No-Ice-Cream-Maker Salted Caramel, Bourbon, Nutter Butter and Chocolate Chunk Ice Cream

by Averie Sunshine on July 3, 2013

I was so in love with the last batch of ice cream I made, and wondered if it could be topped.

This one sure gave it a run for the money.

You can’t compare Funfetti, cake batter, and sprinkles with salted caramel, bourbon, and Nutter Butter cookies. Apples and oranges.

But it sure has been fun taste-testing. Good thing I don’t mind cardio and love to run.

It’s a no-cook recipe so you don’t have to stand around whisking eggs, cream, and sugar together, then having to wait for them to cool. I love time-savers.

And the recipe is written to reflect making it with or without an ice cream maker. From the comments on my last ice cream post, most people don’t have ice cream makers. I’m just doing my part to help you beat the heat with these ice cream recipes that can be made by everyone.

It’s dangerously easy, taking just minutes to make with two main ingredients – whipped cream and sweetened condensed milk. If you can whip cream and stir in sweet milk and a kitchen sink full of add-ins, you can make this.

Whip the cream, fold in the sweetened condensed milk and bourbon. Use vanilla extract if you’re opposed to bourbon. Although, there’s just as much alcohol in vanilla extract as there is in bourbon. The bourbon is a background note, and adds wonderful depth of flavor, but skip it if you must.

Chop up Nutter Butters and dark chocolate, add sprinkles, and some salted caramel sauce.

Fold it all together. Be gentle. Don’t stir like you’re mashing potatoes. Take your time so that you don’t deflate the puffiness of the cream you just whipped. If you have an ice cream maker, the machine does the folding.

Transfer it to a container little by little, stopping to drizzle in some caramel sauce in every few cupfuls, so that when it’s done and you’re scooping out ice cream, there’s ribbons of caramel running through the ice cream.

The ice cream is beyond words creamy and rich. Cream, sweetened condensed milk, Bourbon, salted caramel, sprinkles, Nutter Butters and chocolate. Yeah. And so worth it.

There’s something for everyone, with so many textures and layers of flavor.

The chocolate sprinkles and chocolate chunks will keep the chocolate fans happy.

The salted caramel breaks up the sweetness from the sweetened condensed milk as does the dark chocolate.

The abundance or Nutter Butters in every bite add so much texture, crunch, and a pop of peanut butter flavor.

I was tempted to add actual peanut butter, but it would have dominated the flavor profile as peanut butter does. I wanted the creaminess of the ice cream, and the other ingredients to shine, too. The Nutter Butters are the perfect middle ground from both a flavor and texture standpoint.

The chocolate chunks and sprinkles stay crunchy, while the cookies soften just slightly after being soaked in the rich, luscious, creamy, salted caramel and bourbon bath.

And to think I spent most of my life not even being that into ice cream. I’ve been making up for lost time.

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This is some of the best ice cream I've ever had and it's the easiest to make with just two main ingredients - whipped cream and sweetened condensed milk. It's a no-cook recipe and the recipe is written to reflect making it with or without an ice cream maker. It's ridiculously creamy and subtly flavored with bourbon, and ribbons of salted caramel are woven throughout. The crunchy Nutter Butter cookies add a pop of peanut butter flavor and lots of texture, while the chocolate chunks round out this rich, indulgent treat.

Yield: about 2 quarts

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 0 minutes

Total Time: about 6 hours, for chilling

2 cups whipping cream or heavy whipping cream - for the No-Ice-Cream-Maker version (if using an ice cream maker, use 4 cups/1 quart)
one 14-ounce can sweetened condensed milk
1/4 cup bourbon (if omitting, use 2 tablespoons vanilla extract)
1 pound (16 ounce) package Nutter Butter cookies, or peanut butter-sandwich cookies, coarsely chopped
8 to 10 ounces semi-sweet or dark chocolate, chopped
3/4 cup+ chocolate sprinkles
8 ounces (salted) caramel sauce (use homemade or storebought), divided

