Celebrating National Strawberry Sundae Day with The Naptime Chef!

So I am going to cheat just a little today and in lieu of a sundae, persay, we are going to focus on strawberry ice cream because The Naptime Chef just did a fabulous blog post and webisode for some extremely delicious looking Strawberry Mint Ice Cream and she has been kind enough to let us post her webisode right here! We think you'll find this as a replacement to the sundae quite worth it!

We've been a fan of The Naptime Chef since we discovered and posted about her very own Great Ice Cream Festival last August. Intrigued, we even interviewed her for the post and found out she is a master of all trades in the kitchen, and her skills go well beyond ice cream making. I even found she's only two degrees of separation in the whole Six Degrees of Separation, having had attended a small private girls school in New York with one of my dearest friends.

Anyhow, enough of a preview...let's get to the main feature:



You can also watch this and other Naptime Chef Webisodes at Mevio.

Enjoy!

Thanks, Naptime Chef!

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

Recipe - Brown Butter and Peanut Brittle Ice Cream

Oh how I love my new iMac and the Epicurious Widget! So I plugged in ice cream and this is what I got for you. Enjoy!

Brown Butter and Peanut Brittle Ice Cream

From Epicurious

Ingredients

6 tablespoons ( 3/4 stick) unsalted butter

2 cups heavy whipping cream

1 cup whole milk

6 large egg yolks

1/3 cup sugar

1/3 cup dark brown sugar

1/4 teaspoon salt

3/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

2/3 cup coarsely chopped peanut brittle

Prep

Melt butter in small skillet over medium-low heat. Cook until butter turns dark amber, stirring occasionally, about 6 minutes (do not burn). Pour through fine strainer into small bowl. Bring cream and milk to simmer in large saucepan. Whisk egg yolks, both sugars, and salt in large bowl until thick and well blended. Add brown butter; whisk to blend. Gradually whisk hot cream mixture into yolk mixture; return to same saucepan. Stir mixture over medium-low heat until instant-read thermometer registers 178°F, about 5 minutes. Strain custard into large bowl. Set bowl over larger bowl of ice water. Stir until custard is cold. Stir in vanilla.

Process custard in ice cream maker according to manufacturer's instructions. Add peanut brittle during last 1 minute. Transfer ice cream to container; freeze. DO AHEAD: Can be prepared 2 days ahead. Keep frozen.

One reviewer says..."I've made this twice already and think it's one of the best ice cream recipes I've seen in a while. Very easy to make and freezes beautifully. The flavor is very similar to butterscotch."

Happy Thanksgiving - Pumpkin Ice Cream Recipe

Its been a slow fall here at Scoopalicious as Bethany geared up for her awesome Open Studios Holiday Sale (if you didn't know she is not only an amazing ice cream maker but an amazing artist too!) and myself, well life with new baby and full time job, oh and lack of sleep, makes it hard to motivate but enough excuses, we promise the new year will bring lots of ice cream happiness!

One thing that hasn't slowed down though is our love for ice cream and this time of year anything Pumpkin is a good thing. I recently had to bribe (yes, bribe!) my four year old with the promise of ice cream if she'd just go in "one" more store with Mommy. Little did she know I was dying to go back to one of our favorite homemade ice cream shops to see if they had Pumpkin Ice Cream so the bribe was actually my own selfish thoughts but she really didn't need to know that. Results...one happy kid (scoop choice=Birthday Cake) and one happy Mom who not only got her shopping done but fabulous ice cream (see pic) too!


So in case you are looking to make some ice cream to go with that yummy pie here are a couple recipes to try...


STEP BY STEP Pumpkin Ice Cream Recipe http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qFMvuD-7KZE

Pumpkin Ice Cream Recipe

2 cups heavy cream
6 egg yolks
2/3 cup sugar
1/2 cup light corn syrup
1 tsp. ground ginger
1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp. freshly grated nutmeg
2/3 cup puréed pumpkin
1 tsp. vanilla extract

Heat 1 1/3 cups of the cream over medium-high heat. Remove from heat when edges start to bubble.

In a separate bowl, whisk together egg yolks, sugar, corn syrup, ginger, cinnamon, and nutmeg in a metal mixing bowl. Gradually pour the hot cream into the egg mixture, whisking constantly. Pour egg mixture back into the pan and cook over low-med heat stirring constantly with a rubber spatula until mixture is thick enough to coat back of the spatula.

Pour custard through a sieve into a bowl. Add pumpkin, vanilla, and remaining 2/3 cup of cream, and whisk until blended. Cool over an ice bath. Refrigerate custard for about 4 hours. Transfer custard to an ice cream maker and process according to the manufacturer's directions.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!!

