Category Archives: Ice cream

Peanut Butter Banana Ice Cream {National Ice Cream Month}

Posted by Lindsey @ Baking Bytes in Celebration/Holiday, Dessert, Ice cream and tagged with , ,

Hi friends! I hope you are surviving the massive heatwaves or at least not giggling too hard at those of us struggling through them. Can you believe we are halfway through the year already? Crazy. Although I can definitely say that if this 100-degree (F) weather keeps up I will be ready for winter really soon.

In any case, I have a month of frozen deliciousness for you! If you were around last year, you might remember that July is National Ice Cream Month and to celebrate I posted a new ice cream recipe each week. This year I’m intending to follow the same pattern so I’ll be posting a total of five new recipes on Wednesdays in July. Are you pumped? You should be. (I am.)

Peanut Butter Banana Ice Cream {{Baking Bytes}}

To start us off I thought I’d use a classic flavor: peanut butter. Well maybe you think peanut butter isn’t classic, but it’s a very common flavor in my house and I’d eat it probably five times per day if I didn’t specifically try not to. Whoops. Last year I posted peanut butter fudge ripple and this year I’m bringing you peanut butter banana.

Peanut Butter Banana Ice Cream {{Baking Bytes}}

When I was on exchange in Scotland (several years ago now, boy time flies) I discovered a place called the Marble Slab Creamery. Much like Coldstone here in the states, they add your mix-ins right in front of you and then hand over a perfectly balanced treat made directly to your specifications. I’m sure they had like ten thousand calories per cup but I went there several times during my stay when I needed a pick-me-up or I was celebrating or I happened to be near the mall. My favorite combination was peanut butter banana with Graham cracker and I probably ordered one at least half of the times I went. Sprinkled with crushed Graham crackers, this recipe beautifully recreates that memory in a delicious treat I can make from 4000 miles away.

Peanut Butter Banana Ice Cream {{Baking Bytes}}

Smooth and peanut buttery with the lovely addition of banana, this ice cream tastes like summer to me. It’s a fabulous combination you have probably noticed crops up in a ton of my recipes and I doubt I’ll ever get bored with it. If you think no dessert is complete without chocolate, it would also be great with that fudge ripple from last year or topped with some mini chocolate chips.

Peanut Butter Banana Ice Cream {{Baking Bytes}}

Hope you enjoy the kickoff recipe and be sure to check back next week for a less traditional flavor.

Peanut Butter Banana Ice Cream 

Makes ~6 cups

Ingredients

3/4 cup sugar
2 cups heavy whipping cream
1 cup half and half (or milk)
1/2 creamy peanut butter1
1/2 cup egg substitute
2-3 medium ripe bananas2

Directions

  1. Mix all ingredients in a blender until smooth and completely combined; mixture will be somewhat thick.
  2. Cover bowl and chill in the refrigerator at least 4 hours, or overnight.
  3. Freeze according to your ice cream maker’s directions, then place in a freezer-safe bowl to freeze for an additional three hours, or overnight.
  4. Serve topped with crushed Graham crackers and/or your choice of toppings.

Notes

1 You could use chunky if you want, although likely the texture will still be pretty smooth after blending.

2 For best flavor, bananas should be very ripe or slightly override. I like to use three so the banana flavor is more pronounced, but if you’re more a peanut butter person use fewer of them.

Chocolate Irish Car Bomb Sundae

Posted by Lindsey @ Baking Bytes in Candy, Celebration/Holiday, Dessert, Ice cream, Sauces and Frostings and tagged with , , , , ,

Oh yeah, you read that title right. Irish Car Bomb Sundae. Mixing alcohol and ice cream like a pro. If you’ve been reading awhile, you know that alcoholic ice cream isn’t a new thing here (Baileys and chocolate ‎Kahlúa have both made appearances) but this, this takes it to a whole new level. Note: if you don’t want the whole back story, skip the next four paragraphs.

