Ice Cream Social: Peanut Butter Banana Malt Dusty Road Sundaes | Baking a Moment

My apparent inability to count has resulted in your reward. Though Ice Cream Social was supposed to be "a week-long post-a-thon of ice cream recipes", I somehow forgot to count myself among the 7 bloggers and ended up with one extra day of ice cream! Terrible, I know.

And by terrible, I obviously mean absolutely fantastic. Because to wrap up this incredible week, I've got Allie from Baking a Moment sharing a recipe that includes peanut butter and banana and malted milk balls and all sorts of sweetness.

Speaking of sweetness, Allie is probably one of the sweetest people ever. When I met her in May {yes, at BlogHer Food where I seem to have met everyone and their mama}, I felt like I had known her for ages. In fact, I found myself just tagging along with her group throughout the conference day because I just felt so comfortable that I couldn't help myself! {Note: Find nice people to do this with so that they don't give you "Who the heck are you?" looks.}

Her blog keeps me browsing for hours on end. The girl has got some talent in the kitchen and behind the lens. Try not to dive head-first into your computer screen when you take at just about everything her Apple Rose Tart with Maple Custard and Walnut Crust {I'm not kidding, you really have to see this to believe it. Gorgeous.} or her Chocolate Caramel Cheesecake Tartlets. I can't even. There are no words.

Want to check out all of her beautiful baking for yourself? Follow Allie on her pages to get a glimpse of the magic!

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*Don't forget!* Enter to win our Ice Cream Social prize pack including goodies from our friends at Joy Cone & a copy of the fabulous Ruby Violet's Ice Cream Dreams from our pals at Hardie Grant!

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Hi there, Kitchen Prep friends!  I’m Allie, and I usually blog over at Baking a Moment. I’m so happy to be filling in for Dianna today, for this fun Ice Cream Social event!  How awesome is this, to get a new and fabulous ice cream recipe from a different blogger every day?!   

When it comes to homemade ice cream, my philosophy is, you gotta go big or go home.   I mean, let's be honest here: making homemade ice cream is kind of a process.  You have to think ahead, you have to plan, freeze the canister, chill the custard, and on and on and on.  If I am going to invest that kind of time and effort, it had better be bug-your-eyes-out amazing.

So this one is not low-cal by any stretch.  Just want to put that out there from the get-go.  But it definitely fits the bug-your-eyes-out bill. There are a lot of egg yolks (so you've got whites in your fridge for macarons! Or Swiss meringue buttercream), and obvs, cream.  Suuuuper rich, veeeeerrrrrry creamy.  Even after it's had a good nights rest in the freezer, this ice cream is soft and so creamy.  You'll have no trouble scooping it, and it will never be icy.  I could never give you icy ice cream, that is just such a slap in the face and I have too much respect for you to ever do that.

The ice cream base is infused with banana and brown sugar (omg!).  Then, it's ribboned with honey peanut butter (OMG!).  Then, sprinkled throughout with crushed malted milk balls (don't... stop!).  As if that weren't enough, you are going to drizzle it with chocolate sauce and dust it with malt powder (BOOM!).

Are you familiar with Dusty Road Sundaes?  I wasn't sure if that's a regional thing, or what.  Usually it's vanilla ice cream with chocolate sauce and malt powder.  Definitely a favorite of mine, but this is on a whole different level.  I'm going big here, remember?

Peanut Butter Banana Malt Dusty Road Sundaes

8 egg yolks

3/4 cup light brown sugar

1 ripe banana, mashed

1/8 teaspoon kosher salt

1 1/2 cups milk (I used 1%)

2 1/2 cups heavy cream

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1 cup peanut butter

1/4 cup honey

1 1/2 cups malted milk balls, chopped

chocolate sauce

malted milk powder

1. Freeze the canister of an ice cream maker overnight.

2. Place the egg yolks, brown sugar, banana, and salt in a large bowl and whisk to combine. 

3. Heat the milk in a medium pot until small bubbles form around the edges.  Pour the hot milk into the egg mixture in a slow and steady stream, while whisking.  Transfer the mixture back to the pot.

4. Add the cream and heat over medium-low heat, whisking, until the mixture thickens slightly and is very hot to the touch.  Remove from heat and stir in the vanilla.  Refrigerate the mixture overnight.

5. Mix the peanut butter and honey together in a small bowl.

6. Pour the chilled custard into the ice cream maker (with the machine running).  Allow it to churn for 20-30 minutes, or until it has the consistency of soft serve.

