I usually post cocktails on Mondays and since I didn’t want to disappoint, I created a creamy cocktail push-up pop… dessert and a cocktail all in one ~ LOVE it! This happens to be one of my mom’s original recipes, which I have now created in push-pop form. The original recipe is usually layered in a Springform pan. I’m including the recipe for the ice cream pie below. The push-pops are layered the same way that the pie is layered. This is a super easy, crowd-pleasing pie to make. It always gets rave reviews.

QUICK HOW-TO

As far as making these into push-up pops, they were a little messier than cake and frosting push-up pops. You need to put the push-pop together except for the stick. Click on this link to see how the pieces come together. Put the push-pops on a cookie sheet. These need to be completely filled and frozen solid before inserting the stick. After each layer, I had to go around the inside of each pop container with a damp paper towel to clean up any splatters that showed on the sides.

Take the ice cream out of the freezer and let soften. Begin by putting a spoonful of vanilla ice cream into the bottom of the pop. Spread it to even out the layer. Pop them in the freezer for fifteen minutes. Add a spoonful of fudge sauce on top of the ice cream layer. Freeze until firm. Add another spoonful of vanilla ice cream. Next, add a caramel layer. I used a squeeze bottle of caramel sauce and it worked great. Layer with another spoonful of ice cream and top off with fudge sauce. Sprinkle the top with Skor bar pieces. Using a toothpick or small skewer, poke holes into the ice cream layers. Add a small spoonful of Kahlua on top. The Kahlua will seep down into the various layers to create a great flavored dessert.  Freeze until ready to serve.

Don’t forget to comment on the Cookies -n- Cream push-up pop post for a chance to win $20 credit at CupKatesEventDesign store. You can buy these push-up pops there, and other fun party items. Give-away ends Tuesday, August 2nd. You can’t win, unless you comment!

Enjoy this first week of August. Stay cool!!

Kahlua –N- Cream Pie (www.grinandbakeit.com)

1 cup Oreo cookie crumbs

3 tbsp. sugar

¼ cup butter, melted

1  12 oz. jar caramel (or butterscotch) sauce

½ gallon vanilla ice cream, softened

1 16oz. jar hot fudge topping, slightly warmed

1 cup Skor bar topping

½ cup Kahlua

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

Mix sugar and cookie crumbs with melted butter. Firmly press crumble onto bottom and up the sides of 8” Springform pan. Bake crust 10 minutes. Cool completely. Freeze until cold (about 15 minutes).

Spread ½ jar of caramel sauce over the bottom of the crust, freeze until firm (about 15 minutes).

Spoon 1/3 of ½ gallon ice cream on top of caramel sauce. Freeze 15 minutes.

Spread ½ jar of fudge topping over ice cream. Freeze 5 minutes.

Spread 1/3 of ½ gallon of ice cream on top of fudge sauce. Freeze 15 minutes.

Spread remaining caramel topping over ice cream. Freeze 5 minutes.

Spoon 1/3 of ½ gallon ice cream on top of caramel sauce. Freeze 15 minutes.

Spread remaining fudge sauce on top of ice cream and gently press score bar topping into fudge topping. Freeze 15 minutes.

Poke holes in solid ice cream mixture with a toothpick and pour Kahlua on top.

Freeze at least two hours. Can be made 3 days ahead of time. Take out of the freezer and soften for 15 minutes before cutting.

One of the best parts of summer is homemade ice cream… LOVE it! The boy, of course, says it tastes “weird”. Apparently, he prefers the taste of preservatives and strange ingredients in his ice cream. How in the world did I give birth to a child that hates parties and homemade ice cream? If it weren’t for the fact that he looks so much like me and shares a few of my strange quirks,  I’d think this was a case of being switched at birth.

Last summer I made the yummiest homemade cake batter ice cream (and I didn’t share any of it with the homemade ice cream hater). This time around I made it with Betty Crocker’s strawberry cake mix. It tastes just like a strawberry milkshake. Fresh strawberries mixed in would be even better. I think if  I had to pick, I like the original cake batter ice cream a little better, but I’m going to have to confirm it by making a batch of it. Sprinkles are of course a requirement for both versions!

I came up with the absolute perfect ice cream sandwich that strawberry cake batter ice cream belongs in. I’ll post the recipe tomorrow!

Strawberry Cake Batter Ice Cream (Grin and Bake it original recipe)

3/4 cup strawberry cake mix (I used Betty Crocker)

1/2 cup sugar

1  1/2 cups whole milk

1 cup cream

2 egg yolks

1/2 tsp. vanilla

sprinkles, required

Combine the cake mix and sugar in a bowl and mix. Add the remaining ingredients and stir it well until the cake mix has dissolved. Place in a container and put in the refrigerator to chill (at least 4 hours is recommended). Once chilled, pour the ice cream mixture into your ice cream maker, and follow the directions according to the manufacturer.

Original Homemade Cake Batter Ice Cream

Thank you to everyone who has followed my blog this year. I can’t wait to see what sweet things are in store for 2011!