Whilst planning my baking adventures Sunday morning, I realized we were getting quite close to St. Patrick’s Day. And due to this planning fail, I also realized yesterday was my last usual posting day before the holiday. The mint brownies I had planned would work, true, but I wanted something a bit more festive, a bit less overdone. In my head, Guinness is the most quintessential St. Patty’s Day beverage, making the Irish Car Bomb the most quintessential (although not very politically correct) cocktail of the day. Personally I’m not a fan of Guinness, and anything that curdles while you’re drinking just sounds like a terrible idea, but I’d seen ICB-inspired desserts before that sounded awesome, like cake and donuts. That’s when it hit me: ice cream!

Guinness Chocolate Ice Cream {{Baking Bytes}}

Two years ago a delightful coworker and friend made the team Guinness chocolate milkshakes. (At work. Before 11am. It was awesome.) Even as someone who doesn’t care for Guinness, I found them delicious. And so, the chocolate ICB sundae began to take shape. Guinness chocolate ice cream, of course, Baileys whipped cream, of course, but how to work in the whiskey? It was a terrible dilemma to be sure. Coincidentally, an entirely different friend posted recently about making whiskey dulce de leche. Whiskey caramel it is!

Whiskey Caramel Sauce {{Baking Bytes}}

Unfortunately, it was after 11am on Sunday when I had this revelation and so there was not enough time to create this concoction before my usual Monday post schedule. Be that as it may, I made the brownies, walked to the store for Guinness (twice, due to forgetting my ID the first time), and began the journey towards bliss.

Modifying my chocolate ice cream recipe was easy enough, so I got that into the freezer between brownie layers and cleaning and searching for whiskey caramel recipes. Having never actually made caramel before I was a bit nervous, but figured now was as good a time as any to give it a try. After finding a recipe and checking my cupboards for the ingredients (we only had Scottish whisky but…shhh. I’m sorry Colby.), I filed it away to make the next day. Normally I rarely do blog things after work, because I’m tired and hungry and just generally more of a mid-afternoon baker. However, my sheer excitement about this recipe resulted not only in making the remaining layers, but photographing everything and writing this post all in the same evening. Phew. But it’s worth it, oh so worth it.

Chocolate Irish Car Bomb Sundae {{Baking Bytes}}

Smooth and creamy chocolate ice cream accented by the unmistakable flavor of Guinness beer, topped with a relatively light Baileys whipped cream, and drizzled with a caramel brilliantly highlighted with whiskey. None of the flavors are individually overwhelming and they all combine together in sundae perfection. Not a dessert for the fainthearted, a small portion goes a long way. I wouldn’t personally eat the amount shown in my photos, for what it’s worth.

All three recipes are easy-peasy and come together quickly, minus chilling time. Very beginner friendly but fun for an experienced cook as well, and also extremely delicious. Which, let’s face it, that’s really the important aspect here. They are also easy to adjust to taste. Feel free to adjust the cocoa powder or Guinness a bit, and use more or less Baileys in the whipped cream. I can’t vouch for how adjusting the whiskey in the caramel would work, but I expect it would be just fine to add a little more or less. It is not super pronounced, which I felt was perfect. I made only a half batch of the original caramel recipe, so double mine if you want lots of leftovers or you’re feeding a crowd.

Chocolate Irish Car Bomb Sundae {{Baking Bytes}}

Need I say more? Really, the photos speak for themselves. I’m not even sure why you’re still reading instead of out shopping for ingredients.

Chocolate Irish Car Bomb Sundae {{Baking Bytes}}

If you’re looking to impress yourself (or I guess some other people) for a St. Patrick’s Day party this year, look no further. Below, find the recipes for Guinness chocolate ice cream, Baileys whipped cream, whiskey caramel sauce, and instructions for the Irish Car Bomb sundae. Make one, make them all. Anything here is a great addition to any evening, but the trifecta is sure to wow.

