Category Archives: Ice Cream

Birthday Cake Oreo Milkshake: Happy 100th, Oreo!

Ever since my childhood, there has been one black and white cookie consistently present in my life: the Oreo. Its cream-filled center and crunchy chocolate cookies are indescribably enticing. I never could, and still cannot, eat just one.

Is it the plethora of ways to consume an Oreo that makes it so exciting? You can screw off the top cookie and enjoy two delicious halves. Perhaps you save the cream-covered cookie for last, or maybe you can’t wait that long. You can lick off the cream before eating the cookies plain. Some people like to peel off that sweet cream and stack it layer upon layer so you have a quadruple-stuffed Oreo. Or you can always go the classic route of dunking the cookies in milk until they reach the point of melt-in-your-mouth perfection.

Or maybe you’re too impatient for any of that, maybe you just like to stuff ‘em in your mouth, as many as you can handle at once.

Continue reading →

Waffle Brownies

What will a waffle maker want when waffles won’t work?

It’s a riddle. And a tongue twister.

The answer: BROWNIES.

At the risk of stating the obvious, brownies are such a wonderful treat, even in their most basic form. Almost every loves brownies. They’re soft and comforting, like a delicious chocolate bear who decided he wanted to be friends and encased you in an embrace of sweet love. If a bear like that ever came up to you requesting a hug, would you turn him away? Of course not, just as you would never pass up a perfectly good brownie.

However, there is always a way to make fantastic things even more fantastical. In the case of brownies, you can swirl in some peanut butter, throw in some nuts, or maybe add a layer of cookie dough if you’re feeling adventurous. What’s my latest and greatest way of serving up these chocolatey treats?

Make ‘em in the waffle maker.

Continue reading →

Toasted Marshmallow S’mores Ice Cream

The Marshmallows and the Human: A Tale of Two S’mores

Once upon a time, in a bonfire far, far away, two marshmallows were roasting and toasting in the heat of the flames. They sat perched on (or should I say, impaled by) their skewers, just out reach of the fire’s curling clutches. The bonfire’s pleasant warmth permeated their powdery skins as it seeped through to their gooey interior. Slowly, their insides turned to molten marshmallow goo, and the inevitable charring of their exterior began.

“It’s happening just like they said it would,” remarked the bigger of the two marshmallows.

“Yes, a roast over the fire, then straight down the human’s gullet,” the smaller marshmallow agreed. “I don’t know why I imagined it would be any different for us.”

The two marshmallows sighed in unison. The human holding the two marshmallows, who up until this point had been ignoring the marshmallows’ banter, looked down upon them with his eyebrows furrowed and said,

“What have you two to complain about?”

“The human is speaking to us,” the little marshmallow whispered to the bigger one. “What do we do?”

“Pretend you can’t hear him,” The big marshmallow whispered back.

” I know you can hear me,” remarked the human. “Although you seem to have forgotten that I can hear you as well.”

The two marshmallows remained silent and he continued on,

“All I ever hear is how marshmallows long for the day they are toasted, that it is like the coming of age in the marshmallow world. And yet you two act so insufferable and unsatisfied. Why is this?”

Continue reading →

Giant Triple Chocolate Bookie

No typo here, my little cookies. This is a bookie: a cookie-brownie hybrid. I’ve also seen these referred to “brookies,” but that’s not a very linguistically pleasing word. Bookie is much more fun to say.

Bookie.
See?

If you’re anything like me, then choosing between cookies and brownies is tough. Cookies are so snackable* and delicious, but brownies are so chocolatey and decadent. How does one choose? The better question is, why should you have to?

That is why this Giant Triple Chocolate Bookie and I are BFF’s. I get the best of both worlds: a giant cookie that’s essentially the size of my head stuffed with two kinds of chocolate chips and chunks, and yielding such fudgy, soft, rich qualities that I can’t decide if it’s truly a cookie or a brownie.

When I created my Colossal Chocolate Chip Cookie Sundae, I thought that was the greatest dessert to ever grace my mouth. Warm, gooey, chocolatey, and made from the best chocolate chip cookie dough in existence, it truly was a magical experience. However, now that this dark, fudgy, chocolafied* version has come into my life, I don’t know which I like love more.