Apple Cheesecake Bars

Chocolate Peanut Butter Cupcakes

Cake Batter Ice Cream Sandwiches

French Toast Cupcakes

Chocolate Covered Strawberry Cupcakes

Apple Pie Ice Cream

All-American Cupcakes

Salted Caramel Cupcakes

Vanilla Chai Cupcakes

S’mores Martini and Cupcake

Pina Colada Cupcakes

While the boy is sitting around a campfire toasting marshmallows, I’ll be home in my air-conditioned house, freshly showered, making a batch of this s’mores ice cream. I made this last weekend, and it didn’t last very long. Back in July, when I had the ice cream maker give-away, someone suggested I create a recipe for s’mores ice cream, and I’ve been thinking about it ever since.

This has everything you expect from s’mores, and a little bit more. The ice cream base is made with marshmallows and cream, giving it a nice texture. Ripples of fudge are layered into the container, with bits of graham crackers sprinkled in. As an added bonus, Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup pieces are mixed in. A while back, I created this s’mores pie with Reese’s and discovered that they’re perfect with s’mores.  

The next time around, I will add more vanilla to the base. This was a thick, creamy ice cream. If you decide to make your own, I’d love to hear any changes you make. I know we all have preferences for homemade ice cream, some like it thicker, some more like soft-serve, some like the icy ones. What I’ve learned is that ice cream is pretty forgiving. You can change the ratios slightly, and still come up with a great dessert.

A few people have asked if there’s a way to enjoy homemade ice cream without an ice cream maker? Here are a few great resources that walk you through the process. 

David Lebovitz’s tutorial

Serious Eats Food Lab Experiment

S’mores Ice Cream

1.5 cups whole milk

1.5 cups whipping cream

20 large marshmallows

2 tsp. vanilla*

hot fudge sauce

3/4 cup chopped Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups

*the first time around I used 1 tsp. vanilla. I will add 2 tsp. next time.

Heat the milk and marshmallows in a saucepan on medium heat until smooth. Place in an ice bath to cool it down quickly. Stir in the cream and vanilla. Refrigerate for at least four hours. Remove from the refrigerator and stir well. Prepare in ice cream maker according to the manufacturer’s directions. Stir in graham cracker bits and Reese’s the last minute of churning (or after).  Scoop ice cream into container, layering in between with fudge sauce. (It might be hard to spread and will look like this below. That’s fine, it’ll look great when you scoop it.) Freeze for several hours until ready to serve. Garnish with a graham cracker and mini marshmallows toasted on a skewer.

Looking back, my entire existence has been spent analyzing my life, and for the record, I hate multiple choice tests. Here’s what I think is smart, the student who can come up with a justification for more than one multiple choice option, and have it make total sense.  Some of you know that my job is the gifted and talented coordinator of a large school district (that’s what pays the mortgage, blogging and baking are for fun). When I’ve come across kids who do this and demonstrate reasoning skills way above the norm, the bells go off indicating… I think we have a gifted kiddo here.  

This cake batter ice cream was a bit over-analyzed to begin with, and the first batch did not turn out well. I caught myself googling “cake batter ice cream”, comparing all of the different ingredients and proportions, and finally had to put an end to my madness. I got out a bowl, added the key ingredients in the proportions that sounded about right, and skipped the heating on the stove process altogether. I know that the heating process helps infuse the flavors, but having spent too much energy over-analyzing it, I just wanted a little cake batter ice cream. To my pleasant surprise, I loved it! I loved it so much, I decided it deserved to become an ice cream sugar cookie sandwich, which made it even better.

My sister and her husband are cake batter ice cream connoisseurs, and I miss the days b.c. (before children) that I would stop by Cold Stone Creamery and pick up cake batter ice cream for us. I’ve asked the experts to make this, and they are going to let me know if the recipe needs tweaking. Let me know if you make it and create your own version because the over-analyzer in me will continue to wonder if it gets better than this.

 Printable Recipe

 Cake Batter Ice Cream

3/4 cup white cake mix

1/2 cup sugar

1  1/2 cups whole milk

1 cup cream

2 egg yolks

1/2 tsp. vanilla

Combine the cake mix and sugar in a bowl and mix. Add the remaining ingredients and stir it well until the cake mix has dissolved. Place in a container and put in the refrigerator to chill (at least 4 hours is recommended). Once chilled, pour the ice cream mixture into your ice cream maker, and follow the directions according to the manufacturer.

To make the ice cream sandwiches, I bought the Pillsbury tube of sugar cookie dough. Feel free to use your own recipe, but I thought the texture and the sweetness of these would be perfect (and they were). Before baking, I sprinkled the dough with rainbow nonpareils. Once the cookies cooled and the ice cream had firmed up, I put the sandwiches together, and finished them off by sprinkling rainbow jimmies on the ice cream. Then I refroze them, until I was ready to devour them. And if anyone’s wondering, I didn’t go to the gym… I ate these instead!

*This recipe made 5 ice cream sandwiches. You may want to double the ice cream and cookies if you need more.