7. Layer the ice cream in a loaf pan, drizzling it with the peanut butter mixture, and sprinkling with chopped malted milk balls (work quickly!).  Freeze until hard.

8. Top scoops of ice cream with chocolate sauce and dust with malted milk powder. 

Thank you so much, Dianna, for inviting me to be a part of your Ice Cream Social!  I had so much fun coming up with this idea, and I hope you guys all enjoyed!  If you’re looking for more fun summer treats, I’d love for you to pop over to Baking a Moment and check out what I’ve been up to.  Here are a few summery dessert ideas you might enjoy:  

Raspberry Magic Custard Cake Bars 

Simply Perfect Blueberry Muffins

Nutella S’mores Tart 

Red, White, & Blue Velvet Bundt Cake

...and stay in touch by following me on my social media:

Ice Cream Social: Coconut Macaroon Ice Cream Pie | Ruffles & Truffles

I just love the fact that the only direction I gave my Ice Cream Social pals was to create something ice cream related, and they all came up with something totally unique! We've had ice cream sandwiches, boozy ice creams, ice creams that don't require ice cream makers... and today, ice cream pie from Katie at Ruffles & Truffles!

Katie is another gal I met during the conference weekend in Miami {I was obviously very busy socializing!}. I didn't really get to chat with her until the last night and I was a little sad because -- after getting to check out her blog -- I think we'd have a lot in common! She's a teacher {as I was many moons ago}, she's got adorable pups and, most importantly, she loves food. Her blog is composed of DIYs, fashion, AND recipes... so versatile & fun to read.

And her recipes? So great! I mean, what's not to love about a Greek Salad Grilled Cheese Sandwich or Chocolate Coconut Macarons with Vanilla Buttercream? You must check out all this goodness yourself over on Katie's social media pages:

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*Don't forget!* Enter to win our Ice Cream Social prize pack including goodies from our friends at Joy Cone & a copy of the fabulous Ruby Violet's Ice Cream Dreams from our pals at Hardie Grant!

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Hi everyone! My name is Katie, and I blog over at Ruffles & Truffles. I share a little bit of fashion, DIY, and of course: food! Today, I am thrilled to be sharing a frozen treat that is near and dear to my heart: a coconut macaroon ice cream pie!

For those of you who don’t know me, there is something important to know right off the bat: frozen yogurt and ice cream are essential elements in my life. I’m incapable of ending my day without indulging in at least a few bites of creamy dessert goodness. But here’s the thing: sometimes JUST a bowl of ice cream won’t cut it for me. Sometimes I want more. Enter: my second dessert obsession. Coconut macaroons. There is something so wonderful about a toasty, sweet, and slightly chewy coconut macaroon. Extra points if it also includes chocolate in some way.

Now for the kicker: smash my two favorite desserts together and you get a coconut macaroon ice cream pie! I mean, who can resist cookies and ice cream together? When I first created this pie in my kitchen, I was worried it wouldn’t work as well as I imagined it in my head. However, the crunchy yet chewy cookie crust paired with the creamy ice cream (and whipped topping) is definitely delicious. I couldn’t help but cut extra large slices for myself. Oops.

The nice part about this pie is that it is completely customizable. I used vanilla frozen yogurt for mine, but a different flavor combination could be just as awesome! I’m thinking a chocolate ice cream version would be pretty delectable, or maybe even my current favorite flavor: pistachio. You could even use the macaroon batter to create individual sized pies if you prefer. Oh, the possibilities! I hope you think about trying this out for yourself if you happen to be a macaroon enthusiast like myself - you won’t be sorry...

Coconut Macaroon Ice Cream Pie

For the crust:
7oz shredded sweetened coconut
2 egg whites
¼ cup sugar
½ tsp vanilla
Pinch of salt

For the pie filling:
¼ gallon vanilla frozen yogurt or ice cream
6oz mini chocolate chips
8oz whipped topping
3 oz shredded sweetened coconut

1. Preheat your oven to 350° F. Spread the sweetened coconut (7oz for the crust, and 3oz for the garnish in a single layer on a baking sheet. Toast the coconut in the oven for about 20 minutes until golden brown, stirring occasionally. When the coconut is golden brown, remove from oven and allow it to cool completely (you can also place it in the freezer/fridge to speed the process). Keep the oven at 350° F, as you will need it for the pie crust.

2. Meanwhile, whip the egg whites and sugar in a large bowl with a mixer on high speed for 5-7 minutes until stiff peaks form. Then, add the vanilla and salt. Next, use a spatula to fold 7oz of toasted coconut into the mixture.