Grandma's Black Forest Cake Ice Cream

When I was little, my grandmother used to make a lot of things: soft sculpture murals, cookies shaped like Santa, an Easter ham carved into the shape of a bunny...this is only a small listing of her accomplishments. She was quite a talented woman, my late grandmother, and my parents suggest this is where I get my artistic talent.

What does Grandma Schlegel have to do with this ice cream blog? The inspiration I found from her Black Forest Cake: chocolate cake with canned cherries and whipped cream.

When I got a sample of Amy's Organic Cake in the mail, I thought of a perfect way to use the cake...Black Forest Ice Cream. I have always been a fan of Bruce Weinstein's Chocolate Cherry Ice Cream recipe, so I churned up a batch of this and added crumbled Amy's Organic Chocolate Cake to the mix in the last five minutes of churning. I probably used about a cup of crumbs, which left me with a good amount of cake just to eat on my own, so I really could have my cake and eat it too!

While Amy's Cake was moist and delicious on it's own (see Tina's post from last week) it also blended in wonderfully with the ice cream and saved me from making a chocolate cake.

While I would make this ice cream again in an instant -- it was one of my favorites from I Scream 2009 -- I would also serve this cake on it's own. Both it's presentation and taste, texture, and moistness put it on my "emergency guests" list of foods -- that's assuming 1. I don't eat it first and 2. I remember to take it out of the freezer in time!

Spice Dish Saturday {September}: Cream Green Apple Ice Cream

Spice Dish escaped to Europe this summer, and lucky us, we get a perfect fall treat as a result! Bon Appetit!

This flavor was inspired by my recent trip to Paris. One morning for breakfast, I happened across some apple flavored yogurt. Simple, but completely divine. Unlike anything I’ve ever tasted in the US. Maybe it’s because French dairy products, are well, actually made of dairy. Not a collection of chemicals and preservatives. Whatever the reason, I was in love. I couldn’t stop thinking about that yogurt and decided I hate to recreate it at home. This is rich, creamy, speckled with vanilla and perfumed with a hint of tart, green apple. Enjoy!

Creamy Green Apple Ice Cream

1 lb tart green apples
2 tbsp lemon juice
2 cups heavy cream
1 cup whole milk
¾ cup sugar
Pinch of salt
1 vanilla bean (split lengthwise)

With a cheese grater, shred apples (including the peel) into a medium saucepan. Stir in lemon juice. Pour 1 cup of the cream into the pan. Add sugar & salt. Stir. Scrape the seeds out of the vanilla bean and add to the mixture. Then drop the bean in. Warm the mixture until sugar dissolves. Remove from heat and add rest of cream and milk. Let steep, covered, for one hour. Strain into large bowl and chill completely. Churn in your mixer. For a caramel apple effect, top with a creamy caramel sauce.

Thanks, EB!

Recipe: Strawberry Basil Ice Cream

I know, I know! I keep pushing these emails to the limit in fitting them into the day. However, in my defense, I did spend all day making ice cream and sorbets for my ice cream shindig next weekend. Husband Kevin will tell you instead that I spent all day making a mess of the kitchen. Technically, I think we both are right.


There are a couple I want to share with you, but since the Strawberry Basil Sorbet just looked so pretty simmering in the pot, I thought I would share this first. Unfortunately the quality isn't great -- I was mid-process in a couple of ice creams, and the situation didn't allow for me to go find a real camera. I had to grab the closest one -- my phone (which for the record, I just had to scrape custard off of...)

It's a simple strawberry sorbet to which I added some purple and green basil leaves. I nearly used all the basil in my garden, because my garden really isn't doing well this year with all the rain.

Ingredients:

• About 4 cups of strawberries, hulls removed
• Juice from 1 lemon
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1-1/2 cups of water
• About 10 large basil leaves, coarsely chopped (I used purple and green in this recipe, but you can use all of one color)

Directions:

1. Put all the ingredient in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Lower the heat, and simmer for about 5 minutes.
2. Remove from heat and allow to cool.
3. Puree mixture in a blender or food processor.
4. Pour mixture into a clean bowl, cover, and cool completely in the refrigerator.
5. Churn the mixture according to manufacturer's instructions.
6. Enjoy!
   

Happy National Vanilla Ice Cream Day!

Happy National Vanilla Ice Cream Day! There are two kinds of favorites I am going to write about here...when I have time to make it and when I don't...

When I have time to make it, I use this recipe:

Vanilla Ice Cream

• 4 cups heavy cream
• 5 egg yolks
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla (or 1 tablespoon vanilla bean paste if you prefer)

1. Pour cream into saucepan and heat to just before it begins to simmer.
2. Meanwhile beat the egg yolks and sugar until thickened.
3. Slowly add the hot cream into the egg mixture while beating them together.
4. Pour mixture back into saucepan and cook on low heat, stirring constantly, until the mixture coats the back of the spoon.
5. Strain mixture through a strainer into a clean bowl. Allow it to cool slightly and add the vanilla.
6. Refrigerate overnight (or until completely cooled).
7. Pour in ice cream maker and churn.

