Copycat Buster Bars

Yum

If you have followed my posts for any length of time, you know that I'm a little obsessed with entering recipe contests. In fact, my long standing excuse for not updating this blog in a timely manner is because I can't share much of what I am inventing. Lately, The Pillsbury Bake-Off has been my obsession. Oh--I am dying to share some of those recipes! This, however, will be my final try for that $1 Million grand prize if I'm lucky enough to be chosen this year....so I will keep my lips sealed on that subject.

Several months ago, I entered the Scharffen Berger Chocolate Adventure Contest. The theme was bars--any kind. Plus, there were adventure ingredients that had to be used. The first thing I usually do is think of a name...silly I know, but it works for me. I thought of Dirty Blondies with Dark Roots. I still love that name but, dang it, I never did develop a good recipe worthy of the name. So, I dug around my memory for a childhood treat that I could update and the one thought I kept having was for a DQ Buster Bar. Keep in mind that when this contest was wrapping up our we were having wind chills in the negative double digits...not exactly ideal ice cream weather. I did manage to use the weather to my advantage, as the great outdoors became my freezer!

There wasn't any room in my freezer, so I covered them and froze them out on the deck....who says Minnesota winters are awful?

The recipe I entered wasn't a winner. I used a homemade bourbon ice cream and some homemade hot fudge, but perhaps I wasn't adventurous enough. Or maybe it was just a little too complicated. We happened to love how they turned out, though. In fact, I recently updated them and entered them in the Eggo Waffle Contest.

Seriously--a waffle sundae wrapped in an ice cream bar!

The recipe for these copy-cat Buster Bars is so very easy in its most basic form, that I decided I had to share. You can add the mini-waffles or leave it out---they are good either way. The cool thing is that you can make just a few at a time. Any more that that is dangerous......

Copy Cat Buster Bars (the Eggo® Waffle Sundae Bar Edition)*

By Cathy Wiechert

Ingredients

• 4 sets of 4 Eggo® Homestyle Mini Waffles
• 1 1/4 cups hot fudge sauce
• 3/4 cup chopped peanuts
• 1 pint vanilla ice cream, softened
• 2 cups semi-sweet or dark chocolate chips
• 1/3 cup coconut oil

Instructions

1. Line (8) 5 oz paper cups on work surface.
2. Microwave each set of Mini Waffles for about 10 seconds, or until soft; separate into individual waffles.
3. Press one waffle into the bottom of each paper cup. Spread 1 tablespoon of hot fudge on top of the waffle and sprinkle with 1-2 teaspoons chopped peanuts. Add 2 tablespoons of the softened ice cream, packing down. Top the ice cream with another waffle and repeat the layers of fudge, peanuts, and ice cream. Top the last layer of ice cream with a teaspoon of fudge and a sprinkle of peanuts. Push a Popsicle stick halfway down the center of each cup. Place the ice cream cups in the freezer until very firmly frozen.
4. For the chocolate coating, melt the chocolate chips and the coconut oil over low heat. Stir until smooth. Transfer to a tall narrow container. Remove ice cream cups from the freezer one at a time. Peel off the cup and dip into the chocolate, covering completely.
5. Wrap the bars in plastic wrap or in a plastic gift baggie, and place back in freezer until ready to serve.

Yield: 8 Bars
Prep Time: 00 hrs. 25 mins.

Total time: 25 mins.
Tags: ice cream bars, chocolate, waffles, peanuts, hot fudge

Just use a tall, narrow container (such as this 16 oz. measuring cup) for your dipping chocolate. Set down some parchment paper to rest the dipped bars, then put them back in the freezer.

You can use a jar of hot fudge sauce from the store, but this homemade version is easy to make and it's the bomb!! Homemade Dark Chocolate Hot Fudge

So, go ahead and mix up your flavors. Chocolate ice cream? Caramel Sauce? Salted pecans instead of peanuts? With waffle, without waffle....the possibilities are endless. What's your favorite flavor combination?

Dark Chocolate Hot Fudge

Here's a quick and easy recipe for a hot fudge sauce that will knock your socks off...you will never use the store bought stuff again....