3. Thoroughly cover the inside of a pie plate with cooking spray. Then, add the coconut macaroon mixture to the pie plate. Use your spatula to press the batter into the bottom and up the sides of the plate evenly to form the crust.

4. Bake at 350° F for 15-20 minutes, until crust is golden brown. Remove from the oven and allow the crust to cool completely.

5. To assemble the pie, remove ice cream/frozen yogurt from the freezer and allow it to rest on the counter for 5 minutes to soften slightly. Scoop ¼ gallon of the ice cream into a large bowl and add the mini chocolate chips. Use a spatula to stir the mixture together. Scoop the ice cream mixture on top of the cooled coconut macaroon crust and spread it evenly inside. Place back into the freezer for at least 10 minutes to allow the components to set.

6. Finally, to complete the pie, top with whipped topping and the additional shredded coconut. Slice, serve, and enjoy!

Ice Cream Social: Grilled Peach & Porter Ice Cream | Life Food & Beer

Not ALL of my blogging friends live hundreds of miles away from me. Sloane from Life Food and Beer happens to live right around the corner! {Not that we get to see each other as often as we'd like with life and all, but still.} 

When Sloane first contacted me a while back and let me know she was local, I was so happy to hear from her! Blogging can get a little lonely when you only chat via comment box and tweets. We met up and hit it off, roadtripping to Food Blog Forum in Orlando together, and I'm glad to now call her a friend.

Sloane's blog started out a lot like mine -- as a place to journal and keep recipes. Now, she's shifted her focus to the intoxicating world of cooking with beer! She and her husband, Huck, are big brewing enthusiasts and I love expanding my hoppy horizons by watching and learning through what they brew and drink. Most of Sloane's recipes include some form of beer: Banana Nut Bars with Brown Butter Glaze & Brown Ale and Beer Mac & Cheese with Bacon and Broccoli, just to name a few. Today, she's sharing an ice cream recipe to fit right in to her niche... follow Sloane to see how else she incorporates beer into her cooking!

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*Don't forget!* Enter to win our Ice Cream Social prize pack including goodies from our friends at Joy Cone & a copy of the fabulous Ruby Violet's Ice Cream Dreams from our pals at Hardie Grant!

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Hello everyone! I'm Sloane from Life Food and Beer. In 2011, my husband and I moved to South Florida. LF&B started as a way to share our adventures and my recipes with family and friends in Georgia. My blog has come a long way since then. Now, all the recipes I share are made with craft beer. It's my little way of contributing to the craft beer community I love so much.

I found Dianna's blog through an online blog community shortly after moving to Florida. When I realized she lived in Jupiter, I knew we had to be friends. I actually think that's what my first email said, "I'm a blogger in Jupiter, too. Want to be BFFs?" We met for coffee and donuts a few days later, and we've been friends ever since. We don’t see each other that often, considering she only lives a mile away, but we're constantly going back and forth through email and text messages about blog stuff. It's really nice having someone to talk to about blogging even if she is a Gator fan!

When she asked me to be a a part of her Ice Cream Social, there was only one answer. Of course! That answer was followed up with, "Can I borrow your ice cream maker?" :) Again, it's so nice having a blogging buddy a block away!

It took me a few days to figure out what kind of ice cream I wanted to make. I had so many ideas and an awesome ice cream maker I was excited to experiment with. It wasn't until I saw a sign for Georgia Peaches that I knew what to make. Besides, The Kitchen Prep needs a little more Georgia influence. If only this recipe was black and red!

For the beer, I used a local favorite. If you've follow me on social media, you know I'm a huge fan of Tequesta Brewing Company. My original plan was to use a fruity, lighter, beer for this recipe, but after some persuasion from one of the brewers, I went with their Baltic Porter.

I wasn't sure how the porter would pair with the peaches. Three batches later I had the perfect combination of the two, and a freezer full of Ice Cream! As I’m sure most of you can’t get TBC’s Baltic Porter, I recommend looking for a sweet porter or stout for this recipe.

I didn't peel the peaches either. I'm way too impatient for that kind of stuff, and I believe the peel added extra texture. Make sure you're using ripe, sweet, peaches for this recipe. You want them to be just firm enough to hold up during grilling.

I hope you guys enjoy this recipe as much as I did. Thanks Dianna for asking me to be a part of
the fun!