Continue reading →

Double Fudge Brownie Ice Cream

For many people, ice cream is a modern day link to nostalgic memories of a carefree childhood. It’s one of life’s few pleasures that is just as acceptable to enjoy now as it was when you were a kid (although perhaps not as waist-line friendly). Moreover, ice cream can bring out that same pure excitement that it used to. It appeals to your inner-child, a part of you that never really went away.

I have a vivid memory of playing in the yard of my childhood home many years ago. I couldn’t have been more than 5 years-old. Evening was just beginning to settle over my quiet neighborhood, and the sky was turning orange as it always did during early summer nights. The street was quiet and still until my mother’s blue van came chugging along, returning from what was likely a trip to the grocery store. I recall running to the car to see her, and she had a special surprise: a carton of Double Fudge Brownie Ice Cream.

I was overcome with glee. Ice cream was a special treat when I was a kid, something I really appreciated; and here was one of my favorite flavors just within arm’s length! I couldn’t wait to dig into the chocolatey ice cream and the chewy brownie pieces. It seemed so decadent, a momentous occasion to be savored. The only bad part was having to wait until after dinner to indulge my feverish childhood desires.

Those childhood desires have turned into feverish young adult desires. The promise of Double Fudge Brownie Ice Cream still brings to me the same elation it did as a child. Call me young at heart, but there’s something so fun about enjoying a bowl of ice cream (or a cone, if that’s more your style). It’s hard to be unhappy when there’s ice cream afoot. Why do you think so many broken hearted souls curl up on the couch with a carton and a spoon?

However, as my adult taste buds developed, I noticed that the “brownies” in store-bought ice cream aren’t all that brownie-like; they’re more like chocolate-flavored clay. Now, I won’t pretend I didn’t still find that ice cream delectable, but I wanted to experience real brownies in my ice cream. When at last an ice cream maker came into my possession, I was provided with an opportunity to do so.

Continue reading →

Colossal Chocolate Chip Cookie Sundaes

Is there anything better than a warm chocolate chip cookie fresh from the oven?

Yes, actually, there is: a warm, over-sized chocolate chip cookie, fresh from the oven, topped with cold vanilla ice cream, light whipped cream, and rich hot fudge, all homemade.

I’ve seen chocolate chip sundaes on restaurant dessert menus many times. But I can promise you those won’t hold a candle cookie to this masterpiece. I start with the best chocolate chip cookie recipe ever: so thick, chewy, and abundant with chocolate chunks. I make it about 3 times the size of an average cookie because it’s got to be able to stand up to the ice cream. That heavenly cookie, delicious enough on its own, gets baked in the oven until it reaches the point of warm, ooey, gooey perfection.

Then, while the cookie is still soft and warm, I top it with a mountain of rich and creamy homemade vanilla ice cream. Upon contact, the ice cream begins to melt, and a river of vanilla runs across the cookie’s crackled surface, seeping into every crevice. A dollop of freshly whipped cream is like the snowy peak that caps the ice cream mountain top. Finally, rich hot fudge is sent gushing over top of the entire creation like molten, fudgy lava. If you can hold out this long, it is now time to dig into this beautiful creation. I suggest bracing yourself before diving in. The complete joy that is about to overcome you may be too much to handle.

Continue reading →

Very Vanilla Ice Cream

Have you have desperately longed for something but never really made an effort to obtain it? Every time you see the object of your desire, or anything that reminds you of it, you long for its presence in your life. As more time passes, you realize that you still haven’t gotten around to acquiring it. In some cases, you wind up giving up on it entirely, never truly satisfying your thirst. Other times, you finally get off your butt and get what you want. Then you as yourself, “What the heck took me so long?”

That was me, with an ice cream maker. Every single time I saw an enticing ice cream recipe or dreamed up my own frozen fantasy, I would wish I had an ice cream maker so that I could make my dreams a reality. I would make comments to my family about how “I should really get an ice cream maker,” and continue to think so every time I saw one. My lack of money had a lot to do with the fact that I never went out and purchased one, but I can also cite laziness as an explanation. I just never got around to buying an ice cream maker.

The empty hole in my heart solely designated for this ice cream maker remained void until one fateful December day. I made my daily visit to one of my favorite food blogs, Tracey’s Culinary Adventures, to see what she was serving up that day. Her post happened to feature a Cuisinart Ice Cream Maker giveaway. I thought to enter for a second, then moved on to another site when I considered the fact that I literally never win anything. Then, a few moments later, I decided to go back and enter. What could it hurt?

