Banana-Rama Eight O’Clock Coffee Milkshake

So I received this recipe from Eight O'Clock coffee and was perplexed at when to try this recipe out. Do I go for it at breakfast, it does have bananas and coffee in it,  or why not kick it up with some Kahlua for a fun party cocktail. Well....I opted for neither since shakes aren't my thing at 8am and a school night wasn't the best timing for a cocktail so I made this exactly as you see  below and made it an early evening treat...just a little before Eight O'clock (get it!). Just looking at the amount of coffee made me realize probably not a good idea too soon before bed. But you be the judge it is 12am and I am writing this post! 

Banana-Rama Eight O’Clock Coffee Milkshake

1 1/2 cups cold Eight O’Clock Coffee Original Blend

2 scoops vanilla ice cream
1 Banana
2 Tbsp chocolate syrup
Crushed ice

Preparation: Combine ingredients in a blender, blend until smooth. Top with whipped cream and drizzle with chocolate syrup if desired.  

Variation: If you really want to pump up the coffee flavor, start by crushing frozen coffee ice cubes. Switch to chocolate ice cream for a truly chocolaty treat! Or kick it up and add some Kahlua!

RESULTS: 
Perfect coffee and banana blend. I was worried about a heavy coffee taste but it was just right and that little drizzle of chocolate brought it all together. Next time I am definitely going for the adult version!

Recipe: Three Ingredient Chocolate Peanut Butter Ice Cream

On a whim yesterday I bought Dark Chocolate Dreams Peanut Butter at the brand new Ocean State Job Lot that opened in town. Well, kind of a whim. I went to OSJL because I remembered sometimes they have some different foods, and I was actually hoping I'd get ice cream inspired. I did. (I also bought my dog a lot of treats -- they have a huge variety! -- but don't worry, that won't go into any ice cream.)

Anyway, I decided to try and alter a recipe we wrote about a while back...but I think this is the second time I had a tough time altering this recipe for other uses (though I have had some success too...)

Despite what I keep thinking, peanut butter and Nutella really don't have similar texture or viscosity.

So the ice cream tastes good (basically, it tastes like a peanut butter cup in ice cream form) and Husband likes the taste and the texture, but I put it in the ice cream maker and it didn't really freeze and it seemed like no air mixed in. The texture before freezing was like a rich, dense gelato and the texture after freezing was like a rich, dense gelato. Which might not be a bad thing.

Once frozen, it was still dense (obviously) but it wasn't as hard as I thought it would be. Like all ice cream, it would benefit from tempering (sitting at room temperature for a few minutes).

In the meantime, here's how you do it and you can be your own judge. 

Mix one 16 ounce jar of Dark Chocolate Dreams (OK, this is starting out to sound like one of those "Recipes for a Successful Marriage" or something you get as a favor at a wedding), one can of sweetened condensed milk, and 1.5 cups of heavy cream.

Put it in the ice cream maker and churn according to the manufacturer's directions. Warning: it probably won't "freeze" too much.

Next time (if there is a next time) maybe more cream would make it better for freezing?

[Scoopalicious is celebrating National Ice Cream month with a Post-A-Day throughout the month of July!]

Instructables Homemade Magic Shell

Marsha recently sent over a recipe from Instuctables on how to make a homemade "Magic Shell" for ice cream by scoochmaroo (who also has some more pretty cool Instructables, so check them out!) Since I am a huge fan of Dairy Queen's cherry dip cone, I am going to have to figure out how to make this in cherry! For now though, I'll settle for the chocolate!

As a bonus, today only, Deals.Woot has a Cuisinart soft serve machine on sale for $39.99 + $5.00 shipping. (Thanks to Marsha yet again for this tip!). If you miss the deal no worries, you can get the soft serve machine here. With the machine, a box of wafer cones, and the Instructable, you can have a Dairy Queen chocolate dip right in your kitchen!

Ooooh, this might also be an interesting variation instead if the whipped cream frosting on yesterday's cake!

[Scoopalicious is celebrating National Ice Cream month with a Post-A-Day throughout the month of July!]

So Oooey and Gooey...so Good!

How can anyone pass up an ice cream dessert that has the words "truffle" and "Gooey" and "Brownie" in its name. Oh and did I forget "chocolate" and "fudge"!

Seriously what doesn't this sweet little treat have in it. When this was sent to me I opened the box and a light shined upon two boxes of Culinary Circle's Chocolate Truffle Gooey Fudge Brownie Ice Cream Dessert. So what to do but immediately tear one open and break out my spoon. The picture on the box made this look way to good to save for later.

I must say this was quite good. The ice cream which was layers of two different chocolates was super creamy and it was topped with lots of chewy truffle brownie bits that sat amongst a pool of gooey fudge. My problem was that I couldn't stop eating it and seriously finished it myself. Hard to tell the size here and when you open it it surely looks like one person could easily handle this but really its for two and I had a big ol' belly ache after devouring it all on my own (but I was eating for two at the time so its okay right?!).