Grilled Peach and Porter Ice Cream
Adapted from Bless This Mess Fresh Peach Ice Cream

{Reminder: since the beer isn’t cooked, there is alcohol in this recipe. Great for the adults; not so great for children}

3-4 Medium Peaches- Pitted and Cut into thick slices
Cooking Spray (Optional)
1⁄2 Cup 2% Milk
1 Cup Heavy Cream
1 Cup Porter or Stout
1 Tbsp. Vanilla
1 Cup Sugar
Pinch of Salt

1. Preheat the grill or grill pan over medium heat. Lightly spray the grill or peaches with cooking spray
to prevent from sticking, if desired.

2. Place peaches flesh side down and cooking until peaches start
to brown. Flip.

3. Once peaches have nice grill marks on both sides, place half of the peaches in a food processer and blend until smooth. You can add some of the milk to help thin out the mixture if needed.

4. Dice the additional peaches into small pieces. Place in a bowl, in the refrigerator to cool.

5. Add the blended peaches to the refrigerator and cool for 30 minutes.

6. While the peaches are cooking, whisk together the Milk, Heavy Cream, Beer, Vanilla, Sugar, and Salt.
Once the sugar is dissolved, place in the refrigerator until the peach mixture is ready.

7. Combine the Beer mixture with the pureed Peaches and add to an ice cream maker. (For the ice
cream maker I was using, it took about 20 minutes for the mixture to be a soft serve consistency.)

8. Add the diced up peaches half way through the process.

Enjoy right away or freeze to enjoy later.

Ice Cream Social: Vanilla Brownie Ice Cream | Hip Foodie Mom

Today we're continuing the frozen treat fun with Alice from Hip Foodie Mom! 

I discovered Alice's blog during one of my Pinterest-a-thons {you know, minutes that turn into hours pinning pretty things}. I couldn't help but notice her fabulous pics and mouthwatering recipes! She's one of those bloggers that makes it look so easy and makes every recipe look totally doable. From appetizers like Coconut Lemongrass Chicken Curry Crostini to simple dishes like Arugula and Artichoke Pasta Salad, Alice manages to keep cooking practical and delectable all at the same time. Now that's talent.

As it turns out, she is just as wonderful in person. I totally stopped her in the middle of BlogHer Food and picked her brain about blogging related questions. And she was kind enough to stand there and humor me. I learned more in about 20 minutes of chatting with Alice than I could have from an entire weekend of conferencing! She's kind of awesome. Get a little dose of her awesomeness yourself by following her on:

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*Don't forget!* Enter to win our Ice Cream Social prize pack including goodies from our friends at Joy Cone & a copy of the fabulous Ruby Violet's Ice Cream Dreams from our pals at Hardie Grant!

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Hello everyone!

I'm Alice from Hip Foodie Mom. Hip Foodie Mom is primarily a fresh food blog, featuring recipes using local, seasonal and organic ingredients. You’ll find a little bit of everything from vegetarian to meat dishes to Asian food but one thing remains constant: my use of fresh, quality, local ingredients.

I'm thrilled to be here guest posting today for ice cream week! I had the pleasure of meeting sweet Dianna in Miami at BlogHer Food. We hit it off immediately and spent the afternoon with friends gabbing about blogging, business, working with brands and everything else in between. I love that Dianna got us all together this week because it's July and National Ice Cream Month!

What better way to celebrate than to share some pretty fabulous recipes and enter a giveaway?

So, before I get to the recipe here, I've got to explain why I did what I did. Two years ago, almost to the day, I discovered how to make homemade ice cream without an ice cream maker! It changed my life and I blogged about it here and here. Since then, I did end up getting an ice cream maker attachment for my stand mixer and began experimenting with all kinds of flavors and I also received some feedback from people who attempted to make the ice cream (without the ice cream maker) but had no success.

So, I wanted to introduce this way of making ice cream again, since many of you out there do have stand mixers but no ice cream makers. So, this one is for you and there are some tips below. Now, let me say this: the texture is a little different and you will get creamier ice cream when you use an ice cream maker. However, this method is a great alternative and you get to experiment with different flavors and mix-ins! So after you've mastered this basic recipe, the possibilities are endless! I hope you enjoy!

Vanilla Brownie Ice Cream (no ice cream maker required)

Tips:

-  Place your stand mixer bowl and whisk attachment in the freezer for 20 to 30 minutes before using. This will help when mixing your ice cream ingredients.

- Use very cold heavy cream

2 cups very cold heavy cream

1 can (14-ounce) sweetened condensed milk

1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

1 to 2 cups chopped brownies; homemade or store bought (I used day old brownies I had left in the freezer)

1. Using an electric stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat the heavy cream, condensed milk, and vanilla on HIGH speed until thick, stiff peaks form, or for about 8 minutes. It's important to get the stiff peaks (as much as possible). You should after about 8 minutes. Remove the bowl from the stand mixer.