If I don't have time to make it? Brigham's French Vanilla all the way. They told me they discontinued it (and I still can't find it on their site), but I keep finding it on the shelves. I'm not complaining!

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

Ice cream image by ctechs at stockxchng.

Spice Dish Saturday {July}: Blueberry Apricot Sorbet

EB of Spice Dish is off to Europe for the summer, so we'll have to savor this recipe for a while. Won't be hard as it looks amazing. Thanks, EB and have a safe and wonderful trip!

This is the perfect summer sorbet. Light, refreshing and perfectly sweet.

Blueberry Apricot Sorbet

1 lb fresh apricots
1 pkg blueberries
1 cup water
1 cup sugar
1 tsp Amaretto


Cut the apricots into small pieces. Cook the apricots, blueberries and water over medium heat until they have the texture of mush. Stir frequently. Add the sugar and stir until dissolved. Let the mixture cool to room temperature. Add the Amaretto and puree the mixture in a blender until smooth. Chill the mixture until completely cold. Freeze in your ice cream maker.

Recipe Friday: Rice Krispie Treat Ice Cream

I have been busy busy making ice cream this month, and wanted to share with you a new one I made.

Honestly, it wasn't what I had hoped it to be, even after my second stab. It's still good but the Rice Krispies turn out a little soft. Maybe this is okay to those who like their cereal with milk, but I really don't like milk in my cereal for the very reason that it turns the cereal soft.

First off, I made Rice Krispie Treats ®. This was a bit dangerous because I was home alone that weekend and it was a great temptation to eat them all -- I didn't, but that's not to say I didn't eat a lot of them! If you are going to eat a lot of them like I did, be sure to reserve about 2-3 treats (out of the 12 they say it makes) to incorporate into your ice cream. (As a side note, when I went to get this recipe from the Rice Krispie ® site, I read a comment from a woman who incorporates bacon bits into her Rice Krispie treats...interesting...)

Then came the ice cream. I wanted to go for a marshmallow base. A Google search lead me to this one from the Blue Ridge Mountain Ice Cream Store. I made it, but personally, without any eggs, I found the recipe to be too much like frozen milk. That's not to say other people wouldn't like it -- I just prefer my custard based ice creams.

Then I tried altering a vanilla based ice cream with advice from Gail Damerow in Ice Cream!: The Whole Scoop. This created a lovely marshmallow flavored ice cream.

Here's the recipe:

Heat:
1 1/2 cups whole milk
1 1/2 cups heavy cream
1 (7 1/2 oz) jar of Marshmallow Fluff
1/2 vanilla bean, split and scraped

Stir occasionally, until the mixture is warm (not boiling though).

Whisk:
4 egg yolks
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Pinch of salt

Slowly add warm milk mixture to the whisked egg mixture, and whisk until mixed. Return entire mixture to the stove, and heat until the mixture begins to coat the back of the spoon. Do not bring to a boil or you will have scrambled eggs. Pour the mixture through a strainer into a clean bowl -- discard the solids that remain in the strainer. Chill overnight.

Pour chilled mixture into an ice cream maker and churn according to the ice cream maker's directions.

I then broke my reserved Rice Krispie Treats into bite sized pieces and added them to the ice cream maker during the last five minutes of churning.

The ice cream was good. Again, my only complaint is the sogginess of the Rice Krispies. Surprisingly I didn't find it too sweet.

My husband liked it, but he said it wasn't as good as the coconut. (See yesterday's post.) He also said it tasted like vanilla. When I asked about the Rice Krispies, he said he hardly noticed them -- well, then I guess they didn't bother him, anyway!


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

RECIPE: Key Lime & Graham Cracker Ice Cream

So refreshing and yummy and inspired by

Ciao Bella's Key Lime & Graham Cracker Gelato.

Squeezing the key limes ain't so fun but SO

worth it for the tart and cool flavor you'll get!

Ingredients

4 large egg yolks

3/4 cup sugar

1/8 tsp salt

2 1/2 cups heavy cream

1 1/4 cups milk

grated zest of 12 key limes

1/4 cup key lime juice (probably about 25 key limes...use more or less for preference of taste)

Graham Crackers (broken in small pieces...I used Teddy Grahams as they are harder and easy to just halve)

Directions

Whisk together egg yolks, 1/4 cup sugar, and salt in a medium bowl and set aside. Combine cream, milk, lime zest, and 1/2 cup sugar and cook over medium heat until just at boiling point. Remove from heat and slowly whisk into egg/sugar mixture. Return this egg/cream mixture to the pan and cook over low/med heat stirring constantly with a rubber spatula. Heat until it reaches 175 degrees or the custard lightly coats the spatula.