A couple days later, I had nearly forgotten about it, when I received an email telling me I had won. Imagine that! I was ecstatic, again, because I never win anything, and because, at last, I had an ice cream maker!

Although I have a lot of imaginative and indulgent ice cream flavor ideas that are soon to come your way, I decided to start with the most essential ice cream flavor: vanilla. I have never been a huge vanilla fan. It’s not bad; I’d just prefer something more exciting. Well, my little cookies, the tides have turned. Vanilla ice cream goes from “blah” to “va-va-vanilla!” when homemade. Like everything else on the planet, homemade is exponentially better.

Continue reading →

Eggnog-Christmas Cookie Milkshake

Yeah. You read that right.

Eggnog. Christmas Cookie. Milkshake.

You see, eggnog and Christmas cookies as separate entities are delicious enough as is. I’ve often debated with myself over whether cookies or eggnog was the ultimate Christmas food. They are both so heavenly, perfectly embodying the holidays with their seasonal flavors. Since both treats are so widely enjoyed at Christmas time (especially by myself), I realized that it only made sense to enjoy them together.

Like many of my best inventions, the idea for this recipe hit me like a ton of bricks. I had some leftover sugar cookies and ginger snaps, as well as a carton of ‘nog in the fridge. As I was pondering what to do with my leftover treats, the gears in my head began to turn and that dusty old light bulb above my head flickered on.

Continue reading →

White Chocolate-Walnut Blondies w/ Maple Butter Sauce

There are two kinds of people in this world: the ones with an insatiable sweet tooth, and the ones who could care less about dessert. If you’re a dessert junky like myself, then you’ve often pondered how the latter category can exist. How can anyone not be obsessed with sweets??? They’re so delicious and…sweet! But those people are out there, my little cookies, and, chances are, you know a couple of them. You might even be one yourself.

In most cases, it’s not that those people are dessert-haters; it’s just that they can live without it (although, there are some people who really just don’t like sweets, and they are a complete and utter mystery to me). If you’re like me, then you can’t imagine a life without dessert; it’d be like a life without love. But we must be respectful of each other’s eating preferences and, therefore, not force sweets upon those who do not have the sweet tooth.

My sweet tooth took some time to grow in. I would eat dessert from time to time when I was younger, and I would enjoy it, but my ability to go to sleep at night didn’t rely on whether or not I’d eaten dessert. I can’t pinpoint the exact moment at which this changed; all I know is that dessert gets me through the day. And, as much I LOVE cooking, I will always love baking a little bit more.

Ever since my sweet tooth came in, I’ve been participating in an ongoing battle with my mother. You see, she’s one of those people, the kind who doesn’t care much for sweets. She’s just not a dessert person (her words, not mine). It always disappoints me a little when I bake and she doesn’t get as excited as I do. She always loves my sweet treats, don’t get me wrong. But it doesn’t elicit the same reaction as it would’ve if I’d made her a cheeseburger instead.

With the exception of when I made my Soft Pumpkin Cookies, I’ve always found it hard to excite my mother when it came to desserts. I’d pretty much given up on her and just accepted that she would never care for dessert, that is, until I made these blondies.

Continue reading →

Obsessions: Last Call for Pumpkin Pie Blizzard

Any loyal little cookie will know that I have an obsession with Dairy Queen. A love affair, if you will. It’s been a part of my life for as long as I can remember and nothing in this world gives me quite as much pleasure as a cool, creamy Blizzard. However, you also may know that I currently live nowhere near a DQ. Everyday is a struggle, especially when faced with commercials on TV broadcasting the latest Blizzard treat if for no other reason than to further drive the knife into my heart. My sister, who resides only a few minutes away from a Dairy Queen, likes to send me pictures on her phone whenever she stops in for a treat. She is heartless.

When October first began, a bittersweet excitement fell over me. You see, October means one thing in the world of Blizzard Fans: the return of the Pumpkin Pie Blizzard. I love all Blizzards. I’ve never had one that wasn’t delicious, and there are many that vie for the top spot in my heart. French Silk Pie, classic Oreo, Cotton Candy…they’re all heavenly. But alas, there is one that stands above the rest, if only by a thin margin. And that, my little cookies, is the Pumpkin Pie Blizzard.

It literally tastes like they shoved a whole pumpkin pie into their creamy custard and blended it up.

Or, perhaps they created a Blizzard Morphing Machine that takes any food then converts all of its flavors and characteristics into creamy Blizzard form.

Continue reading →