2. Using a rubber spatula, gently fold in the chopped brownie pieces by hand. Transfer the mixture to a loaf pan or freezer-safe container, cover and freeze until firm, for at least 8 hours and up to 2 weeks. The ice cream is best if left to freeze overnight.

Ice Cream Social: Nutella-Swirled Vanilla Ice Cream with Reese's-Style Chunks | The Food Charlatan

We're on Day 3 of our ice cream making shenanigans, and we're showing no signs of stopping! Today's recipe is coming to you from Karen of The Food Charlatan! 

Karen is truly a hoot. {Just read her "About" page.} I know she says that when she started her blog she did so despite the possibility that it may be "ugly as sin", but taking a glance at her work will prove there's nothing "ugly" about it! In fact, it's quite the opposite! I just love the look of Karen's blog AND her super duper drool-inducing photography. 

Tell me you don't want to stuff your face with Overnight Bacon & Cheddar Scones or Malaysian Chicken Pizza. That's what I thought. So, on to Karen's ice cream amazingness. Be sure to follow Karen so you can keep up with her recipes!

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*Don't forget!* Enter to win our Ice Cream Social prize pack including goodies from our friends at Joy Cone & a copy of the fabulous Ruby Violet's Ice Cream Dreams from our pals at Hardie Grant!

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Hello Kitchen Preppies! (Sorry Dianna I couldn’t resist) Props to you by the way, Dianna, for coming up with this whole Ice Cream Social week thing.  Now the only question is how we are going to convince the masses that it’s completely appropriate to have week-long ice cream fests In Real Life.

I mean wouldn’t that be awesome? Different ice cream. Every day. All week long. I was just talking to my husband Eric about this. He interpreted it as a subversive tactic to persuade him to buy me a chest freezer. He knows me well.

I’ll make you a deal, kind reader; you buy me a chest freezer, and I will fill it with Nutella-Swirled Vanilla Ice Cream with Reese's-Style Chunks. And then I will invite you over every day for a week to help me eat it. Deal? Deal.

This ice cream may seem like an odd combo to some. I mean, why not just crush some Reese's peanut butter cups into some vanilla ice cream? Here’s the thing: I’m a weirdo and hate cold chocolate. Those ice cream cones dipped in magic shell? Hate ‘em. Chocolate chip ice cream? Please. I have better things to spend my calories on.

I love Reese's peanut butter cups but they are surrounded by pesky frozen chocolate when they are mixed in ice cream. So I skipped the chocolate and made Reeses peanut butter filling chunks, sans chocolate. And swirled it into some ice cream. With Nutella. Because let’s be real, peanut butter is 1000x better with chocolate, and *bonus!* Nutella freezes way softer than regular ol’ chocolate. Plus you get a sophisticated hazelnut flavor. We’re pretty fancy around here what can I say.

Happy Ice Cream Social week everybody! And happy no-more-waxy-chocolate-stuck-in-your-teeth-day. Bring on the peanut butter filling. 

Nutella-Swirled Vanilla Ice Cream with Reese's-Style Chunks

1 quart good-quality vanilla ice cream

1/4 cup butter, melted (half stick)

1/2 cup + 1 tablespoon graham cracker crumbs

1/3 cup powdered sugar

1/4 cup + 1 tablespoon peanut butter 

1/3 cup Nutella, Nocciolata, or other chocolate hazelnut spread

1. Set out the ice cream for about 20-30 minutes to soften. When the ice cream is soft, scoop it into a mixing bowl.

2. Meanwhile, in another bowl or stand mixer, (or use a spoon) beat together the melted butter, graham cracker crumbs, powdered sugar, and peanut butter. Combine until smooth. Stick the bowl in the fridge for about 10-15 minutes so that it firms up a little. 

3. Use a 1/4 teaspoon or other small spoon to make little bite size chunks of peanut buttery goodness. You can either plop them right on top of the softened ice cream and throw it in the freezer for 10 minutes, or line them up on a wax-paper lined sheet pan. However you want to do it, freeze or refrigerate them for a bit so they hold their shape. (I didn't add all of the peanut butter filling to the ice cream. Probably only a little more than half. I ate the rest, oops.)

4. If you haven't already, add the peanut butter balls to the softened ice cream. Add the 1/3 cup Nutella in small dollops, then use a spoon or knife to swirl it all together. Don't mix, just swirl. 