Strain the custard into a clean bowl to remove lime zest (I kept a little for looks!), add lime juice, and cool over an ice bath. Refrigerate for at least 4 hours to enhance flavor then churn in your ice cream maker.

When custard is almost finished mix in your graham cracker pieces and freeze in freezer for at least 8 hours.

Voila...tart and refershing Key Lime and Graham Cracker ice cream that is perfect for summer!

Ice Cream Recipe Swap on Swap-Bot

I know Tina and EB and I share some good recipes on this site, but as I am a huge fan of Swap-Bot, I thought it would be fun to exchange some recipes via snail mail.

It's very simple:

Visit this link by May 15. You will be assigned 5 partners and need to send a postcard to each with your favorite ice cream maker recipe by June 6.

Mail and new ice cream recipes...what could be more fun?

SpiceDish Saturday {February}: Cocoa-Sour Cream-Blackberry Ice Cream

Happy Valentine's Day!

It's time for another SpiceDish Saturday. Without further ado...


This is one of those staring into the depths of your fridge "I have ½ tub of sour cream left over from tacos and the blackberries from the corner market were 99 cents but I have to eat them today or freeze them, man I am craving chocolate... agggghhh" type of recipes. It was born out of that exact conversation in my head. The sour cream adds a nice tang to the super sweet choco-sugar mixture and the berries are a nice (aha! Healthy!) surprise. A bit unexpected.

There's no custard base so it's really very easy and all the richness comes from the sour cream. Enjoy!

Cocoa-Sour Cream-Blackberry Ice Cream

1 ½ cups sour cream
1 cup sugar
4 tbs dutch cocoa
1 ½ cup frozen blackberries


Heat the sour cream, cocoa and sugar in a saucepan over medium heat. Whisking until it comes to a low simmer. Pour mixture into bowl and add blackberries. Cover and place in refrigerator until cooled completely. Once cooled, use a handheld immersion blender to blitz the mixture (if you don't have one a blender works just as well).

Pour into mixer and chill following directions.

Thanks, SpiceDish!

SpiceDish Saturday {January}: Champagne Sorbet

So it's time for another SpiceDish Saturday. I am going to let SpiceDish's post and pictures speak for itself! Thanks, SpiceDish!

I love champagne sorbet. It was a special occasion treat for me growing up. Every time there was a special occasion birthdays, anniversaries, graduations etc. my dad liked to go to a very small little French restaurant run by a Turkish chef. He always made champagne sorbet for us when we came in. It was the perfect palate cleanser. But beyond that it was perfectly pink, perfectly sweet and made my teenage self feel very grown up and sophisticated.

This is where you can use not leftover champagne, because lets face it… who has leftover champagne… but maybe you have that bottle that you passed out before you opened. This recipe is very easy. You can either make it in an ice cream maker or make it 'granita' style.

Champagne Sorbet

2 cups champagne (pink preferably) chilled
1/4 cup sparkling mineral water
3 tbsp grapefruit juice
1 1/4 cup fine granulated sugar

DIRECTIONS
Heat the water, grapefruit juice and sugar in a saucepan over medium heat until the sugar is completely dissolved. Remove from heat and chill completely. Once completely cold add the champagne and stir until well blended.

Either place in ice cream maker and freeze according to directions or pour mixture into shallow baking dish. Place in freezer and freeze mixture for 2 hours. With a fork, scrape and break up the mixture. Freeze another hour and then scrape again. Repeat until you achieve a frozen texture you like. I like to serve with a mint sprig.

Recipe: Pomegranate Buttermilk Sorbet

So lucky for me that Lisa doesn't read my blog that much, because then maybe she won't know that dessert tonight is made up of leftovers!

I made my favorite carrot cake on Sunday, followed that by a quick bread, and I was still left with two cups of buttermilk. I don't know why they don't sell it in smaller quantities, because I don't know of one recipe that uses more than a cup of it at a time! So I looked up buttermilk recipes and came across a lot for buttermilk ice creams and sorbets. So I decided to follow one of the recipes from Cooking Light -- which was basically two cups of buttermilk, 1/4 cup of sugar, 1/4 cup of corn syrup.

I mixed and tasted it, and while thrilled I wasn't wasting any buttermilk, I wasn't so thrilled that it reminded me a lot of Pinkberry (and you know my feelings about that!). Should I add lemon extract? Orange? Then it hit me...I had a lot of homemade grenadine leftover from when I tried my first stab at Shirley Temple Ice Cream. I added 1/4 cup, but thought it needed more, so I added another 1/4 cup for a total of 1/2 cup of grenadine.

