using the blunt end of a wooden skewer, poke holes into the cookies (5 rows with 3 holes in each row). Place the cookies about 2 inches apart on the prepared baking sheets and bake for 15 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool for 5 minutes on the pan. Transfer the baked cookies to a wire rack and let cool completely.

3.) Assemble the sandwiches: Place 6 cookies face down on a clean work surface. Remove the ice cream from the baking dish and unwrap it. Using a sharp knife, cut six 2 1/2- by 5-inch rectangles from the ice cream. Place one piece of ice cream on each of the cookies and top with remaining cookies. Wrap tightly with plastic wrap and freeze until set -- about 30 minutes.

Major deliciousness, don't you think?!  Such a fun little snack to have in the freezer when those June temperatures start a-soaring!!  Hope your week is a good one!

A Summertime Smash: Root Beer Float Cupcakes . . .

Now what in the world could top a cold root beer float on a warm summer night in the middle of July?  Well, Root Beer Float cupcakes, of course!  As we head on into this weekend (quite a change from the last one we had amidst all of those BBQs, family get-togethers, popping rockets, & exploding fireworks) I thought it might be fun to pull out those few retro straws we had lying around from our last fantastic birthday party and pull together a treat sure to delight anyone who has ever enjoyed a frosty glass of A & W on a balmy night on the front porch swing . . .




Root Beer Float Cupcakes

Ingredients:
¾ cup unsalted butter, softened
1 ¼ cups sugar
½ dark brown sugar
2 large eggs
2 tsp root beer extract (you can find this at a few liquor/wine stores but is easiest to find online here: Cooks
1 teaspoon salt
1 ¼ teaspoons baking soda
2 cups all purpose flour
1 cup cocoa powder (Dutch processed)
2 cups root beer (I used Jones and I would recommend using a similar, natural soda)

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350°F.
2. In a mixing bowl, cream together butter and sugars until light and pale.
3. Add in the eggs one at a time and mix until combined
4. Sift together flour, cocoa, salt and baking soda together
5. Stir together root beer & root beer extract
6. Alternately add dry ingredients and root beer to mixing bowl, scraping down after each addition. Start and end with dry ingredients
7. Fill paper-lined muffin tins with batter 2/3 full.
8. Bake at 350° for 20-22 minutes

Root Beer & Vanilla Bean Buttercream Frosting:

Ingredients
1 lb unsalted butter, softened
2 cups sugar
8 egg whites
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
2 tsp root beer extract (or more to taste)

Directions:
1. Combine the sugar & egg whites in mixer bowl and whisk together over simmering water until hot to the touch and all of the sugar has melted and is no longer grainy
2. Transfer bowl to mixer stand and whip on high until fluffy & cool – about 10 minutes
3. With the mixer on low, add the softened butter, 1 tablespoon at a time until incorporated. Add in vanilla. Whip until smooth (it may look curdled, but just continue to mix & it will be fine!).
4. Remove ½ of the frosting and add root beer extract to the remaining frosting.

(A helpful tip from the chef; 'For the frosting, I wanted to duplicate the vanilla ice cream, but also wanted to make sure that the overall flavor screamed root beer. I settled on making vanilla & root beer variations of my favorite Swiss meringue buttercream recipe and swirled them together. There are a couple of methods to achieve this effect – using 2 bags in one {see a great tutorial here} or you can use these very handy striper bags. Whichever technique you use, it is a little tricky to get the frosting to come out evenly, so plan on taking your time and practicing a few swirls before applying to your cupcakes. Making sure your frosting is on the softer side will make the process much easier. Happy swirling!')





Thank you to Becca from Birthday Girl Blog for this delicious recipe & the fun tips!  Have a wonderful weekend!

Sweets for Summer: Cheesecake Stuffed Strawberries...Yum!

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Looking for a delicious summer recipe to bring to your next BBQ?  I just love this oh-so-simple twist on the classic chocolate-covered strawberries, brought to me by my lovely & talented little sister...the real bakeress in the family .

Here's how it's done:

Ingredients:

~ 2 quarts of fresh Strawberries

~ 1 box Jello No Bake Cheesecake (I like the box that comes with the graham cracker crumbs)

~ Crushed Graham Crackers

~ Milk Chocolate for drizzling

Wash the berries and hollow out the centers - use a small paring knife for this.

Mix the cheesecake according to the directions.  Put the cheesecake in a piping bag and fill each strawberry until slightly overfilled.  Then, place the graham cracker crumbs into a bowl and dip each strawberry into the crumbs to coat the top.

Melt the chocolate in the microwave (1 block of the bark type chocolate from the grocery store) in 30 second increments stirring in between. Again, transfer to a piping bag with a narrow tip and drizzle onto each berry. Refrigerate until you're ready to eat!

Recipe courtesy of deliciousmeliscious & The Novice Chef.