5. Transfer the ice cream to a tupperware or other ice cream container. Return the ice cream to the freezer until completely frozen, a couple hours at least. 

Note: I only used a little more than half of the peanut butter mixture for this recipe. Add as much or as little as you want.

Source: Reese's peanut butter filling adapted from Real Housemoms

Ice Cream Social: Cherry Bourbon Ice Cream Sandwiches | The Frosted Vegan

I'm kicking off the "social" part of my Ice Cream Social by introducing you to the first blogger who will be contributing to our frosty fête: Abby of The Frosted Vegan!

Abby and I technically "met" through social media. I saw her name pop up on my Instagram from time to time and was intrigued by the fun title of her blog, so I followed her back and got pulled right in to her kitchen adventures. With a tag line like "Plant based desserts, done right", how could you not be curious?! Any girl who whips up things like Caramel Glazed Bananas Foster Donuts and Peanut Butter Dipped Chocolate Sorbet Popsicles should be a friend of mine.

We finally got to meet in person at BlogHer Food Miami in May, and I'm so glad we did! It was while sitting with her and a group of other Midwestern bloggers that I decided that folks from the Midwest are some of the nicest people ever. {Abby is from Wisconsin.}

Anyway, enough of my yappying... I'll let Abby's recipe do the rest of the talking. Make sure you follow Abby and check out all the vegan goodness on her blog!

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And don't forget to enter to win our Ice Cream Social prize pack, with goodies from our friends from Joy Cone & a  copy of the gorgeous cookbook, Ruby Violet's Ice Cream Dreams, from Hardie Grant!

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Hi all! I am so excited to be posting here on Dianna’s blog for The Kitchen Prep Ice Cream Social! Ice

cream has long been a favorite in my house, from licking a cone clean during the summer at my favorite

custard stand (pre-vegan days) to trying my hand at making ice cream at home in the recent months, it

seems like I always have ice cream in the works or on the brain. A year or so I ago I finally splurged on

an ice cream maker, envisioning weekends filled with homemade coconut milk ice cream and adding in

fresh berries as the summer progressed. Unfortunately, I ended up dropping my ice cream maker and

had to send it to the small kitchen appliance graveyard, ack! On the other hand, now I have extra room

for more kitchen gadgets and have to find other ways to satisfy my homemade ice cream cravings.

This brought me to discover blender ice cream! Especially with vegan ice creams, it can be hard to make

sure everything is properly combined and smooth before freezing, particularly when an ice cream maker

isn't in the process. Blending all the ingredients together eliminates the need to heat everything over

a saucepan, let it cool, and all that jazz. I’m all for eliminating unnecessary steps and making recipes as

simple as possible, so blender ice cream was perfect.

The sandwich component of this treat just takes everything to the next level, combining fresh, plump

cherries with fudgy sandwich pieces. I opted for more of a fudgy outside for the sandwiches, over a

more traditional cookie route. I find that the cookie part of ice cream sandwiches can be a little dry and

underwhelming, so the fudgier approach was the way to go for these! If you don’t have cashews on

hand, this would probably work just as well with full fat coconut milk; just reduce down on some of the

extra liquid to ensure that the base doesn't become too watery.

Happy Ice Cream-ing! #TKPIceCreamSocial

Cherry Bourbon Ice Cream Sandwiches 

For the cookie/sandwich:

1/3 cup cocoa powder

1 cup all purpose flour

Pinch of salt

1/3 cup walnuts

1⁄4-1/3 cup almond milk or other non dairy mlk

1⁄4 cup granulated sugar

For the ice cream:

1 cup cashews, soaked for at least 3 hours and drained

1⁄2 cup almond milk or other non-dairy milk

1 banana, frozen

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

1/3 cup maple syrup

3⁄4 cup pitted cherries (frozen or fresh)

3 ounces bourbon

1 cup additional pitted cherries

Pinch of xantham gum (optional)

1/3 cup cherry juice (optional)

1. Line an 8x8 square pan with parchment paper. Set aside.

2. To prepare the cookie: In the bowl of a food processor, combine all ingredients and pulse until loose

dough is formed. If needed, add additional almond milk until mixture comes together. Press the

dough into the parchment lined pan, ensuring the dough it evenly pressed throughout the bottom of

the pan. Freeze for at least 4 hours, or until firm.