The sorbet froze up nicely, with a muted wine color. It still tasted a little yogurty to me, and with my sweet tooth, even though I love yogurt, when I am after frozen treats, I much prefer sweet sweet sweet!

What was nice about this recipe was that it was easy and quick. There was no stove prep, which was a nice break.

Lisa and I both liked the sorbet. As Lisa put it, "I feel like I shouldn't like it, but I do!" I know that sounds crazy, but I understand what she meant. It was very refreshing (I think it would be a great summer treat!) and at the same time, the sourness of the buttermilk was balanced by the sweetened grenadine.

Would I make it again? Not just for me. But it most definitely is a contender for I Scream 2009!

(Apologies for the photo quality -- had to use the iPhone because the sorbet was melting so quickly!)

Turkey Hill Dairy's Ultimate Holiday Recipe Contest Ends December 1

Lucky you, Scoopalicious Readers! It's a double post Wednesday. We had a couple of great things to note with deadlines fast approaching, so...

Turkey's not even on the table yet but this holiday deadline is quickly approaching so we thought we'd share this fun contest.

Turkey Hill Dairy is hosting the Ultimate Holiday Recipe Contest. In honor of their holiday ice cream flavors, Egg Nog and Peppermint Stick, they are asking all you ice cream fans to concoct a recipe using either one of those flavors. The recipe can be anything you want it to be…ice cream cupcakes, a yummy frothy drink, a layered cake, whatever your sweet tooth desires. Only rule is that Turkey Hill’s Egg Nog Ice Cream or Peppermint Stick Ice Cream be an ingredient.

So start the brainstorming and show us what you got. Send your recipe to Turkey Hill at icecreamjournal@gmail.com by December 1 (we know its days away on a busy holiday weekend, sorry for the last minute!). And we here at Scoopalicious would love to see what you do so feel free to send it to us too and maybe you'll be a spotlight on our blog with your great recipe.

So what do you get for all this hard work?

If chosen as one of the best recipes you will be featured on the Turkey Hill website and will receive a one month’s supply of ice cream. And if you are one of the best of the best, that is one of the top four recipes – two for Eggnog and two for Peppermint – you'll get a feature story for just yourself on Turkey Hill's blog, the Ice Cream Journal (http://icecreamjournal.turkeyhill.com), from December 8-11. The fun part is that the blog's visitors will then be able to vote for their favorite recipe and that winner will receive a year’s supply of Turkey Hill ice cream! WOW…all these prizes…what's not to love. Good luck!

Top Selling Ice Cream Books at Amazon...What's the Scoop?

Out of curiousity the other day, I looked up "ice cream" at amazon in the cookbook section and then sorted them by bestseller. Though anyone can do this search, I thought it would be fun to see how many of the top ten I have, and review those I do have! How "with it" am I in ice cream land? Do I have all the best sellers? Do my favorites make the list?

Answer: I have three of the top ten. And no. One of my favorites made the list (The Ultimate Ice Cream Book) but one did not (Gail Damerow's Ice Cream: The Whole Scoop!)

So I used my lazy internet skills, created an amazon widget, added some comments, and made a list! I'd love to hear more feedback on these products if anyone has used them!
[Scoopalicious is celebrating National Ice Cream month with a Post-A-Day throughout the month of July!]

The Entries Are In For the First Annual Ice Cream Cupcake Roundup!

Wow! It's been one month since Stef at the Cupcake Project initiated this fun Ice Cream Cupcake Roundup with us and we are astounded by the yumminess and creativity of all the entries. Check 'em all out and next time you decide to make cupcakes, don't forget the one special ingredient to top them with...ice cream!

Thanks Stef and all the amazing bakers who contributed a yummy ice cream cupcake....this was so fun!

Sooooo, we couldn't figure out how best to do this, so we made a chart and each got a color for a response. Bethany is black raspberry colored, Tina is mint colored!

Note: Neither one of us have actually tried any of these recipes, but we HOPE to soon! We'll be busy in the kitchen, I can tell you that!

