Pretzel m&m Vanilla Ice Cream

Got the Kitchenaid ice cream maker for Mothers day this year (love you hubby) and I could not wait to use it! The instructions say that you have to have the freeze the bowl for atleast 15 hours so this gave me plenty of time to come up with a flavor. As you can probably tell from the title of this post, i was craving something sweet/salty! i googled so see if anyone has come up with this ice cream yet, and i'm the first! And let me tell you, this is going on the list of favorites!

Here is what you'll need:

1-2 Bags of Pretzel m&m's (depending on how many m&ms you want in there), Frozen.
1 batch of salted caramel (store bought or homemade...ill get to that recipe soon!)
2 cups heavy whipping cream
2 eggs
3/4 cup sugar
1 cup milk
1 tablespoon vanilla extract (you can use 2 tablespoons if you omit the vanilla bean)
seeds from 1 vanilla bean

Instructions:

1. Whip the eggs and the sugar together until they are very light and fluffy.
2. Add the whipping cream, milk and both vanillas, mix well.
3. Add the mixture to the ice cream maker, and prepare according to manufacturers instructions. for the kitchenaid, turn ice cream maker on 'stir' BEFORE adding mixture. its ready when you hear a clicking noise.
4. Add the m&ms for the last minute of mixing. (probably around minute 30)

i got a little too excited about my ice cream and decided not to wait until i heard a clicking noise. I added the m&m's to early which made the colors bleed. Then i proceeded to add the caramel too early and it mixed in with the ice cream, instead of making the 'swirl' i wanted. Well, lesson learned. DO NOT put in fixings a minute before! Luckily, it still came out delicious!

 i still got my 'swirl' by drizzling the caramel on top ;)

Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies

There comes a time every week when the daughter is sleeping, Game of Thrones is about to come on and Hubby and I are looking for something sweet to munch on.
Well, this week I needed to whip up something fast with simple ingredients i already had. I used Joanne Chang's Peanut Butter cookie recipe but tweaked it here and there.

These cookies are soft, but crumbly, and just the right amount of peanut butter without being overpowering to the milk chocolate.


Here is what you'll need:

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temp
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups peanut butter (i used smooth)
2 2/3 cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 bag milk chocolate chips

1. Preheat oven to 350º F.
2. Using a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream together the butter and sugars on medium speed until light and fluffy (about 5 minutes)
3. Beat in the eggs and vanilla on medium speed for 2 minutes, or until combined. Scrape down the bowl and mix again to ensure completely mixed.
4. On medium low speed, beat in the peanut butter for another 2 minutes.
5. In a medium bowl, stir together the flour, baking soda, and salt until well mixed. On low speed, slowly add the flour mixture to the butter/sugar mixture, mix until just combined. Add bag of chocolate chip cookies, mix.  
6. Using a cookie dough scoop drop the dough in 1-2 tablespoon sized balls onto baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Using a rubber spatula flatten each cookie. 
7. Bake for 15-17 minutes, or until golden brown on the edges, but still pale in the center. Let cool on baking sheet for a few minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

I only baked  a small batch for the show, and put the rest of the dough in an airtight container in the fridge. it will keep for about a week!  

Mother's Day Petal Cake

I decided to do a really fruity cake because its getting warmer outside and I thought a fresh fruits should do the trick.

so here it is:

Vanilla Cake with Passionfruit Buttercream & Mango Strawberry Filling

impressed yet? 

For the vanilla cake you can use any of your own recipes. Just make sure its a really light one. 

For the Passionfruit Buttercream:

1 cup unsalted butter (2 sticks), softened

3 - 4 cups confectioners sugar

1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon vanilla
1 tablespoon heavy cream

5-6 tablespoons passionfruit juice concentrate

Beat the butter until smooth. Slowly add confectioners sugar and beat until smooth. Add Salt, vanilla, and heavy cream. Add passionfruit juice concentrate until you are comfortable with the flavor. 

For the Mango & Strawberry Filling:

1 box strawberries

1 mango (ripened)

1 1/3 cup heavy cream

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Dice strawberries and mango, set aside. Whip heavy cream and vanilla extract with a handheld mixer on high for about 5 minutes. Set aside.


Once your vanilla cake has cooled, slice them in half. This is where you start to build your masterpiece.

- cake,
- layer of whip cream not quite to the edge (it will get pushed to the edge with the weight of the rest of the cake)
-layer of strawberry/mango mixture
-cake.

Once the cake is assembled you can start "dirty icing". This is a very thin layer of buttercream around the entire cake. It is best to use a wide set spatula for a smooth finish.

Leave in the fridge for about 20 minutes to set.

For the petal buttercream:

Pipe a row of dots (i used an ateco #808, but you can use any large round tip) vertically on the cake.

Use your wide-set spatula to press and then drag the buttercream. Do this all the way around the cake. Be sure to wipe your spatula with a damp cloth each time.  

and remember: KEEP THIS CAKE REFRIGERATED as long as possible. it has cream, and fresh fruit remember? =)

enjoy these shots of the finished product!