Dark Chocolate Hot Fudge Sauce

Printable Recipe

Ingredients:

1 cup heavy cream

1/2 cup light corn syrup

1/2 cup dark brown sugar

6 tablespoons dark cocoa

2/3 cup dark (60% cacao) chocolate chips, divided

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon vanilla

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

Combine the cream, corn syrup, brown sugar, cocoa, 1/3 cup chocolate chips, and salt in a 1 1/2 quart heavy saucepan. Heat over medium heat, stirring, until mixture comes to a boil. Reduce heat to simmer and let boil for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat and stir in the remaining chocolate chips, vanilla, and butter.  Pour into jars and cool for 30 minutes at room temperature. The sauce will thicken as it cools. Makes about 2 cups.

The key to making it extra tasty is to use the Special Dark Cocoa and Dark Chocolate Chips....

Just wrap a ribbon around the jar and give it to your sweetheart...

Seriously addicting, this stuff is. I've made it 4 times in the last few weeks, and hubby and I have been eating hot fudge sundaes every night. We may need an intervention....

Seriously---You've got to try it on this on my Crazy Good Banana Pound Cake!

What would you pour it over??

KEMPS® FAMILY TRADITIONS Ice Cream Flavor Contest

One of the perks of this blogging hobby of mine, is that I am sometimes invited to some awesome events. Recently, I was invited to participate in the launch of KEMPS® Family Traditions Ice Cream Flavor Contest. It was held at the KEMPS®plant in Rochester and I was really happy to accept the invitation. Unfortunately, circumstances beyond my control kept me at home on the big day. I missed an opportunity to meet Theresa Mauer (Joe's mom!), a few other bloggers, and KEMPS® own ice cream guru, Logan Julstom. Most importantly, I missed the excitement of the launch of this fun contest. Don't worry, though--I'm going to share the info with you. 

We all have family traditions, right? What is yours? And most importantly, how can you make it into ice cream? If you have a delicious family tradition, simply mix it up into an ice cream idea and you could win $2500! How fun is that?

If you happen to live in Minnesota, Wisconsin, Iowa, North Dakota or South Dakota, then this contest is for you. But you have to hurry--there's only 5 days left!!

Simply click on this link: KEMPS® Family Traditions Ice Cream Flavor Contest and enter your idea!

 KEMPS® was good enough to send me a goodie bag since I was unable to attend the event. While I missed tasting last year's winner (omg...it had MINI-DONUTS in it!), they did send me a carton of the 2011 winning flavor, Land of 10,000 Licks--Sweet Cream Vanilla Ice Cream with thick ribbons of Salted Caramel and Salted Caramel Toffee Bits. 

Holy Salted Caramel--this was awesome!

Just a few things I think you should know about  KEMPS®:

 ~Kemps works with 17,000 farm families and 100% of the profits go to them.

~ Kemps products are sold in Minnesota, parts of Wisconsin, Iowa and the Dakotas and frozen yogurt is sold throughout the Southeast.

~ Kemps produces 70 million gallons of milk at three milk manufacturing facilities across Minnesota

~Joe Mauer and his mom Theresa have been spokespeople for Kemps since 2010.

~At last year's Minnesota State Fair over 20,000 ice cream samples were passed out.

~ Cows have a very keen sense of smell--they can smell something 6 miles away!

I know that I want to be at the Minnesota State Fair to try samples of the finalist flavors. The winner will be announced on August 28!

What family tradition can you mix up into a great ice cream flavor?

Profiteroles with Whiskey Maple Cream Sauce and Candied Bacon #Improv

It's Improv time and this month we're talking about Eggs and Bacon! Confused? Improv is a monthly challenge hosted by Kristen of Frugal Antics of a Harried Homemaker. Each month we are given two seasonal foods to get creative with and this month we've got Eggs and Bacon. Eggs and Bacon? A piece of cake ...er...pastry. **grin**

Not long ago, I wasn't crazy about the idea of using bacon in any kind of dessert. Mixing meat with sweets just seemed so wrong. Then last June I had the opportunity to try Bacon Ice Cream made by Executive Chef Julian Grainger of the Minneapolis Hilton Hotel....it was topped with a Bacon Lollipop (!) and it was fabulous. Still, I was hesitant to try it at home. An Egg and Bacon Improv theme was just the ticket to get me motivated....it was time to try Candied Bacon.