And if you’re curious, the mint brownies will be up here next Monday, March 16th.

Guinness Chocolate Ice Cream {{Baking Bytes}}

Guinness Chocolate Ice Cream

Makes about 5 cups

Ingredients

1 cup heavy cream
1 cup Guinness beer
1/2 cup half & half
1 cup sugar
1/4 – 1/3 cup cocoa powder
1 tsp vanilla

Directions

  1. Combine all ingredients in a blender and blend until well combined and smooth.
  2. Place mixture in the fridge until completely chilled (temp should be less than 40 degrees Fahrenheit.)
  3. Chill a glass or other freezer-safe, lidded bowl in the freezer while you churn the ice cream according to your ice cream maker’s directions.
  4. Transfer ice cream to bowl and return to the freezer for at least 4 hours before serving. (Freezer time is not optional with this recipe.)

Baileys Whipped Cream {{Baking Bytes}}

Baileys Whipped Cream

Adapted from The Cupcake Project
Makes about 3 cups

Ingredients

1 cup heavy whipping cream
1/4 cup sugar
2 Tbsp Baileys Irish cream liqueur

Directions

  1. Using an electric mixer (whisk attachment for a stand mixer) beat the cream and sugar until very soft peaks form.
  2. Gently stir in the Baileys until just incorporated.
  3. Continue beating the cream until soft-medium peaks form (or whatever consistency you like).
  4. Serve immediately, storing leftovers in an air-tight container in the fridge.

Whiskey Caramel Sauce {{Baking Bytes}}

Whiskey Caramel Sauce

Borrowed from Epicurious
Makes about 1/2 cup

Ingredients

1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 Tbsp water

3 Tbsp Irish whiskey
2 Tbsp heavy cream
1/8 tsp salt

Directions

  1. In a small or medium heavy saucepan, bring sugar and water to a boil over medium heat, stirring until sugar dissolves.
  2. Boil without stirring until syrup begins to look golden, about 5-7 minutes.
  3. Continue to boil, stirring occasionally, until color deepens to a rich caramel color. (It make crystallize somewhat during steps 2-3, that’s normal.)
  4. Remove from heat and stir in remaining ingredients. Mixture will splatter so be careful! If the caramel has hardened, return to heat briefly.
  5. Stir caramel until it is smooth and of even color, allowing to cool for a few minutes before serving. Store any leftovers in a sealed container in the fridge and reheat in the microwave in very small time increments – it is quick to boil over.

Chocolate Irish Car Bomb Sundae {{Baking Bytes}}

Chocolate Irish Car Bomb Sundae

Ingredients

Guinness Chocolate Ice Cream
Baileys Whipped Cream
Whiskey Caramel Sauce

Directions

  1. Swirl caramel sauce on the inside of a glass or bowl. (optional)
  2. Scoop in desired amount of ice cream, top with whipped cream, and swirl additional caramel sauce over the whole shebang.
  3. Enjoy immediately and try not to enter a sugar coma.

Fresh Peach Crisp & Cinnamon Vanilla Ice Cream

Posted by Lindsey @ Baking Bytes in Baking, Dessert, Ice cream and tagged with , ,

As the days start to get shorter, my thoughts turn to those of fall and how I’m probably not quite ready for that. Fortunately the produce section at Costco is still full of summer flavors. I had a flat of peaches to use up and not enough energy for a pie, so a peach crisp seemed in order.

Peach Crisp & Cinnamon Vanilla Ice Cream {{Baking Bytes}}

Peaches and cinnamon are one of my favorite flavor combinations and this crisp is no exception. Fresh peaches complimented by ground cinnamon is difficult to beat and nixing the pie crust makes it easier than pie. With the crispy topping it’s great on its own but being as I’m an a la mode kind of girl, I made a batch of ice cream to go with.

