S’mores Ice Cream Sandwiches

December 17, 2013January 25, 2014 by Jessica | 14 Comments

Every year I make a big deal out of choosing and baking a special birthday cake. And for a good reason. Every year on December 17th we celebrate two special birthdays, so of course the cake has to be extra amazing! I don’t only do this for my birthday, though. I like baking for everyone’s birthdays! My specialty is delicious layer cakes, not decorated cake mixes or sheet cakes with too much icing. Last year, we had a maple crunch layer cake, which we made by hand and was a hit at our birthday party. This year, though, I thought just baking one cake would be a little boring. So I racked my brain until I figured out what the perfect birthday dessert would be, and settled on these ice cream sandwiches. Chocolate, ice cream, and cookies all in one! What could go wrong?

Strawberry and Apricot Crisp

May 27, 2013 by Jessica | 8 Comments

I love fruit crisps. I love fruit in general, but something about cooking fruit and bringing out the natural sugars just makes it extra delicious. Usually we make crisps and pies all summer, but with peaches, apples, cherries, and blueberries. So when I saw this recipe for strawberries and apricots, two of my favorite fruits, I knew I had to try it. The only problem? Pine nuts! They are just way too expensive and I didn’t have any in my kitchen, so I changed up the recipe a little bit and came up with my own variation. The result? A shabbat dessert that we finished that night! Next time, I’m doubling the recipe. Continue reading …

Sour Cream Ice Cream

February 4, 2013 by Stephanie | 14 Comments

When I came across the menu and recipes from what was served at President Obama’s inauguration a couple of weeks ago, I couldn’t wait to try it. Hey, if it’s good enough for the president, it’s good enough for me!

You could probably guess that I wanted to make the third course: dessert! I was especially intrigued by the idea of sour cream ice cream.
Continue reading …

Blueberry Pie

August 16, 2012 by Jessica | 7 Comments

I told you I like baking pies! While I usually stick with whatever fruit has been on the counter a little too long, or my go-to recipe of peach pie with a few blueberries thrown in, there’s always something special about blueberry pie. Yes, it takes a little longer to make, since you have to cook the blueberries separately, but since there’s no cutting or chopping involved, it probably evens out.

Speculoos Ice Cream

June 29, 2012 by Jessica | 7 Comments

Wafels and Dinges isn’t the only place selling speculoos ice cream!

This is the third post in a series…Check out Speculoos Cookies and Speculoos Spread to get more information about this project. This project all started when my friend Julia posted a photo of the ice cream she was eating in Belgium. Speculoos ice cream. I knew right then I had to try it, but didn’t know of a place to actually taste that ice cream flavor…that only worried me for a second. Ice cream I make is usually better than any store bought kind, anyway! So I decided that I would have to make speculoos ice cream…but first I’d have to make the spread, and to make the spread I’d have to bake some cookies. Not that I ever have a problem with baking cookies. Continue reading …

Chocolate Hazelnut Ice Cream

May 7, 2012 by Jessica | Leave a comment

At work, our clients bring us a ton of chocolate. Bars, boxes, liqueur-filled, and truffles just to name a few. Some with only Russian words on the package, and other more familiar English ones. Well, many of these treats go uneaten by me, and pretty much sit around the kitchen table for a while. But when we get a box of Ferrero Rochers, they don’t last more than a day. I have to run to the kitchen to get some before they’re eaten by my coworkers. Let me tell you, they have good taste. Continue reading …

Guest Post: Pumpkin Dump Cake with Cranberry White Chocolate Chip Ice Cream

November 28, 2011 by Jessica | 7 Comments

By Melinda Strauss of kitchen-tested.com

Countless blog posts and Food Network episodes are dedicated to answering the seasonal question of how to re-purpose Thanksgiving leftovers. But I want to know what to do with all the extra groceries I bought when I over-shopped for the holiday. Why did I buy 10 cans of pureed pumpkin when I only needed 2? I’ll admit that I always over-shop at the grocery store, and especially for Thanksgiving. I am always freezing raw turkey and whole cranberries, and storing cans in my pantry. On the bright side, I can cook Thanksgiving food throughout the year on a whim or a craving without needing to run to the grocery store! It’s pretty impressive…or at least I think so. For my first post-Thanksgiving-use-my-extra-groceries dish this year, I decided on a Pumpkin Dump Cake with Homemade Non-Dairy Cranberry White Chocolate Chip Ice Cream. Now don’t be afraid of the name “Dump Cake!” It describes the baking process. Everything gets dumped into the pan and then bakes to sweet perfection! The pumpkin filling is creamy and savory while the cake topping is sweet and crunchy. Such a great balance of flavors and textures! Pumpkin dump cake is topped with homemade tart cranberry ice cream that makes my mouth water. Continue reading …

Pomegranate Ice Cream

August 1, 2011 by Stephanie | 1 Comment

Before Passover, Pom Wonderful contacted us with the news that they were now certified kosher for Passover! I was excited about this, because I love pomegranate juice and pomegranates. I have been known to horde them at the Rosh Hashana table and I always have a variation of Pom in my fridge. (The Pom Blueberry is the best, after 100% Pomegranate.) So, you can imagine how excited I was to get a box of cute little Pom bottles from the wonderful folks at Pom Wonderful: very!

I could have just drank them all up as soon as possible, but that wouldn’t be so much fun for you guys, now would it? And what do I like almost as much as pomegranates? Ice cream, of course!

Chocolate Ice Cream Sandwich Cookies

July 28, 2011 by Jessica | Leave a comment

I (obviously) love ice cream…more than most people, if you couldn’t tell ! And I really love ice cream sandwiches. But sometimes, the cookies that come with them are just too hard. So I decided to make some of my own cookies to pair with some homemade ice cream and make my own ice cream sandwiches. I wanted chocolate because I like the idea of the cookies being chocolate in ice cream sandwiches. Plus, they go better with a lot of ice cream flavors than traditional chocolate chip cookies. Like caramel and mint, the two flavors I happen to have in my freezer now. Continue reading …

Fresh Mint Ice Cream

July 25, 2011 by Jessica | 3 Comments

The thing about this mint ice cream is that it’s not flavored with extract. Instead, I steeped some mint leaves in the milk and let that flavor the custard. Delicious! Then, I added some chopped up thin mints to the batter during the last few minutes of freezing. Wow! What a great minty combination! You get that bright fresh mint flavor from the ice cream, and then the chewy and pepperminty thin mint bite a little while afterwards. This is a great refreshing summer ice cream. Continue reading …