chocolate dipped peanut butter s'more ice cream bites.

did iiiiii dooo thaaaat?

yes. i did.

and here are a bunch of photos that essentially all look the same. but. O M G.

peanut butter s'more ice cream! rolled into tiny scoops and dipped in dark chocolate! with crumbled graham cracker atop! wowowowowowwowowwww.

these came about as i was experimenting with about 6 different ice cream/frozen yogurt recipes for a project. there were a lotta little scientific containers of cream and milk and sugar of different varieties lurking in our freezer. i threw some peanut butter into one of the versions, and it became WAY more of a frozen dough-like consistency than an ice cream. but it IS ice cream! but i was like, whoa. wassuppppp.

this stuff is richhhhh. i was about to scoop up an average portion that one would eat in a casual ice cream eating sesh, and i was like, 'oh no.. no no. i can't serve this to anyone in this amount. they may pass out...' so yeah this in MEGA INDULGENT.

so then i was like hey i still really want to eat this...but how? and peter kept eating spoonfuls of it in secret.

bite-size it is! and obviously dip them in chocolate just to make it a cute little unit. top with graham cracker crumbles and freeze!

the actual ice cream is like ultra creamyyyy and thick (almost cookie dough-like) peanut butter ice cream. with a hefty swirl of melted marshmallow and chunks of chocolate. that alone is like WAAAAA YURM YURM brain explosion can't handleeee this life.

dipped in a coat of dark chocolate. & graham crumbles. i said that. but i'm saying it again. and it's cold. frozen! in a cute little 2-bite size!

YEAH YUM.

oh, and you don't need an ice cream maker and don't need to churn! mostly because it's sooo damn thick that it does not churn. ha! all of the accidents that happened along the way during the development of this particular ice cream base turned out to create a true miracle.

looking back into ye olde archives of this blog, it appears that i'm annually turning reg'lar old s'mores into something else. see: baked s'mores donuts & s'mores skillet.

this summer's s'mores creation is a very welcome addition to the collection.

luv you, little bitez of happiness.

Chocolate Dipped Peanut Butter S'more Ice Cream Bites

Makes 12-16 ice cream bites

Active Time: 45 minutes // Total Time: 4-8 hours

Ingredients:

• 2 egg yolks
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 1  1/2 cups half and half
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1/4 tsp. xantham gum (optional)
• 1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
• 6-8 melted marshmallows, or 1/2 cup marshmallow creme
• about 2 oz. roughly chopped dark chocolate bar
• about 6-8 oz. dark chocolate melting wafers
• 1 graham cracker, finely crumbled, for topping

Instructions-

In a medium bowl, whisk the egg yolks with half the amount of sugar (1/8 cup) and set aside.

On the stovetop on medium heat, add the cream, half & half, other half amount of sugar (1/8 cup), and salt. Whisk frequently until gently simmering and the sugar is dissolved.  Lower heat to medium-low.

Slowly pour about 1/2 cup of the cream mixture into the bowl of yolks, whisking constantly so the eggs do not scramble.

Add the yolk + cream mixture back to the pot and raise heat to medium. Stir constantly with a wooden spoon until the mixture thickens into a custard-like texture, about 3-5 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool about 5-10 minutes.

Add the vanilla extract and xantham gum and whisk until smooth. Xantham gum is optional, but a small amount of it helps to thicken and bind the ice cream for a smoother texture.

Once the ice cream base has cooled off, pour it into a large airtight freezer bag and freeze for about 3-4 hours.

Pour the nearly frozen ice cream base into a bowl and stir in 1/2 cup of creamy peanut butter until completely incorporated. Melt some marshmallows on low with 1 TB coconut oil (or butter) and swirl those into the ice cream. Add the chopped chocolate and fold.

Using a melon baller or a spoon, roll the ice cream base into balls (smaller than a golfball). I sprayed a little cooking spray on my hands and worked very quickly to keep it from melting. Place all the ice cream balls onto a plate or tray lined with wax paper, insert toothpicks into the center of each, and freeze for about 20 minutes. 

While the ice cream balls are chilling again, melt the dipping chocolate over a double boiler, stirring frequently. I used melting wafers that are specific to candy dipping, but you could use chocolate chips or a chocolate bar you have on hand. Remove from heat once melted. Crumble up some graham crackers in a ziplock bag using a rolling pin or bottom of a mug.