Obviously vanilla is the traditional choice, but on a whim I kicked it up a notch with a teaspoon of cinnamon. Best idea ever! It’s pairs beautifully with the crisp, and I’m sure it would go great with peach pie, rhubarb pie, or any number of other fruit desserts. It’s also delicious by itself for us cinnamon fanatics. I suggest you make a batch to go with your peach crisp – you’ll be glad you did!

Peach Crisp & Cinnamon Vanilla Ice Cream {{Baking Bytes}}

Full disclosure: I thought this crisp turned out a little runny, so if I make it again I’ll probably add another 1/2-1 teaspoon of cornstarch to the peaches before baking. If you try it that way, let me know what you think.

PS – If you’re cringing at the idea of peeling 6 peaches, check out my peach pie post for an easy and fast way to get it done!

Peach Crisp

Adapted from Brown Eyed Baker
Makes 8″x8″ dish

Ingredients

6 peaches (peeled, pitted and sliced)
1/3 cup sugar

1/4 cup butter, melted
1/3 cup brown sugar
3/4 cup flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 salt

1 Tbsp lemon juice
2 tsp cornstarch
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp salt

Directions

  1. Place peaches in a large bowl and gently fold in the sugar. Let stand for about 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.
  2. Meanwhile, make the topping: in a small bowl, whisk together brown sugar, flour, baking powder, and salt until well mixed. Add the butter and mix until completely combined and crumbly. You may want to use your hands. Set aside.
  3. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
  4. Whisk together lemon juice, corn starch, cinnamon, and salt in a small bowl.
  5. Drain peaches (for at least ten minutes), return to bowl, and stir in lemon juice mixture.
  6. Pour peaches into 8″x8″ glass baking dish, crumble topping over the peaches (pressing lightly to make sure it sticks) and bake for about 40 minutes, or until juices are bubbling and topping is crisp.
  7. Let cool for 15 minutes, or until ready to eat. Serve warm with a scoop of cinnamon vanilla ice cream (below).

Peach Crisp & Cinnamon Vanilla Ice Cream {{Baking Bytes}}

Cinnamon Vanilla Ice Cream

Makes ~6 cups

Ingredients

1 cup sugar
2 cups heavy whipping cream
1 cup half and half (or milk)
1/2 cup egg substitute
1 1/2 tsp vanilla
1/2 – 1 tsp ground cinnamon1

Directions

  1. Whisk together all ingredients until completely combined.
  2. Cover bowl and chill in the refrigerator at least 4 hours, or overnight.
  3. Freeze according to your ice cream maker’s directions, then place in a freezer-safe bowl to freeze for an extra three hours, or overnight.

Notes

1 I love cinnamon so I used the full teaspoon. If you’re not as big of a fan, you’d probably prefer a half teaspoon (or somewhere in between).

Cookies & Cream Ice Cream {National Ice Cream Month}

Posted by Lindsey @ Baking Bytes in Celebration/Holiday, Dessert, Ice cream and tagged with , , ,
[Welcome! In case you missed it, this month is National Ice Cream month. Each Tuesday I’ll be sharing a new ice cream recipe for the entire month of July. If you want to see the rest of month’s recipes, they can be found at the following links: orange creamsicle Dixie cups, Baileys, peanut butter fudge ripple,  Kahlúa chocolate.]

And just like that, July is nearly over, making this our last week of National Ice Cream Month; I hope you enjoyed it! Did it go by crazy fast for you, too? I thought the month just flew by. On Saturday I completed my third half marathon for the year, making me halfway through my goal of six. It was a very small race (fewer than 20 for the half distance) but the course was well supported and beautiful. It was not a PR, but I finished about 10 minutes faster than I thought I was going, and given the hellacious side cramp I had for about 6 miles, I’m pleased with my ~2:19 finish. The only way to make my side cramp bearable was to run with my hand on my side and apply constant pressure, and I kept thinking to myself “I’m a little teapot…” Fortunately my fourth thirteener is not until September so I am hoping to get this side cramp nonsense figured out before then. I’m also planning to squeeze in a 5k or two because I figure compared to a half marathon it will be over before I realize I’ve starting running. Haven’t run a proper 5k in over a year, so I’m curious if I’ve improved my time. We shall see!

