Easy Ice Cream Cake

The kids are coming!  The kids are coming!  
A couple of week ago, my daughter and I decided to spend Saturday making Chocolate Zucchini Bread and Low Country Boil.  The bread we'd share...the seafood, not so much.
I decided a dessert was in order.  I wanted it easy.  I wanted it cold.  And, I wanted it irresistable.
I've asked around...this dessert has something for everyone. 
I think it would even be very good with strawberries substituted for the Reese's candies!     

What's In It:
24 ice cream sandwiches (I used plain-old-vanilla, but cookies-n-cream would work as would chocolate chip!)
16 oz. Cool-Whip (And yes, there IS a difference!)
1 jar caramel sundae topping (Again, there is a difference.  Stay with a brand you trust.)   
1 family-sized bag Reese's miniature peanut butter cups, unwrapped and roughly chopped (Strawberries would work here.  Especially the frozen kind.  Thawed, they are soft, sweet, juicy, and perfect for this dessert.)

How To Make It:
If you have one, use a 9x13 glass dish.  This dessert makes an impressive presentation!  If not, you may line your pan with foil and turn the whole thing out onto a serving plate.  I recommend this only if you expect the entire thing to be eaten at one sitting.  If not, it's better to keep it inside the plate for storage later.

Cover bottom of serving plate with a layer of ice cream sandwiches.(You will have a row of whole sandwiches and a row of 1/2 sandwiches underneath.)
Top with 1/2 the Cool Whip, 1/2 the caramel topping, and 1/2 the chopped Reese's miniatures. 
Repeat.
May be served immediately or covered and placed in freezer, if necessary.(If serving later, take out of freezer 5 to 10 minutes before serving for easier cutting.)

© Copyright 2009-2012 Stacye Carroll All Rights Reserved

Honey Baked Apples

Anyone who ever saw Nancy Reagan shouldn't be surprised to hear she paid attention to what she and President Reagan ate.  She knew the importance of fiber, built menus around chicken and fish, and insisted on plenty of vegetables and fruits.  

Honey Baked Apples not only met many of Mrs. Reagan's nutritional guidelines, they also allowed The President to indulge in dessert.

What's In It:

6 medium to large apples (Fuji, Rome, and Granny Smith are good choices)

3 tbs. raisins (You may use golden if you like, but dark raisins are preferred)

3 tbs. chopped walnuts

1/3 c. honey + more for drizzling (Local honey is always best)

1 tbs. fresh squeezed lemon juice (1/2 lemon usually yeilds 2 tbs.)

1 c. water

Cinnamon stick

Ground cinnamon

How To Make It:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Spray shallow, medium baking dish with cooking spray.

Core apples, peel top 1/3 and place in prepared dish.

Mix nuts and raisins and stuff into apples, dividing mixture equally between them.

In small saucepan, combine water and honey.  Add cinnamon stick and bring mixture to a boil.

Reduce heat to simmer and cook 5 minutes.

Remove from heat and stir in lemon juice.

Remove cinnamon stick and pour mixture over stuffed apples.

Cover dish, tightly, with aluminum foil and bake for 45 minutes. (Every 15 minutes or so, spoon juices in pan over apples to baste)

Allow to cool 5 minutes.

Drizzle tops of apples with honey and sprinkle with cinnamon just before serving.

A Little Bourbon With Your Brownie?

I have a small collection of recipes that I never make to eat at home. I didn’t plan it that way, and it’s certainly not as though my family wouldn’t appreciate my efforts. Some recipes just seem to lend themselves to sharing, maybe because of sheer volume, as in Redneck Caviar. In the case of desserts, though, it has more to do with delicious decadence.


I occasionally bake a pan of brownies for no particular reason. Drunken Brownies are not your everyday brownies. I’ve taken these to cook-outs and pool parties, and the most I’ve ever tasted is a bite of someone else’s, as by the time I get back to the table, there is usually nothing left but a smudged ring of icing around the top of the pan. And I do serve them, and all brownies, from the pan. Putting them on a plate only tends to dry them out, and that’s a terrible thing to do to a brownie…especially a Drunken Brownie!


Drunken Brownies

Makes 24.

1 19.8 oz package fudge brownie mix (And yes, it does matter what brand you use. Don’t’ scrimp here.)

3 eggs (Thank you, Chloe, Sylvia, Pat, and Lucy)

1/3 c. vegetable oil

6 tbl. bourbon

1 ½ c. butter, softened (No margarine, please!)

2 c. powdered sugar, sifted

3 tbl. rum

6 oz. semi-sweet chocolate

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter sides and corners of a 9 x 13 baking pan. In a large mixing bowl, combine mix, eggs & oil. Pout into prepared pan. Bake for 25 to 28 minutes. Remove from oven and immediately sprinkle bourbon uniformly over brownies. Cool completely.

Combine ½ c. softened butter with the sugar and rum until well-blended. Spread evenly over cooled brownies. Chill for 1 hour.

Melt remaining butter with semi-sweet chocolate and drizzled over the frosted brownies. Chill for one hour before cutting into squares. Allow to return to room temperature before serving.


© Copyright 2009-2010 Stacye Carroll All Rights Reserved