---

	Caramel Apple Pie a la mode by Of Monkeys and Cupcakes Can't believe this is OMAC's first round-up. She looks like she has it down. Her step-by-step photos are beautiful (I love the cutaway) and her write-up is great! I love her combo of caramel ice cream and caramel apple cupcakes, but I do have to admit, my favorite part, the part I just wanted to lick the screen for, was the cream cheese frosting! Way to go OMAC, and thanks for your entry! Ooh, caramel is my fave and these really sound and look great. I love how you piped in the ice cream...wow that must have took time waiting for it to defrost to the perfect consistency . So impressed by your first roundup!
	Dairy Free Sticky Toffee Pudding Cupcakes with Kahlua Almond Ice Cream and Caramel/Cream Cheese Sauce or "Frosting" by Flour Arrangements I think FA says it best in the first line of her post: "Wow...that's a long title for cupcakes that took an even longer time to make ;)" That's one thing I did realize. These cupcakes are time consuming! At least mine were. So many steps and so much freezing and working, freezing and working. I am impressed with FA's attempts to go vegan in her cupcake making. Impressive! Also, as much as I loved loved loved the image to the left of the caramel/cream cheese frosted ice cream cupcakes with the cherry and almond on top (beautiful presentation!), I was also impressed by her creativity in using the leftovers to send to work with her husband! Way to go! (I, on the other hand, was left with a freezer full of ice cream cupcakes that were going to get the best of me!) Lucky Jose and and his co-workers! P.S. FA, love your little recipe card application-thing on your blog! Hey did you use Bethany's fake ice cream recipe because these are so picture perfect they almost look fake! The cherry and almond are so thoughtfully placed and the dripping frosting falls just right. I think the watery consistency resulted in a darn nice looking ice cream cupcake!
	Chocolate Orange Guinness Cupcakes by Couture Cupcakes First of all, CC, I don't even know where to begin! Your write-up and photos are fantastic! I LOVED CC's little "package" for each tester -- treat and spoon all bundled up nicely! The cup idea was also fantastic. I had a hard time eating my creations in their wrapper on a plate...ice cream isn't meant for a plate, silly me! The cup seems like the perfect solution -- a place to bake as well as a solid structure to eat out of! I think it is great as well that CC got friends and family to do reviews -- so nice to see a number of responses! OK, and the recipe itself? AWESOME. I am not a huge fan of beer, but I think I might like these, as they are so rich with flavors I DO love together: chocolate, orange, and raspberry...yum! One more tip I like: "Take cupcakes out of freezer 10 minutes before serving." Very good advice! I have been dying to make Guinness ice cream for my husband who is a big fan of the stout so these intrigued me. The fact that you actually made two flavors of ice cream was adventurous in itself never-mind the clever packaging and great photos with scribbles. These are so cute and sound awesome. Love the mix of orange with it. Oranglicious!
	Miss Scarlet by Little Ivy Cakes First of all, creme brulee ice cream?! Um, yum! These are beautiful. I love the mixture of colors and textures. The garnishes work so well, as well -- these are just incredibly beautiful. My mouth is watering just looking at and thinking about that mixture of the richest foods I know: red velvet cake, creme brulee, meringue, strawberries, blood oranges... Wonderful entry, and perfect name as well! I know I have been under a rock but I have never had red velvet cake and these have me even more intrigued after seeing the red batter on the mixer. Each step of this ice cream cupcake sounds awesome and I can't even believe the frosting itself took almost 45 minutes..wow you are a trooper. But it all looks worth it. The color and contrast of layers is fantastic and the creme brulee ice cream sounds to die for.
	S'mores Ice Cream Cupcake by Jesse Jesse's ice cream cupcakes are right in time for the season (by the way, has anyone seen those s'mores kits they sell now? Marshmallows, grahams, chocolate and sticks all included...can't people even find sticks in the woods for s'mores making any more? I mean, c'mon...half the fun is finding the perfect stick to toast the perfect marshmallow on...anyway...). Anyway, these are just beautiful! I want to dive right into the marshmallow meringue topping, just like the graham cracker did. I mean, these looks SO inviting! I am also impressed that it is Jesse's first time making ice cream! Of course it is hard to really see how it came out as it is sandwiched between a cupcake and a mountain of fluffy meringue, but it's not in an unfrozen puddle around the cake, so I have to assume it worked out pretty well! Love the little graham cracker fun fact! Summertime and camping...that's what these are all about! I must try this Cinnamon Graham Crunch ice cream, thanks for posting the recipe, it sounds too good and you're right Philly style is way easier and when you have a project with so many steps its perfect. Love the shot and the placement of the graham is prefect. It's the details that count...great job!