Cookies & Cream Ice Cream {{Baking Bytes}}

We’re going to round out the month with a classic American flavor: cookies & cream. A staple at ice cream shops and grocery store aisles, this flavor remains one of the best-selling flavors in America since it gained popularity in the ’80s. Personally, I’m a big fan as well. The lightness of vanilla with the added bonus flavor and texture of chocolate wafer cookies.

Cookies & Cream Ice Cream {{Baking Bytes}}

Nowadays Oreos (or a similar style) are often used, and I’m not one to argue with the pros. However, given I’m a DIY kinda girl, I opted to make a homemade version of the cookies. You can obviously substitute a store-bought variety if you don’t want to make your own, but this is a quick and easy recipe you can whip up while you’re waiting for the ice cream to chill in the fridge. I used most of the recipe in my ice cream because I like a lot of cookie. If you like less, you may just need half of the cookie recipe. I prefer a coarse grind for even distribution plus some bigger chunks of cookie, but feel free to customize these steps to your own preferences. You could use all coarse powder, or all big chunks, or whatever combination you like best.

Cookies & Cream Ice Cream {{Baking Bytes}}

One of the best parts of cookies and cream is how versatile it’s gotten over the years. Traditionally it uses a base of vanilla ice cream, but these days you can find tons of variations with chocolate, mint, and multitudes of other flavors. If you’re not feeling vanilla today, try it with chocolate or one of the flavors from this month’s lineup. This week I didn’t feel the need to mess with a classic, so below find instructions for homemade Oreo cookies as well as vanilla cookies and cream ice cream. A crowd-pleaser for kids and adults alike, this is sure to become a staple in the house of Baking Bytes.

Homemade Oreos (Cookie only)1

Adapted from Cupcake Project
Makes ~5 dozen cookies

Ingredients

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt

2/3 cup butter, room temp
1 large egg

Directions

  1. Preheat over to 375 degrees Fahrenheit and line two cookie sheets with silicon mats or parchment paper.
  2. In the bowl of a stand mixer, whisk together by hand the dry ingredients (flour, sugar, cocoa, baking soda and powder, and salt).
  3. And butter and egg, and beat on medium speed until well combined and dough comes together.
  4. Use a 1 tsp cookie scoop and place dough 2″ apart on a lined cookie sheet.
  5. Bake for 9 minutes2, then remove to wire rack to cool completely.

Notes

1 I only include the recipe for the cookie part of the Oreos since that’s all I needed for the ice cream. If you want the filling also, head on over to the Cupcake Project for full instructions. The only thing I changed was the amount of butter, mainly because I’m lazy about measuring. They seemed to work great with 2/3 cup instead of the original, but it’s totally up to you. I also did not bother flattening my cookies and they seemed to get plenty thin enough, and were perhaps a bit larger than traditional Oreos. Bake a test cookie or two to see what works best for you.

2 If you are using a dark pan and/or parchment paper instead of mats, you may need to bake them less. Start with 7 minutes and taste one after it’s cooled a few minutes: it should be crunchy but not taste burned.

Cookies & Cream Ice Cream

Makes ~6 cups

Ingredients

1 recipe chocolate wafer cookies (above) OR 2-3 dozen Oreos

1 cup sugar
2 cups heavy whipping cream
1 cup half and half (or milk)
1/2 cup egg substitute
1 1/2 tsp vanilla

Directions

  1. Crush about half to three-fourths of the cookies into a very course powder1, and chop the remainder into desired chunky size (optional). Set aside.
  2. Whisk together all ingredients except cookies until completely combined.
  3. Cover bowl and chill in the refrigerator at least 4 hours, or overnight.
  4. Freeze according to your ice cream maker’s directions
  5. During the last few minutes of churning, add crushed cookies (you may not want all of them. I added about 1/3 cup at a time.)
  6. Stop churning, and fold in chopped cookies, if desired.
  7. Place in a freezer-safe bowl to freeze for an extra three hours, or overnight. Cookies will soften and meld a little with the ice cream overnight so I like to give it lots of time for that.

