WE'VE MOVED

Hello!

Thank you for the amazing 8 years here at A Baked Creation, we can't thank you enough for the memories! But we've decided to move over to a new site - Sincerely, Syl. Please join us there for future posts on all the things you loved here!

Sincerely,
Syl
Showing posts with label ice cream sandwich. Show all posts
Showing posts with label ice cream sandwich. Show all posts

Saturday, May 3, 2014

S'more Ice Cream Sandwiches

Time to think of summer, we've been having some wonky weather here in Toronto, but it's bound to remain sunny and warm soon. And when it does, it's time to bring out the cool treats!

Always be prepared when you're trying a new recipe. Decide what kind of ice cream sandwich you're going to make. Read through the instructions, I've taken photos each step of the way, and if you're going for that gold star, watch this video featuring Canadian Living Test Kitchen Specialist Irene Fong.

I decided on the s'more ice cream sandwiches because they remind me of fun camping trips and hilarious visits to the cottage with friends. There's something mesmerizing about roasting a marshmallow over a fire pit. Before it catches on fire and creates a torch, you squish it between graham crackers and chocolate. Yum! There's no camping or cottage trips on the horizon, but our new home does have a fire pit. So who knows? Maybe we'll relive those good times this summer.

S'more Ice Cream Sandwiches
Shopping List: unsalted butter, granulated sugar, brown sugar, eggs, vanilla extract, all-purpose flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, salt, chocolate chips, graham crackers, mini marshmallows, and vanilla ice cream.
First, we have to make the chocolate sandwich cookies. In a large bowl, beat the softened butter, granulated sugar, and brown sugar until fluffy. It should resemble a coarse buttercream frosting.
Beat in eggs, one at a time. Then add in the vanilla extract. This makes the batter nice and smooth.
Gather all the dry ingredients together in a bowl.
Whisk the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt together. This will help mix everything together and get rid of any lumps.
Mix into the butter mixture until combined. Scrape the sides of your bowl as needed. Be careful not to over mix. You can do this part with a spatula if you want.
Preheat your oven to 350°F (180°C).
Scoop one tablespoon of batter and place two inches (five centimetres) apart onto baking sheets (line with silicone mat or parchment paper). The batter spreads quite a bit while baking, so make sure you stick to one tablespoon or less. Unless you want gigantic ice cream sandwiches - then who am I to judge?
Bake until sides are just firm to the touch, about eleven minutes. They'll be soft, but you do want them a little bit under baked because they'll be softer and chewier. Let the cookies cool for ten minutes.
Transfer to racks and let the cookies cool completely. If you make these ahead of time, layer waxed paper between the cookies in airtight container and store at room temperature for up to five days.
To prepare the s'more, halve the mini marshmallows. Howard laughed at me for making something mini even smaller! But it's all about having the right proportions.
I used a blender to grind the graham crackers instead of chopping them.
Just a few pulses and it was a nice graham crumb.
In a bowl, combine the chocolate chips, graham crackers, and mini marshmallows.
Scoop about 1/4-1/3 cup of ice cream onto the bottom of a cookie. Top with a second cookie and gently press to adhere. You want the ice cream to almost reach the edge of the cookies. Dip the ice cream edge in the bowl, making sure that the chocolate chips, graham crackers, and marshmallows stick. Wrap with a double layer of plastic wrap and freeze until ice cream hardens, about 1 hour.
If you're like me, sometimes you need instant gratification. I tried the s'more ice cream sandwich right after I assembled it (no freezer time) and enjoyed the gooey, melty mess!

If you're looking for more ice cream sandwich ideas, visit the Test Kitchen Blog over at Canadian Living to see what other bloggers made! Strawberry White Chocolate Sprinkle or Chocolate Toffee and Nuts anyone? You really can't go wrong. Maybe even try mixing the toppings into the ice cream before you sandwich it!

Disclaimer: This is a sponsored post by Canadian Living and I received compensation for it. There was no requirement to produce a positive review of this recipe. All opinions are our own.

Saturday, February 9, 2013

Winterlicious: North 44 )º

2537 Yonge Street
Toronto, ON M4P 2H7
Tel: (416) 487-4897

Last Winterlicious dinner for the year! We're just slowly making our way through Mark McEwan's restaurants in Toronto. Having tried Fabbrica and Bymark, North 44 was the next logical step. We went after work and surprised ourselves by arriving early - rush hour traffic wasn't too bad!

Our hostess led us to what we thought was a cozy corner of the restaurant. But, because it was near the entrance, the area was really chilly every time customers came or left. The nice thing was that it was roomy and we didn't have to coat check (because my coat may have helped keep me from catching a cold that night).

We had a very nice waiter who gave us some great drink recommendations for the night. I personally loved that they had a mocktail menu, yum!

Most of us ordered the seared ahi tuna served with Japanese pear, cucumber, yuzu, and chili. Can't go wrong with that combination, it had great flavours and textures with each bite.

The crisp skinned chicken supreme with potato croquette, leeks, honey mushrooms, and pan jus. Wow, was not expecting a large portion of chicken! I found mine to be juicy, but Howard found his a bit dry. We all liked the potato croquette, would have loved more!

Our dinner companion tried the ice cream sandwich with vanilla ice cream between two winter spice cookies, served with a warm caramel sauce. It was also sitting on top of some shaved coconuts, quite a playful dish.

Pavlova with passion fruit and berries were not the guy's favourites. I guess they need something more substantial when it comes to dessert. I thought it tasted fine and that the presentation was quite nice compared to the other two.

I seem to always be gravitating towards chocolate. Their chocolate pot de crème was served with some cherry cookies, toffee crunch, and pop rocks. The spoonfuls of chocolate with the pop rocks were really fun!

The overall meal was okay. For some reason, I had thought that North 44 was on the same level as Bymark or higher, but after experiencing both, Bymark's service was more in line with "fine dining." The food runners at North 44 were a bit rough and would plop the dishes on the table and leave. At Bymark, dishes were neatly presented and explained. The atmosphere at North 44 was also more on the casual side and each waiter appeared to serve a greater number of tables.

Just One left for us to try! We can't wait to see what will be offered during Summerlicious, heck, we can't wait for summer!