Pretzel Brownie Ice Cream Sandwiches. OMG.

Just FYI, these are outrageous!

I blogged delicious brownie ice cream sandwiches a long time ago,

and was whipping them up yesterday as friends were coming to dinner

and I was wildly inspired (I am clearly deep) to roll the ice cream

edges in salty bits of pretzel.  Oh wow, that took deliciousness to a 

whole new level.  

PS sweet and salty for the win!

Click here for the original ice cream sandwich recipe. And then

get a rolling in pretzel bits.

xx

HOWDY POLLY Pan-o-Bars!!!!

I should love "Hello Dolly" pan-o-bars, but I don't.  Do you know why?  I cannot stand graham cracker crust.  So, a few years ago I decided to kick these classics up a notch, with pretzel crust.  Oh my. 

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups crushed pretzels
1/2 tsp sea salt
1 stick butter, melted
1 cup chopped raw pecans
1 1/4 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 cup shredded coconut
14 ounces sweetened condensed milk (I use Trader Joe's)

 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

 

Crush the pretzels.  Either the old fashioned way: in an unsealed plastic bag, 

crush with a rolling pin OR use a food processor.

Yields 1 1/2 cups crushed pretzels. The crush will be much finer when

using a food processor, but either way is just fine.

Mix the crushed pretzels with 1 stick of melted butter and 

1/2 tsp sea salt.

Press the pretzel/butter mixture into a lightly greased (I use coconut oil), 

parchment lined 9x13 pan.

 Chop the raw pecans.

 Over the pressed pretzel crust, evenly sprinkle the chopped pecans,

coconut and chocolate chips.  Press firmly, again.

Evenly cover all the goodies with sweetened condensed milk.

Bake at 350 degrees for 23-27 minutes.

Remove from heat and slide a knife along the edges of the pan that were not 

parchment covered.  Then place bars (still in pan) on a cooling rack for an

 hour (or pop in the refrigerator, to speed the cooling process up). Then gently wiggle 

the bars out of the pan, using the parchment paper as handles, and place on a 

cutting board.  Use a pizza wheel to make desired sized cuts.

Store in an air tight container, either at room temperature or in the refrigerator.

You are about the be the hero of your next potluck!!

Just a Tease: Brownies with Chocolate Mousse and Raspberry Coulis

Well, I have tried my hardest to be a blogger in this crazy transition, and continue to fail epically.  I don't know why it took someone at our condo pool telling me that, 'most people go crazy doing one of the 4 things you and your family are doing right now...', She was right, I need to give myself a little credit that I still haven't pulled out any of my hair (well, other than that one pesky gray hair I yanked last week) and I haven't jumped from our 11th story balcony...moving to a different state, Zac starting a new job, searching for a home (with a budget that has doubled in the last month...vomit) and a pregnancy all in one swoop is really intense. 

Ugh (there I said it for the 301st time today)...but once again, all good stuff (other than the house search).

On a much happier note, I finally downloaded pictures off the camera, and will have many a gems to share in the near future.  Today, I will tease you all with a few of the pictures of my favorite dessert to whip up.  I do promise to make this, step by step, ASAP (omg, why didn't I add the idea of high altitude baking to my list of stressers???), but until then, please drool on: 

All packed up and off to friend's for one last hurrah

before we left Oklahoma. 

Die over the little milk jar I picked up at a thrift

store.  The perfect size to pack up the coulis in.

Dark Chocolate Brownies, Dark Chocolate Mousse,

Vanilla Bean Whipped Cream with a Raspberry

on top.  Raspberry Coulis on the side. 

Ice Cream Sandwich Time!

In honor of the 80 degree weather we had yesterday, I thought it was high time I get back in the kitchen and whip up a little treat for the heat!  Can't wait for you all to make them and report back! 

Ingredients:

Box of brownie mix (any box that yields a 9x13 pan)

1/4 cup water

1/4 cup canola oil

1 egg (again, I use carton, so then 1/4 cup)

Ice cream (pick your fave)

Mix above ingredients together. 

Use a small scoop to drop 12 brownie blobs onto

a parchment lined baking sheet.

Bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes

The batter will make 24 cookies, so I have a second baking

sheet lined with the parchment ready to go in when I pull the

first one out, because these need to cool completely on

the baking sheet (vs. being transferred to a rack for drying)

After the cookies have cooled, place 2 on a piece of foil

topped with parchment paper and use a large scoop

to cover one cookie with ice cream. 

This is when you can make it your own...what's your

favorite ice cream?  Put 'er in the middle instead

of the vanilla ice cream. 

One other way to make it your own: roll the ice

cream edges in sprinkles, crunched up cookie bits,

toffee pieces or mini chocolate chips

Fold the parchment around the ice cream sandwich,

which prevents the foil for sticking to the ice cream

(lessen learned a few years ago, when I pulled a stack

out of the freezer for a party).

Voila!  Pop in the freezer and you officially have

tasty treats on hand! 

Delish!  If I do say so myself!