Notes

1 For crushing cookies, place them in a Ziploc and use a rolling pin or a mason jar. Or use a food processor if you have one. I crushed about 2/3 the recipe, then chopped (I just broke them into 4-8 pieces with my hands) about half of the remainder and added that in. Add as many or as few as suits you.

Kahlúa Chocolate Ice Cream {National Ice Cream Month}

Posted by Lindsey @ Baking Bytes in Celebration/Holiday, Dessert, Ice cream and tagged with , ,
[Welcome! In case you missed it, this month is National Ice Cream month. Each Tuesday I’ll be sharing a new ice cream recipe for the entire month of July. If you want to see the previous recipes, they can be found at the following links: orange-vanilla Dixie cups, Baileys, and peanut butter fudge ripple.]

Ah, Kahlúa. The coffee liqueur we all know and love. (Unless you don’t, in which case today’s flavor is probably not for you.) This is actually a flavor I make fairly often, even though I never got around to posting it before now. It is a slight modification on my chocolate ice cream recipe, but a whole lot more fun. Very popular with all the ladies I’ve served it to, but unfortunately I don’t have a wide male test audience so I can’t speak to its gender neutrality. In any case, it’s one of my go-to flavors and definitely great for ladies’ night.

Kahlúa Chocolate Ice Cream {{Baking Bytes}}

Smooth and creamy, chocolatey with a completely customizable amount of Kahlúa, this is an easy recipe to tweak to your preferences. Not big on the boozy taste? Use just two ounces (or even less) of the liqueur. Big fan of Kahlúa? Bump it up to four ounces for more impact. I recommend starting with one ounce, and adding it one half to one ounce at a time until it has your preferred strength. Pro tip: drink some water between each taste test. Also, be wary of adding more than four ounces as the ice cream may not harden properly even after several hours in the freezer.

Kahlúa Chocolate Ice Cream {{Baking Bytes}}

While making a batch for the blog, I tried the blender method from last week’s recipe instead of heating it like I have in the past. It worked beautifully and was way faster, plus it cuts down on chilling time. I will definitely be using this method in the future, and have updated my previous chocolate ice cream post to match.

Like the Baileys ice cream, this one stays very soft in the freezer so you want to dish it up pronto after you take it out. (You can see it starting to melt in my pictures and that was less than two minutes outside of the freezer.) It is excellent both plain and with whipped cream and/or chocolate sauce. Although I’ve never made it this way, I think it would be delightful with the fudge ripple from the peanut butter ice cream.

Kahlúa Chocolate Ice Cream {{Baking Bytes}}

Personally I think this recipe needs little talking up, so I’ll leave it here. If you’re a chocolate and/or Kahlúa fan, this one’s for you. If this recipe doesn’t fit your style, be sure to check back next week for the last post: an American classic.

Kahlúa Chocolate Ice Cream 

Makes ~6 cups

Ingredients

1 cup sugar
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
2 cups heavy whipping cream
1 cup half and half (or milk)
1/2 cup egg substitute
2-4 oz Kahlúa1

Directions

  1. Mix all ingredients in a blender until smooth and completely combined.
  2. Cover bowl and chill in the refrigerator at least 4 hours, or overnight.
  3. Freeze according to your ice cream maker’s directions, then place in a freezer-safe bowl to freeze for an additional three hours, or overnight.

Notes

1 I usually add 3 oz of Kahlúa, which is semi-strong without overwhelming the chocolate flavor. Use less for just a hint of flavor or more if you’re looking for more Kahlúa than chocolate. As previously mentioned, be wary of adding more than 4 oz as it may not harden properly!