	Rootbeer Float Cupcakes by Coconut and Lime These are just adorable! They are so retro and charming -- the presentation is wonderful! Use of the ice cream glass and the straw is perfect. As much as the look takes me back the fifties -- wait, you have to have lived in the fifties to go back to the fifties, huh? I just barely made the seventies! -- er, um, anyway, you know what I mean -- the flavor combination seems wonderful and classic diner feeling! Yum! P.S. Where EVER did you get those liners, C&L? I want them! Love it...this just looks fun. It's simple and sweet and I can just picture myself sitting at a diner counter enjoying this. Hmm..maybe there is one nearby but I doubt they serve this wonderful creation.
	Choco-Caramel4 Fudge Ice Cream Wafflecakes by I♥Cuppycakes These are so charming! I think the waffle bowl would add an awesome crunch to this recipe -- just like IHC (That's I Heart Cuppycakes -- I don't know how to make that heart!!) said. I will have to try it out! I love how the cone bowl flattened. It's so pretty! In fact, at the point where IHC hadn't added the ice cream yet, there is a shot that looks like a big flower! I love the sundae look of these as well, and for a chocolate lover, these are, um, perfect! BUT, I could also see how wonderful peanut butter ice cream would be too, just like IHC and her husband both suggested after the fact. Let us know how that turns out, will ya, IHC? Wow, what a creative idea to use these cups and had you never mentioned the flattening of them I would have never known. I think they fell perfectly and am amazed at the idea of cooking the brownie in it (can you tell I don't take risks in baking!). The cup and brownie topped with Triple Caramel Chunk (which I must try now..darn only edys in the fridge) sounds scrumptious. This really looks like you stole a photo out of a cookbook..wonderful!
	Chocolate Strawberry-Rhubarb Ice Cream Cupcakes by Cooking In Cleveland These are just beautiful. I could stop right there. I don't want to eat them, I just want to look! OK, but truth be told I LOVE strawberry rhubarb anything. I have never had it with chocolate though, but it sounds amazing. The balsalmic vinegar in this ice cream recipe sounds like it adds a great twist as well. This is definitely one I am going to steal some rhubarb from mom and dad's garden for...! LOVE rhubarb...my favorite summertime pie and ice cream sounds even better. Never had it but its now on my must-have list and thanks for sharing the ice cream recipe. I will defintiely try this one. Love the photo and the shaved chocolate and perfect strawberry really finish these off beautifully!
	Strawberries and Chocolate by Red Kitchenaid These are charming! I am going to have to make them for my star loving sister! RK's presentation is wonderful. I just love the shine of the hot fudge finishing off the personal desserts. Strawberries and chocolate? What could be finer? (OK, the verdict is still out on strawberry rhubarb and chocolate above!) KA had a problem with the strawberries in her ice cream being very icy. As I wrote on her blog: "I keep running into the icy ice cream problem too. I read that if you macerate the fruit in sugar for a while before mixing in, it is supposed to help." Great work, KA! Neat idea putting this all in a mold and topping it with hot fudge is the best part. I've made lots of ice cream now and every batch is different so definitely try again. You may be pleasantly surprised the next time. But these really look great and I bet tasted just as good.
	Chocolate Cherry Amaretto Ice Cream Cupcakes by Tempered Woman The name says it all: chocolate cherry...This is one of those classic combos that you can't go wrong with. Add some liquor, and you can go even less wrong! I love the idea of the marscapone in the frosting. Sounds so yummy! As I was reading TW's description of the ice cream soaking into the cake, all I could think about is that: I. Want. These. NOW. Love the photo too...the image is so inviting. They have such a cheerful, playful, summertime look to them that I keep half expecting my four year old neighbor to come running into the picture with his bathing suit and inflatable arm bands. "Stay away, Oscar, these are for adults only!...and remember, you can't go swimming until a half an hour after eating..." Can I just have a spoon loaded with that frosting. Man that looks good..and with marscapone cheese its gotta be. I just love how the ice cream is sandwiched and how playful the piped frosting is. Although from the sounds of it the outdoor photo was challenging, but it frames them wonderfully. These look incredible!
	Chocolate Fire Ice Cream Cupcakes by My Own Sweet Thyme These look and sound so yummy. I love the richness that chile powder adds to chocolate, and to top that combo off with cinnamon ice cream, and cream cheese frosting sounds like a match made in heaven. MOST even has an image of the cupcake unwrapped, the creamy white ice cream melting into the dark chocolate cupcake that makes me want to climb into my computer and eat it. Ah, if only it were that easy. (I'd be gaining weight by the second as I write this...) My husband isn't such a sweets fan, which I can't understand, but he does like spicy things, so I think I should try making them for me, er, um, I mean him. The name is great -- it's a perfect match for the spicy mixed with cold combo. Wow, these sound super flavorful and fantastic. After all those steps you said you would definitely make again..they must be good! Oh and the weather may not be right there for ice cream yet but start making your own and it becomes a year round obsession!