These directions (through number 6) reflect the No-Ice-Cream-Maker method.To the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment (or large mixing bowl and hand mixer; or lots of elbow grease doing it by hand), whip 2 cups heavy cream to very stiff peaks, about 5 minutes on high power.Add half the can of sweetened condensed milk, bourbon (or vanilla), and fold gently to combine. After it's combined, add the remaining sweet milk. Fold means turn the mixture over with a spatula from the bottom of the bowl up, rotate the bowl, repeat until the mixture is homogenous. The goal is to keep all that fluffy cream you just made as fluffy as possible. Take your time and be gentle. If your mixture has deflated or is on the soupy side, turn the mixer back on, and whip for another few minutes until it's re-puffed.Add the cookies, chocolate, sprinkles, and drizzle about half the caramel sauce over it. Fold gently to combine.Transfer ice cream mixture to a freezer-safe 2-quart container with a lid or freezer-safe bowl that can be covered with plasticwrap. When you're transferring the ice cream from mixing bowl to storage container, every few cupfuls, stop and drizzle some caramel sauce in, creating layers of caramel in the container.Cover and freeze for at least 6 hours, or until solid. Ice cream takes about 5 minutes to come up to room temperature to scoop it out without having to wrestle with a rock. Ice cream will keep airtight in the freezer for up to 3 months.If you are Using an Ice Cream Maker - Stir together 4 cups heavy cream, sweetened condensed milk, and bourbon. Stir in the add-ins as indicated in step 4. Follow processing directions on your ice cream maker, noting to chill the mixture if necessary before churning. After churning and as you're transferring it into a container, layer in the remaining caramel sauce as indicated in step 5.

Adapted from No-Ice-Cream-Maker Funfetti Cake Batter Golden Oreo Ice Cream

Recipe from Averie Cooks. All images and content are copyright protected. Please do not use my images without prior permission. If you want to republish this recipe, please re-write the recipe in your own words, or simply link back to this post for the recipe. Thank you.

No-Ice-Cream-Maker Funfetti Cake Batter Golden Oreo Ice Cream

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Marshmallow Caramel Oreo Cookie S’Mores Bars – An Oreo cookie-crumb and buttery crust is topped with marshmallows, caramels, and chocolate chips for an easy and fast dessert reminiscent of s’mores

Chocolate-Covered 7-Minute Microwave Caramels – Too good to be true. The recipe really works and they’re the best caramels I’ve ever had

Do you make ice cream? With or without an ice cream maker?

What’s your favorite ice cream flavor?

Have a safe and Happy Fourth of July. I’ll be posting giveaways and recipes over the weekend – business as usual – so please check back.

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Chewy Peanut Butter and Chocolate Cereal Bars

by Averie Sunshine on June 25, 2013

These bars are my heaven.

They’re everything I want in a bar. I had to hide them from myself.

There’s something about supremely chewy, thick, and dense cereal bars that I just go for. I always have.

They’re no-bake and come together in the microwave in less than 5 minutes. So fast and easy to make and no need to heat up the house with a hot oven.

They’re vegan and gluten-free. There’s no butter or flour, but you’d never guess it because they’re exceedingly buttery-tasting and rich.

There’s an abundance of peanut butter and chocolate. Always a win.

The chocolate layer stays softer, fudgier, and isn’t prone to cracking or setting up too hard, courtesy of a couple tablespoons of shortening.

It’s a little trick I’ve learned.

They remind me of my beloved Special K Bars, my grandma’s recipe, which I included it in my cookbook because I love them so much. That recipe makes a bigger pan and involves a bit of stovetop cooking, whereas just two minutes in the microwave is all you need here to melt together peanut butter and sugars.

The saucy mixture then drenches cereal in a sweet, brown sugary, caramel-vanilla heaven. I used tablespoon of homemade vanilla extract just to be sure it was noticeable.

The bars are loaded with chewy texture from the cereal and are soft, but they still hold their shape and don’t turn into a gooey mess.

They’re sort of a cousin to Rice Krispies Treats, replacing marshmallows with peanut butter. And you could likely use crushed Frosted Flakes or Corn Flakes. I have a Frosted Flakes Bar recipe in my cookbook because yes, I love cereal bars.

If you need a last minute dessert that takes just minutes to make, try these. Especially if you need them for an event where vegan or gluten-free options may be welcome.