3. To prepare the ice cream: In the bowl of a blender, combine all ingredients with the exception of the

additional 1 cup of pitted cherries. Blend until mixture is smooth and creamy. If mixture is too thick

or heavy for the blender, add a little almond milk until mixture can be blended. Pour mixture into a

small cake pan or loaf pan. Stir in the extra 1 cup of cherries. Freeze until solid, but still scoopable,

about 2-3 hours.

4. To assemble the sandwiches: Remove the cookie and ice cream from the freezer. Take cookie

mixture out of the lined pan and cut in half, so you are left with 2 equally sized sections. Place the

parchment and one of the pieces of cookie back into the 8x8 pan. Scoop out the cherry ice cream

and press into the cookie that is placed in the pan. If the ice cream is too solid, you may need to let

it sit for a few extra minutes in order for it to become pliable enough to press into the cookie mixture.

When the ice cream has been pressed into the mixture, place the other half of the cookie on top,

pressing the piece firmly into place. You are essentially making one large ice cream sandwich to

cut into smaller sandwiches. Freeze for 30 minutes, or until firm. Cut large sandwich into smaller

pieces, as big or as small as you would like. Store sealed in the freezer for up to a week.

Yields: 4- 6 sandwiches, depending on size

Ice Cream Social: Buttered Blueberry Waffle Ice Cream with Maple Caramel Swirl

There are no words to describe my excitement today because I FINALLY get to share an exciting project I've been working on for a while: Ice Cream Social!

Ice Cream Social is an idea I came up with while daydreaming about ice cream that happens to encompass a few of my favorite things: Sweet frozen treats, food blogging friends and creative, jaw-dropping recipes.

The "ice cream" part of Ice Cream Social is a given... scoop after scoop of cool, creamy goodness will be served up right here and you won't want to miss a second. Did you know that July is actually National Ice Cream Month? {Thanks to dear old President Reagan. I'm glad I was born while he was in office, the man obviously had good taste.} What better way to celebrate than with recipes to enjoy the frosty stuff?

But the "social" element of Ice Cream Social is a big part of the fun, too! I've come to know so many fabulous food bloggers over the past few years that it would be a shame for me not to introduce them to you. So, I've invited seven of my favorite bloggers over to my corner of the web so you could get to know them, too. Each blogger will be guest posting one day this week, bringing over a little dose of ice cream magic to share with you. I hope you'll not only check out the recipes they're sharing all week long, but also head over to each of their blogs to so you can see why I marvel over all of the things that happen in their kitchens!

Because all good celebrations end with party favors, I'm also inviting you to enter to win an Ice Cream Social prize pack filled to the brim with all sorts of goodies for you to host your very own scooping soiree in the comfort of your own home {where no one can see you lick the bowl if you want to}. Here's a little peek at what you'll get if you're the grand prize winner:

- From our friends at Joy Cone: 1 coupon for redeeming a free box of your favorite kind of cone, a reusable tote, a frisbee and a pair of zebra striped sunnies {seriously, just add sunshine & you've got summer fun!}
- 4 plastic cream bowls, perfect for porch sittin' or outdoor entertaining
- 1 KitchenAid ice cream scoop
- 1 Tovolo Slide Pop maker set
- 1 Tovolo Ice Cream mold set
- 2 Smuckers New Simple Delights gourmet ice cream toppings

A huge thank you to Joy Cone who provided their delightful cones to our bloggers and were kind enough to give us some goodies for our prize pack, too! I mean, ice cream and cones go together like wine and cheese... PB & J... Prince William and Princess Kate. You get the picture.

Included in the prizes is the absolutely gorgeous cookbook, Ruby Violet's Ice Cream Dreams: Ice Cream, Sorbets, Bombes and More. 

It is filled to the brim with recipes for all sorts of frozen delights & some major drool-worthy photography. Many thanks to our friends at Hardie Grant for contributing this beauty!

The best part is that submitting an entry is simple -- just scroll down to the Rafflecopter widget below. Entering is as easy as "liking" our contributors on Facebook, which you'll want to do anyway because they're awesome!

You can also join us for more ice cream ogling on our Ice Cream Social Pinterest board... more ideas than you'll know what to do with!

Ok, so now that you know what Ice Cream Social is all about, let's get to the good part: the ice cream!

It's no secret that I could eat ice cream for breakfast {though, sadly, I don't. I talk a big game.}. I mean, milk, eggs, cream... it's practically a breakfast food already, right? So, when I was dreaming up a creative ice cream recipe to share for this anything-but-ordinary week, it was practically decided for me.

Waffle Ice Cream. No, no... Buttered Blueberry Waffle Ice Cream. Yes, I put breakfast food in my ice cream. Because, why not?