Carefully dip the chilled ice cream balls into the (cooled) melted chocolate. Use a spoon to cover the top with chocolate. Set on a plate or tray lined with wax paper, and immediately sprinkle graham cracker crumbles on top. Repeat until all the bites are chocolate dipped and sprinkled with graham. Freeze for about 20 more minutes. 

Remove the toothpicks before serving, and ENJOY! Store in a parchment-lined airtight container in the freezer.

qp

mallow cookie creme pies.

meee want cooookieeee.

hey there, cute stack of cookie sammiches! you are (/were) mighty delightful.

so i had a buttload of extra marshmallow fluff leftover from when i made these s'mores donuts. what else to do with leftover mallow fluff but make MALLOW COOKIE CREME PIES.

oatmeal chocolate chip (my absolute favorite favorite) and fluffernutter aka peanut butter + marshmallow!

here's a dramatic pic of butter softening in the sunshine: 

(a great method for softening cold butter! we don't have a microwave anymore - which i love. i don't miss that thing at all. but anyhoo, the sun-softened butter method works well. if the sun is shining. if not, i carefully soften it over the gas stove, or the ol' classic method of simply getting it out a couple hours early and just letting it sit.

having a bright school bus yellow kitchen is no bueno for taking photos of food. especially in the late summer afternoon like this day that i shot these cookie sammiches. ^^^ eeek.

COOKIEEEE TIIIIME!

yellow kitchen! you're cute and happy. but sometimes make pictures look displeasing.

it's a love/dislike relationship with these yellow walls.

the oatmeal chocolate chippers are just to die for. i enjoy the fluffernutter ones a lot too, but c'manng. i could eat homemade chocolate chip cookies every day for the rest of my life.

its the texture that gets me! you can easily share one of these creme pies, by the way...they are richhh. i just love the soft, buttery, chewy cookies with a creamy marshmallowy fluffy filling. the oats and choco chips take the crunch factor to the next level. let these chill in the fridge or freezer, and jaheeeez you've got quite the magical treat.

alternatively, plop a scoop of your favorite ice cream between two of these cookies and freeze it. oh wow. 

Marshmallow Cookie Creme Pies

Makes 12 creme pies - 6 Oatmeal Chocolate Chip & 6 Peanut Butter/Fluffernutter

Time: 1 hour

Ingredients:

Cookies

• 1 cup softened butter
• 1 1/2 cups granulated white sugar
• 2 eggs
• 2 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1 tsp. baking soda
• 1 tsp. baking powder
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • {DIVIDE INTO TWO BOWLS after combining all these ingredients above!}
• 1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
• 3/4 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
• 3/4 cup oats

Marshmallow Fluff Frosting (recipe makes a LOT o' mallow - store in airtight container in the fridge) - follow mallow fluff instructions from my S'mores Donuts recipe here

• 3 egg whites
• 1/2 tsp. cream of tartar
• 3/4 cup light corn syrup
• 2/3 cup white sugar
• 1/3 cup water
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• pinch of salt

Instructions-

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. In a stand mixer (with paddle attachment) or large bowl, cream together butter and sugar. Add eggs & vanilla and mix until combined. Add baking powder & soda, salt, and slowly add flour, mixing in between additions to avoid a big ol' flour cloud. 

At this point, move half of the dough into a separate bowl. In one bowl, add the 1/2 cup peanut butter and mix until well incorporated. In the other bowl of dough, add the oats and chocolate chips and mix until combined.

Spray two cookie sheets with cooking spray or lightly grease them. Spoon out golfball sized amounts of dough evenly spaced on the cookie sheets. 

Bake the peanut butter cookies first (they need more time to cool and firm up - mine were super duper soft and crumbly when they came out of the oven) for 10 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool 5 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to fully cool.

Bake the chocolate chip cookies for 10 minutes. Remove from oven and transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

Spread a small dollop of cool marshmallow fluff onto one cookie and sandwich the other cookie on top. Wrap each creme pie cookie sandwich in tin foil and store in an airtight freezer bag in the fridge or freezer. Store for up to 2 weeks.

enjoy!!!!!!!!!!

i sure did.

qp