Let’s pretend that because they’re vegan and gluten-free that they’re healthy and we can eat half the pan in a sitting.

I loved these. They’re one of my favorite bars I’ve made in 2013.

My husband also loved them. He’s sort of immune to all sweets and treats I make, but these were keepers for him, too.

The only person who didn’t go crazy with them was my 6 year old. She’s missing her two front teeth and chomping is difficult. She’s been enjoying No-Ice-Cream-Maker Funfetti Cake Batter Golden Oreo Ice Cream instead.

I proudly claim those chomp marks as my doing.

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These are my definition of the perfect bar. Soft, extra chewy, rich, dense, peanut buttery, smothered in chocolate with more peanut butter swirled in. There's no butter or flour used, and they're vegan and gluten-free. They-re no-bake and made in the microwave in minutes. If you need a quick and easy dessert that looks and tastes more complicated than it really is, I highly recommend these.

Yield: one 8-by-8-inch pan, 9 to 12 squares

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 2 minutes, microwave

Total Time: 2 hours, for chilling

Bars
1 heaping cup creamy peanut butter (use Jif, Skippy, or similar; do not use natural or homemade peanut butter)
1/2 cup light corn syrup (light colored, not lite)
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/4 light brown sugar, packed
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
3 cups Rice Krispies cereal (or similar crispy rice cereal that's vegan/GF)
Chocolate Topping
1 1/2 heaping cups semi-sweet chocolate chips, melted
2 tablespoons vegetable shortening, optional but highly recommended to keep chocolate smooth; see below*
1/4 creamy peanut butter, melted

For the Bars - Line an 8-inch square pan with aluminum foil leaving overhang, spray with cooking spray; set aside.In a large microwave-safe bowl, combine 1 heaping cup peanut butter, corn syrup, sugars, and heat on high power for 1 minute to melt.Stop to stir. Mixture will be on the granular side, this is okay.Return bowl to microwave and heat for 1 more minute on high power.Stir in the vanilla.Stir in the cereal.Turn mixture out into prepared pan, packing it down somewhat firmly with a spatula and smoothing the top; set pan aside.For the Chocolate Topping - In a medium microwave-safe bowl, combine chocolate chips, shortening, and heat on high power for 1 minute to melt. *I highly recommend using shortening for many reasons. It helps the chocolate melt smoother and easier. It prevents the chocolate from setting up too quickly. It keeps the chocolate from cracking when you slice into the finished bars because the chocolate is fudgier and more forgiving than typical hardened chocolate.Stop to stir. Chips may not be completely melted. Return bowl to microwave and heat in 10 to 15-second bursts until chocolate can be stirred smooth.Pour chocolate over bars, smoothing the top lightly with a spatula or knife; set pan aside.Add 1/4 cup peanut butter to a small microwave-safe bowl and heat to melt, about 30 seconds. Stir peanut butter smooth.To create the marbled pattern, drizzle peanut butter over the chocolate in 5 wide, evenly spaced, parallel lines, each spanning the width of the pan. Like 5 rows of long train tracks.Rotate pan 90-degrees. With a toothpick, starting at the top of the pan, "draw" 5 evenly spaced lines through the peanut butter. In essence you're dragging the toothpick perpendicularly through the first set of lines to create the marbling.Cover pan with a sheet of foil (to prevent fridge smells), and place pan in fridge to set up for at least 2 to 3 hours, or overnight, or until chocolate layer is completely set before lifting out with foil overhang, slicing, and serving.Bars will keep airtight at room temperature for up to 1 week, in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks, or in the freezer for up to 6 months.

Take care all ingredients used are appropriate for your dietary needs, reading labels and selecting brands that are appropriate.

Recipe from Averie Cooks. All images and content are copyright protected. Please do not use my images without prior permission. If you want to republish this recipe, please re-write the recipe in your own words, or simply link back to this post for the recipe. Thank you.

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Nutella and Peanut Butter Graham Bars with Chocolate Frosting

Browned Butter Rice Krispies Treats – The best RKTs I have ever had. Double the butter and it’s browned, for great flavor and soft, buttery, chewy bars

Special K Bars

No-Bake Nutter Butter Special K Bars

Peanut Butter Caramel Twix Bars (almost no-bake)

What’s your favorite no-bake, cereal or cookie bar?