I searched the Internet for the bacon recipe and was most inspired by the one posted by Recipe Girl. Simply mix some brown sugar and cinnamon in a bowl and coat both sides of the bacon slices. Put an oven safe rack on top of a parchment lined baking sheet; spray it with cooking spray. Arrange the bacon slices on the rack and bake at 350 degrees F. Since I only had thick slices of bacon, I baked mine for just about 30 minutes. Watch it carefully near the end, to make sure the bacon doesn't burn.

Frankly, I had no idea how I was going to use the bacon after I made it...the dessert just evolved after these beauties emerged from the oven.

One of the best "eggy" desserts I can think of are cream puffs. Made from just a little water, butter, flour, and eggs, they are not only easy to make, but they look impressive as well. They can be filled with whipped cream or custard or chocolate mousse. If you fill them with a scoop of ice cream, you get to call them "profiteroles" and you are immediately elevated to the status of fancy schmancy baker. Look at how easy these things are to make:

Simply combine 1 cup of water, 1/2 cup of butter (I used unsalted), and a pinch of salt into a medium sized saucepan. Bring it to a boil and add 1 cup of flour all at once. Stir vigorously until the mixture forms a ball. Let this cool for 5 minutes.

The hardest part is the workout your arm gets from beating the eggs in....

After the mixture has cooled for 5 minutes, add 4 eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. The mixture should be smooth and shiny when you are done.

Next, use a cookie scoop to drop the batter onto a large baking sheet lined with parchment paper or a Silpat. Bake for about 30 minutes, or until they are puffed and browned. Immediately cut a small hole in each one to allow steam to escape.

Aren't they pretty? They freeze well, too...bag up what you don't use and save them for a quick emergency dessert.

When they are cool, just cut the tops off and pluck out some of the insides. Now you have the perfect vessel for the good stuff. You could even make little savory tarts by filling them with chicken...hmmm...pot pies?

Meh, it was Sunday afternoon and I was feeling a bit lazy, so I just filled these with vanilla ice cream. Now I'm thinking that some Sweet Potato Ice Cream might be good.....

At any rate, it still needed a topping, and since bacon and maple are such a good combination, I turned to the Pioneer Woman's Whiskey Maple Cream Sauce. If you haven't made this yet, go do it now. I've used this a bunch of times over apple pie and bread pudding. It is life altering. Btw, one tablespoon of whiskey is plenty--it gives it just the right boozy flavor without overpowering.

Fill your profiteroles with a scoop of ice cream, pour some warm Whiskey Maple Cream Sauce over it, and crumble some of that Candied Bacon on top...that is if you have any left. 

Now go see what everyone else is making with Eggs and Bacon.

Blue Moon Ice Cream

Holidays, such as July 4th, always make me a little nostalgic, so naturally I go looking for some childhood memories...mainly food. One of my favorite food memories involves an ice cream flavor that may be the dessert equivalent  of mystery meat. No Kidding. I googled this stuff and it's described as tasting like everything from pineapple to marshmallows to Fruit Loops. If you've ever lived in Michigan or Wisconsin, you will know this ice cream is called Blue Moon. If you grew up anywhere else, you probably won't know what I'm talking about....

Recently, a new soda fountain opened up in St. Paul. Of course, I had to check it out and, lo and behold, they sold Blue Moon ice cream. I hadn't tasted Blue Moon since I was about ten, so I asked for a taste. Holy Smokes! It was spot on! For the record, they described the taste as the milk left over from your bowl of Fruit Loops...not a bad comparison. I had to see what I could do to make it at home.

I found a few recipes on the Internet that looked promising. One in particular, from Food.com,  sounded like it might be right, so I started with that and put my own spin on it. 