	Burnt Sugar Lilac Cupcakes by Big Black Dogs These make me want to sit in a lace filled victorian house and drink tea. Absolutely beautiful! Love the lilac and colored sugar garnishing the top. Burnt sugar and lilac sounds like a pretty cool combo to me! I like the lightness of flower flavors in moderation, and I think that the combo of burnt sugar and lilac sounds like a perfect mix. The white chocolate ganache seems to be the perfect topping, and also what I will now use as the topping to my cupcakes, as no one was particularly thrilled with the caramely white chocolate topping on my experiment! (Thanks, BBD!) I wonder, did the ganache harden on the ice cream? These are definitely the prettiest entry by far. It looks like a bouquet and I can smell the flowers from here . I have to say I am not so sure about actually eating lilacs but its so different I think I might have to try it to see what its all about. Oh and topped with ganache...sold!
	Cookie Dough Chocolate Ice Cream Cupcakes by Beantown Baker Ah, the Beantown Baker...one that (I assume) hails from the great city of Boston...(A little biased, yes, but that is where I met the lovely Tina, without whom we wouldn't have this ab fab blog!) First off BB, I have to say, I am so so sorry about your lactose intolerance. I don't know how I would be able to function on soy/tofu/rice/anything-other-than-rich-heavy-cream ice cream wannabes! (I mean, to each his own, really -- its just not for me!) Love how BB added the ice cream "mush" to her cupcake and reminisced about childhood. Didn't we all mix our cake and ice cream mush together? The chocolate cream cheese frosting seems to be the perfect last ingredient of the chocolate -vanilla cookie dough-chocolate sandwich BB made. Um, BB, maybe you could send Tina and I your address so we could come over and eat the rest of these for you, as um, you are lactose intolerant. ;) My favorite step...send hubby to the store for ice cream! Sounds like my nightly although if its homemade, "send hubby to the kitchen to get me a bowl of ice cream!" Regardless its a great start to a fun process. These look great..cookie dough and chocolate cupcakes topped off with cream cheese frosting sounds like a perfect combination. p.s....since you're in Boston be sure to hit the Scooper Bowl next week on City Hall Plaza (endless ice cream for $8..what's better than that!)
	Kalhua Chocolate Crunch Ice Cream Cupcakes by Lick the Spatula I have to admit. I have the taste buds of a five year old. I like sweet sweet sweet, and I always say I don't like anything coffee or alcohol flavored. That being said, I'd still try these...Kalhua is sweeter than most liquors, and sometimes I actually think it gives a nice rich flavor to things, as does the chocolate and coffee combo (once I made my friend a coffee/chocolate cake knowing she would like it and I wouldn't -- it was just past Christmas and I was trying not to eat as many sweets to make up for all the sweets I had eaten -- but I still did and thought it was one of the richest cakes I had ever eaten. Long story short, even with my childish tastes, I think these have the potential to be rich, sweet, and delicious even to me! Beautiful work though, I love LTS's testing of alternative cupcake holders as well as her ability "to think outside of the cupcake liner"! I too am a big chocolate and coffee fan so these sound right up my alley. I usually try to have each daily and now I can have them together. Thanks for entering and thanks to your husband for doing the dishes. Where can I get one of those! Capitol D...Delicious!
	Chocolate Strawberry Bliss Cupcakes by Confessions of a City Eater I love the stripes of color in this cake, made by Tina and my Boston neighbor (Go Celtics!). It is so simple and elegant. I am curious to know the kind of frosting used. It looks delish! OMG, I didn't realize these were white chocolate. I love love love white chocolate. And with strawberry? Even better! And COACE? Since I commented on your posting, you'll be happy to know I found a whatchamacallit to pipe frosting at Marshall's so I picked it up. Now if I can only get the actual skill down... Ooh another Boston girl...Scopper Bowl next week, don't miss out! I absolutely love this photo with the city in the background. Maybe these should have been called Bliss in the City (BITC)...appropriate timing! These look so refreshing and your strawberry ice cream sounds great.
	Oreo Ice Cream Cone Cupcakes by Küchenatein I have heard of cone cupcakes, but it never occured to me to make them and then add ice cream to make a REAL ice cream cone cupcake! Brillant! I just love the idea, and it is basically an all-in-one, good for the environment (no trash) solution! These are adorable! Perfect for a kid's party -- you wouldn't have to deal with ice cream and cake on the spot, as it is all predone! Also pretty cool with the cone removed too! I think oreo ice cream is one of my all time favorites...so these are rigth up my alley. The other day I had, get this, cake batter oreo ice cream at J.P. Licks in Brookline, MA. That might be my new favorite -- two of my all time favs combined!! Hey I have been dying to try the cupcake in the cone idea. I came across this idea when researching recipes for my toddler's birthday and thought it was such a neat and fun idea so I am psyched to see this here. This is a classic and so right for this roundup. I just want to lick them now!

Thanks to everyone who took part -- every single one of the recipes was creative, unique, and so delicious looking...we'll report back again when we actually try some of these!

In the meantime, if our readers try any of these recipes, please send us a full report!

What I loved best?...I loved how the every presentation was completely different than the last. It is amazing to me how people take the same problem and come up with their own solution that is so "out of the cupcake liner," as Lick the Spatula so aptly put it!