View the original article here

Secrets for Successful Butter Cakes

Use butter, stick margarine (with at least 80% oil) or shortening. The fat should be softened (at room temperature), meaning it is pliable when touched. Whipped, tub, soft, liquid or reduced-fat products should not be used.

Measure ingredients accurately, using the measuring tools and techniques suggested on pages 7 and 8.

Arrange the oven racks so that the cake will bake in the center of the oven.

Preheat oven for 10 to 15 minutes before baking.

Most butter cake recipes call for creaming the butter and sugar. Beat the softened butter or shortening and sugar with an electric mixer or wooden spoon to a light and fluffy consistency, about 5 minutes.

For better volume, allow eggs to stand at room temperature for 30 minutes before using. Or, place eggs in their shell in a bowl of warm water while assembling the remaining ingredients.

Mix dry ingredients together to evenly distribute the leavener throughout the flour. This will ensure that it's evenly incorporated into the batter.

Stop the mixer occasionally - or between additions of ingredients - and scrap the batter down sides of bowl with a rubber or plastic spatula.

It's best to use the pan size recommended in the recipe. For substitutions, check the Bakeware Substitution Chart on page 10. Baking times may need to be adjusted.

For a tender golden crust, use aluminum pans with a dull rather than shiny or dark finish. If using glass baking dishes, reduce the oven temperature 25°.

Grease and flour baking pans for butter cakes that will be removed from the pans. Cakes that will be served from the pans should be greased but not floured. Some cake recipes call for the pan to be lined with waxed paper for easier removal of the cake from the pan. (See Lining a Baking Pan with Waxed Paper.)

Fill pans half to three-fourths full. A thin batter will rise more than a heavy batter, so allow more room for thin batters to rise.

Pour thinner batters into pans, then tap pans on the countertop to remove air bubbles. Spoon firmer batters into pans, then spread gently to even out the batter.

Leave at least 1 in. of space between pans and between pans and sides of oven racks, stagger pans in the oven so that they are not directly over one another. Switch pan positions and rotate pans from front to back halfway through baking.

Use a kitchen timer. Check for doneness at the minimum recommended baking time, then check every 2 minutes after that. Butter cakes are done when a toothpick inserted near the center of the cakes comes out clean. (See Testing Butter Cakes for Doneness.)

Cool cakes for 10 minutes in the pan, unless recipe directs otherwise. Loosen the cake by running a knife around the edge of the pan. Turn out onto a wire rack, place another rack over the cake and flip right side up. Cool completely before filling or frosting unless directed otherwise by recipe.

If a cake sticks to the pan and will not com out when inverted, return to a heated oven for 1 minute, then try again to turn it out.

Use a serrated knife or use a sawing motion when cutting. Warm the blade of knife in hot water, then dry and make a cut. Clean and rewarm knife before each cut.

View the original article here

Shaping a Peanut Butter Cookie

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Reese’s Pieces Soft Peanut Butter Cookies

by Averie Sunshine on June 17, 2013

I had never baked Reese’s Pieces into cookies until now.

Thank goodness I’ve made up for lost time.

I’m not sure how I managed to write my cookbook Peanut Butter Comfort, filled with over 100 recipes using peanut butter, and have 75+ peanut butter recipes on my site, but have never baked those smooth little discs into cookies.

I’ve used Reese’s cups, mini Reese’s cups, M&Ms, peanut butter M&M’s, and finally now Reese’s Pieces.

The Reese’s Pieces add a wonderful crackly texture to the soft, moist, tender cookies. I prefer my cookies on the underbaked side and these are soft, squishy perfection.

There’s a very slight bit of chewiness to the edges, but these are for soft-batch cookie fans. No crispy or crunchy cookies for me. Ever.

They’re loaded with Reese’s Pieces and there’s an abundance of oozing, melted chocolate chips in every bite.

I almost skipped the chocolate chips and opted to solely use Reese’s Pieces, but I’m glad I tossed in the chocolate chips, too. Cookies just aren’t the same without chocolate.