One tip I would have is to let it sit and thaw slightly for a few minutes to allow for the fudge topping to become a smoother consistency. Regardless its good but this allows for it to flow better and not be so thick. I do have to say if you put this on a fancy plate and drizzled some fudge swirls on the plate you'd think you were in a fancy restaurant. And actually that is what the brand is trying to achieve...."With chef inspired cuisine that mirrors today’s most popular restaurants, Culinary Circle is transforming creative casual dining at home." I'd definitely serve this to my guests and actually did. They had the same reaction...super good, rich, and sweet. This is definitely a chocolate lover's dream!

This was sent to me and I had never seen the brand before so not sure exactly where to lead you to get it but the site does have a store locator. Unfortunately it gave me addresses but no store names but there are store logos on the site that may be near you. Looks like they sell many other yummy looking prepared foods for the busy cook that could be worth checking out. If the quality and taste are as good as this sweet treat I might have to try them myself.

Organic ice cream and cake...a natural combination

Cake and ice cream...the perfect duo and on a warm end of summer day even better. Oh and even better that Bethany was along to try it too!

Now who would have thought a premade frozen cake would even be worth opening but let me tell you that Amy's Organic Orange Cake was so surprisingly moist and yummy. It had a great orange flavor that was not too overwhelming but perfectly refreshing and light. I am a baker (well, was pre-two kids!) and freshly baked cake is a must but my mind has been changed by this little vegan cake. Yes it comes in a box but when you open it, the cake is nestled in a sweet little cardboard cake liner that looks like it just came out of the bakery or your own oven. I give Amy's kudos for stepping up on the packaging...it goes a long way especially when you are trying to disguise it as your own!

Well I guess I have to move on cause this is an ice 

cream blog right?! So the topper of it all was Green & Black's Organic Chocolate Ice Cream. I had no clue who Green & Black was but come to find out they are amongst the elite of award-winning chocolate makers. Made from bittersweet dark chocolate and fresh organic cream its no wonder this ice cream was so smooth and rich. (But i do have to admit that both Bethany and I thought it seemed icy at first but it was just the top layer...think this one was in the freezer for a bit). With that said not sure I put it above my favorite Ben & Jerry's Chocolate but it is really good and has the organic factor working for it. 

All in all...love the combination of orange and chocolate and also love the fact that they are both all natural. Both Amy's and Green & Black's obviously are natural winners here. Next time I think I might have to try making my own ice cream with Green & Black chocolate. If anything its a good excuse to try the chocolate!

Recipe: Hot Creamy Cocoa Ice Cream

So its been over a year since I started my ice cream making escapades and I sure have learned a lot along the way. I can't say I have perfected the art or science of making the perfect batch but the process I finally get, so in 2009 I am challenging myself to not follow recipes to every last ingredient and to try to make some flavors of my own or at least switch up some basic recipes.

So here I go, this is my first try and I am rather pleased with the outcome. I was first inspired by a Chocolate Velvet Ice Cream recipe from the recipe book Ice Cream: The Whole Scoop. It was exactly what I was looking for but the one issue I had was that the recipe calls for eggs but it did not call for cooking them. Being pregnant, I am a bit wary of that so this was the perfect excuse to start experimenting.

Here 's how I came upon my Hot Creamy Cocoa concoction. I took a look at that recipe and thought about what exactly did I want? I knew I wanted a rich chocolate but I also always wondered how some ice cream shops make a chocolate that is a super dark brown (the flash made the ice cream in this photo look lighter than ice cream actually was...its not exactly what I was hoping for but still a bit darker and richer) and so creamy. How come mine never comes out that way? So I started with this basic recipe and first added more cocoa than it called for to make it richer and more egg yolks to make it denser and creamier. Then I felt like it needed a little bit of vanilla for more flavor. And really I just kept adding a little more cocoa and sugar until I got the color and flavor I thought was perfect. This definitely was a test run and I had a lot of fun making it my own. For once I wasn't so concerned about following the words on a page and added a little of this a little of that and couldn't wait to see what happened.

The result...a super creamy, oh so chocolaty, cocoa flavored ice cream that I am quite proud of. I did find that it freezes a bit harder than other ice creams I have made so I just let it sit out for a bit but overall I love it. As my 4 year old ate it she said "Mommy, this tastes like a yummy chocolate whipped cream or a chocolate bar!" I take that as a compliment coming from a girl who knows her sweets (not so proud of that but she does take after Mommy!). She also kept asking me what my "secret" ingredient was. Hmmm...never thought of it that way and was stumped on how to answer her! I guess I would say the cocoa. I didn't try to be fancy by mixing different chocolates. I just let the good old Hershey's unsweetened cocoa speak for itself.