People use waffle cones all the time. So the combo just seemed natural to me. Here's the kicker: What do you top of your waffles and pancakes with? Maple syrup and butter. Duh. So I had to find a way to incorporate both of those flavors without making it gross. {Although some of you might be grossed out already. I'm ok with that. Give me a break, I'm pregnant.}

This ice cream is made up of a creamy, buttery {thanks to butter extract} vanilla bean-speckled base decked out with real waffle pieces. Like the kind you put into the toaster {or make from scratch if you've got a waffle maker}. And the maple syrup? It joins the party in the form of a Maple Caramel Sauce that can either be swirled into the ice cream or poured over the top. Add a Blueberry Sauce ribbon to the mix and you've got yourself breakfast in a cone {and a serious sugar high}.

It's a little weird, I know. But I couldn't very well kick off the ice creamy festivities with plain vanilla, could I? {Even though, honestly, that's one of my absolute favorite flavors.}

So, indulge in ice cream for breakfast. Or breakfast for dessert. Whatever floats your boat. I won't tell you what to do... except make sure you stick around this week for more outrageous recipes. Bust out the stretch pants, you're gonna need 'em!

And don't forget to enter to win our prize pack! A winner will be announced on Tuesday, July 15. Good luck and happy scooping!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Buttered Blueberry Waffle Ice Cream with Maple Caramel Swirl
Ice Cream adapted from Chow, Maple Caramel adapted from Oprah.com

For Ice Cream Base:
2 cups heavy cream
1 cup milk {I used 2%}
2/3 cup sugar
6 egg yolks
1/2 teaspoon vanilla bean paste {or 1 teaspoon vanilla extract}
1/8 teaspoon butter extract {did you know there was a such thing?!}

1. In a saucepan, stir together cream, milk and sugar over medium-high heat. Stir until the sugar is dissolved and the mixture is steaming. Reduce heat to medium.

2. In a medium bowl, whisk together eggs until smooth. Add a ladle full of the hot cream mixture to the eggs, whisking constantly -- this will bring your eggs to a higher temperature so they don't scramble when you add them to the saucepan.

3. Pour the egg and cream mixture to the saucepan, whisking constantly. Cook, stirring, for about 6-8 minutes or until the mixture has thickened {it should coat the back of a spoon and be thick enough to not run back together when a line is drawn down the middle}. Remove from heat.

4. Pour the mixture through a fine mesh strainer into a bowl to ensure there are no cooked pieces of egg. Whisk in vanilla bean paste and butter extract.

5. Cover and refrigerate until cold -- overnight is best, but not necessary if you're short on time.

6.  Pour cold mixture into the bowl of an ice cream maker and churn according to manufacturer's instructions.

For Assembly:
3 Waffles, toasted and cut into small squares{I used Van's Gluten Free Blueberry Waffles}

3/4 cup Blueberry Sauce {see recipe below}

1/4 cup Maple Caramel Sauce {see recipe below}

1. When the ice cream has reached soft serve consistency, gently stir in the toasted waffle pieces. Scoop a third of ice cream mixture into a freezer-safe container.
2. Spoon blueberry sauce over ice cream.
3. Scoop another third of the ice cream over the blueberry layer. Drizzle with maple caramel sauce.
4. Scoop the final third of the ice cream over top of the caramel layer.
5. Seal container and freeze for 2-3 hours or until ice cream has hardened enough to scoop.

Serve in Joy Cone waffle cones for extra waffley goodness!

For Blueberry Sauce:
1 cup frozen blueberries {or fresh}
1/4 cup sugar
Scant tablespoon fresh lemon juice

1. In a small saucepan, combine blueberries, sugar and lemon juice. Cook over medium-high heat until the mixture comes to a boil.

2. Reduce heat slightly and allow the mixture to simmer, mashing down some of the berries to release their juices. Cook until slightly thickened, about 3-4 minutes.

Transfer to a small heat-safe bowl and allow to cool completely until ready to use.

For Maple Caramel Sauce:*
1 stick {8 tablespoons} butter
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup maple syrup
Pinch of salt

1. In a small saucepan, melt butter over medium heat. Whisk in brown sugar and cook until the sugar has dissolved.

2. Add maple syrup and salt and whisk to combine. Cook for another 2 minutes until the mixture is bubbly and slightly thickened.

Transfer to a small heat-safe bowl and allow to cool completely until ready to use.
*This will make more sauce than you need for the ice cream. Simply pour the remainder into an airtight jar and refrigerate for use over ice cream, pancakes, etc.