Blue Moon Ice Cream

Printable Recipe

2 eggs

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 teaspoon raspberry extract

1 teaspoon lemon extract

1 packet of Duncan Hines® Frosting Creations™ Cotton Candy Flavor Mix (or sub 1 tablespoon vanilla pudding mix)

1/2 teaspoon blue food coloring

1 1/2 cups whole milk

1 cup heavy cream

In a small bowl, beat together the eggs and the sugar with a hand mixer until thickened and lemon colored, about 2 minutes. Stir in the vanilla, raspberry, and lemon extracts, the flavor mix, and the food coloring; set aside.

 

I found the Cotton Candy flavored Frosting Creations at the store...it sounded like it might just fit in to this recipe. As a bonus, it's blue! Since I used eggs in this recipe though, it wasn't blue enough...it had a slight green tinge, so I still added some blue food coloring.

Place the milk and the cream in a medium sized saucepan. Heat over medium/low heat until the mixture just comes to a simmer. Slowly whisk the egg mixture into the hot cream and continue to heat until it comes to a boil, whisking constantly. Reduce the heat and simmer for another two minutes. Remove from heat and chill for at least 2 hours or overnight.

Pour the chilled cream into an ice cream maker and churn according to directions, about 30 minutes.  If a firmer consistency is desired, transfer the ice cream into an airtight container and freeze for several hours.

Oh, yes! This is pretty darn close. Next time I'll try the vanilla pudding mix to see if there is a difference. 

What special food did you make for the 4th of July?

Sweet Potato Ice Cream

With Spring finally making an appearance, I couldn't help but think of what kinds of things I want to be making as the weather warms up.....and, gee, how could I incorporate a sweet potato into it? Ice cream immediately came to mind. I've had pumpkin ice cream before, always near the beginning of Fall, but would  a sweet potato work? Yes, as a matter of fact!

When I was a child, my best friend's father was a milkman. Not only was he a milkman, but he also owned and operated a restaurant, right on Main Street, across from my own father's bakery. This was one of those fabulous small town restaurants that had an authentic soda fountain. The best part was that they served ice cream that was made right on the premises. Oh, how I remember watching as the fresh ice cream came out of the machine....and we always got to have the first taste. I was forever after a big ice cream fan.

Nowadays, we get to make our own ice cream at home with one of those modern little ice cream makers. It makes the job a real cinch and the great thing about it is that you can come up with any flavor your heart desires. Let me show you how I made my concoction.

Sweet Potato Ice Cream

Printable Recipe

3 large egg yolks

1 large egg

1/4 cup pure maple syrup

1/2 cup sugar

1 1/2 cups heavy cream

1 1/2 cups whole milk

1 cup cooked, mashed sweet potatoes

1 tablespoon grated orange peel

2 tablespoons fresh orange juice

1 teaspoon ginger paste (or 1/2 teaspoon ginger powder)

Combine the egg yolks, egg, maple syrup, and sugar in a medium bowl. Use a hand mixer on medium speed to beat until the mixture is thick, smooth, and pale yellow in color, about 1 1/2 to 2 minutes.

Combine the heavy cream and the milk in a medium saucepan. Slowly pour the egg mixture into the milk/cream mixture, whisking to combine. Heat over medium heat, whisking constantly until the mixture starts to simmer. Cook for an additional two minutes, or until the custard coats the back of a spoon, being careful not to let the mixture come to a full boil (or the eggs will curdle, trust me).

In a medium bowl, combine the sweet potatoes with the ginger, the orange peel and the orange juice. Pour the custard over the sweet potato mixture and stir to combine. Chill for at least two hours.

Do you see a theme with my sweet potato creations? I love the combination of orange and sweet potatoes. It makes the flavors so Spring-like!

Pour the sweet potato custard into the ice cream maker and churn per the manufacturer's directions. With my machine, it was ready in about 30 minutes.

The finished ice cream will be fairly soft. If you prefer the ice cream to be harder, place it in an airtight container and freeze it for a few hours. I happen to like it a little softer---it seems creamier and more flavorful. I found it too hard not to scoop some into a chocolate rimmed cone and slurp it down immediately!

It was even better with some chocolate covered sunflower seeds! Now imagine it in a profiterole with some chocolate syrup......too bad I didn't have the time....

This stuff is good just by itself, but it's fun to imagine all of the possibilities....