Hot Creamy Cocoa Ice Cream

1.5 cups of whole milk

3/4 cup sugar*

1 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa*

5 egg yolks

2 cups heavy cream

1 tsp vanilla

Combine 1/2 cup sugar and 1 cup cocoa in a small bowl. In a medium saucepan, heat milk and sugar/cocoa mix thoroughly. In a separate bowl, lightly whisk 5 egg yolks. Add heated milk mixture to egg yolks, whisking constantly. Pour egg/milk mixture back into the saucepan and add heavy cream and vanilla. Heat on medium heat, stirring constantly with a rubber spatula. Heat until the custard lightly coats the spatula. (Do not boil...you will get scrambled eggs) Remove from heat and pour through a fine strainer (helps to smooth the texture) back into a clean mixing bowl. This is where I added the remaining sugar and cocoa to perfect the flavor.

Cool over an ice bath and refrigerate for at least 4 hours. Then freeze in your ice cream maker according to your machine's directions..

* this is a guesstimate since I kept adding cocoa and sugar until I got the flavor I was looking for

Chocolate-Hazelnut Gelato

Sitting home happily solo Sat night I decided to catch up on some DVR'd Food Network shows. Knowing the husband would roll his eyes at watching these episodes I took full advantage of being just me to check out some of Food TV's stars takes on ice cream. First stop, Giadda's Everyday Italian. Could she make it look any easier! Seriously why when I make ice cream do I always seem to have spilled cream everywhere, egg shells in my yolks, and of course some sort of scrambled egg mixture in the end (I am still learning!). So she hyped me up into making her Chocolate-Hazelnut Gelato. Actually it truly was the jar of Nutella that did it. I tried it tonight for the first time and it really is one of the best things on earth. I can just image in a Nutella anf fluff sandwich or Nutella and anything for that matter. Okay back to gelato...Giadda's recipe actually is as simple as she makes it look so its worth checking out if you are into making your own ice cream, or gelato in this case.

Oh and if you are new to this like me, you might be interested in what makes gelato different from ice cream...my findings found that its the fact that italian ice cream(gelato) has more milk than cream and less air making it denser and richer. Whereas american ice cream uses a higher fat content with more cream than milk. I have found recipes to really vary but this is the lowdown on italian vs american. If anyone has a more thorough answer feel free to forward it along as my research was rather short and sweet. Actually Giadda actually explains this quickly in the beginning of the episode which was helpful.

My initial findings..this gelato takes much longer to freeze than my typical ice cream. Okay, its been 15 minutes and it still looks soupy (I am actually typing this on my counter as it churns away so this is a play by play post..never take your eye off the ball they say!). Okay 30 minutes later and still soupy...not looking too good. (looks like The Perfect Scoop cover but I am sure tastes nothing like it!)

Next morning... :( icy and not the creamy texture that Giadda's looked like. No clue what went wrong but it was my first try at making gelato. My husband actually really liked it although he thought it was very sweet but it definitely didn't meet my expectations. Oh well..practice makes perfect I guess. At least I discovered Nutella in the process and now have a new BFF!

Try it out...Giadda made it look awesome and I'm stil learning so don't take my word for this recipe yet!


Giadda's Chocolate Hazelnut Gelato

2 cups whole milk
1 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup sugar, plus 1/4 cup
4 egg yolks
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup chocolate-hazelnut spread (recommended: Nutella)
1/2 cup toasted hazelnuts, crushed, for garnish

In a saucepan combine the milk, cream, and 1/2 cup sugar over medium heat. Cook until the sugar dissolves, about 5 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a medium bowl whip the egg yolks with the remaining sugar using an electric mixer until the eggs have become thick and pale yellow, about 4 minutes. Pour 1/2 cup of the warm milk and cream mixture into the egg mixture and stir. Add this mixture back into the saucepan. Cook over very low heat, stirring constantly, until the mixture becomes thick enough to coat the back of a wooden spoon, about 7 to 10 minutes.

Place a strainer over a medium bowl and pour the warm custard mixture through the strainer. Stir in the vanilla and hazelnut spread until it dissolves. Chill mixture completely before pouring into an ice cream maker and follow manufacturer's instructions to freeze. To serve, scoop gelato into serving bowls and top with hazelnuts.

Ice Cream Shaped Chocolates

Things shaped like ice cream aren't exactly the answer when I am craving the creamy goodness of ice cream. But when you can't have ice cream, chocolate can be a pretty good second choice. Moonstuck Chocolates of Oregon has combined the best of both worlds into their adorable, albeit expensive, Cream Cone Collection.

Thanks so my swap-bot angel, Jessika, for introducing me to Moonstruck Chocolates!

[Scoopalicious is celebrating National Ice Cream month with a Post-A-Day throughout the month of July!]