The peanut butter flavor is distinct and full-on. There’s a hefty amount in the dough and there’s all those Reese’s Pieces.

These cookies are made for those of us who really like the peanut butter in peanut butter cookies. With some recipes you have to wonder if it’s really there, or not. Not an issue here. Very peanut buttery.

They’re a snap to make and the dough comes together quickly and easily.

Use regular, storebought peanut butter. Old-fashioned Jif or Peter Pan Honey Roasted Peanut Butter are my favorites for baking.

Homemade Peanut Butter or ‘natural’ varieties are playing with fire in cookie-baking.

Cookies made with them tend to spread, and I don’t have time to worry about a potential cookie flop or wasted ingredients, so I bake with what I know will give me success, every time.

Every recipe in my cookbook was tested with Jif because it’s universal and I know it works.

Chill the dough so your cookies bake up nice and thick. Warm dough equates to thinner, flatter cookies and I prefer thicker and puffier.

I use my cookie scoop to scoop out the dough, put the mounds on a plate, and refrigerate. When I’m ready to bake, I grab a half dozen and save the rest for later.

I always have plates of dough in the fridge. Cookie dough, bread dough. Somethings always ready and waiting.

Calling all peanut butter (and chocolate) lovers.

These are for you.

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The cookies are soft, moist, with irresistibly tender centers, a slight bit of chewiness to the edges, loaded with Reese's Pieces, and oozing, melted chocolate chips. They're packed with full-on peanut butter flavor and are the perfect choice for soft peanut butter cookie fanatics.

Yield: about 26-28 medium-small cookies

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 8 minutes

Total Time: 18 minutes

1 large egg
1 cup light brown sugar, packed
3/4 cup creamy peanut butter (do not use homemade or natural peanut butter; use Jif, Skippy, or similar)
1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
pinch salt, optional and to taste
1 cup Reese's Pieces
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

To the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (or large bowl and electric hand mixer), cream together the first 5 ingredients (through vanilla) on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes.Stop, scrape down the sides of the bowl, and add the flour, baking soda, optional salt, and mix on low speed until just incorporated, about 1 minute; don't overmix.Add the Reese's Pieces, chocolate chips, and blend until just incorporated.Using a medium 2-inch cookie scoop, form heaping two-tablespoon mounds (I made 27). Place mounds on a large plate, flatten mounds slightly with your palm, cover with plasticwrap, and refrigerate for at least 2 hours, or up to 5 days, before baking. Do not bake with warm dough because cookies will spread and bake thinner and flatter.Preheat oven to 350F, line a baking sheet with a Silpat or spray with cooking spray. Place mounds on baking sheet, spaced at least 2 inches apart (I bake 8 cookies per sheet). Bake for 8 to 9 minutes, or until edges have set and tops are just beginning to set, even if slightly undercooked, pale and glossy in the center. Do not bake longer than 10 minutes because cookies will firm up as they cool (The cookies shown in the photos were baked with dough that had been chilled overnight, allowed to come to room temp for 15 minutes, and were baked for 8 minutes, with trays rotated at the 4-minute mark. They have slightly chewy edges with soft, pillowy centers). Allow cookies to cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before removing and transferring to a rack to finish cooling.Cookies will keep airtight at room temperature for up to 1 week, or in the freezer for up to 4 months. Alternatively, unbaked cookie dough can be stored airtight in the refrigerator for up to 5 days, so consider baking only as many cookies as desired and save the remaining dough to be baked in the future when desired.

Adapted from Soft and Puffy Peanut Butter Coconut Oil Cookies and Old-Fashioned Peanut Butter Cookies

Recipe from Averie Cooks. All images and content are copyright protected. Please do not use my images without prior permission. If you want to republish this recipe, please re-write the recipe in your own words, or simply link back to this post for the recipe. Thank you.

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Soft and Chewy M&Ms Cookies – My favorite chocolate chip cookie dough base that I loaded with M&Ms

Peanut Butter Cup Cookie Dough Crumble Bars – This bar and the one below it are my two favorite bars of 2013 to date

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Reese’s Pieces fan?

What’s your favorite peanut butter cookie recipe?

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