The Broke Baker

Category: Recipes

Recipes

Mocha Macaron Ice Cream Sandwiches
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Do you ever think that you have a great idea, and then Google it to find out that your idea has been done repeatedly already? Well, ice cream and macarons are both things that leave me with the same problem. I made ice cream and am stuck with leftover egg whites after using the yolks for the custard base. I make macarons, and now I’m stuck with egg yolks that I need to find a use for. For a while, macarons were the direct result of having recently made ice cream, and vice versa. Then, it occurs to me “Hey, why not combine the macarons and ice cream TOGETHER!?” After all, it’s no secret that macaron shells are very freezer-friendly, so being part of a frozen dessert would not diminish the quality of this cookie. Lo and behold, it had already been done, and there was plenty of online research material to prepare me for my own efforts. And, after reading up on it, and a few YouTube videos, I finally decided to try it out. The results were so spectacular that these quickly became one of my most requested desserts. Chocolate macaron shells are still the only macaron shells that I can get to turn out well a reliably. So, all of my flavor combinations were always based around a chocolate macaron shell. To date, one of the favorite combinations among my friends is the chocolate macaron shells with coffee ice cream. So, mocha!

I have had many requests for the recipe, and it’s been sitting on the shelf for a while. Truth be told, I kept making the macaron ice cream sandwiches with the intention of photographing the process for the blog post. But, I somehow always end up forgetting to take pictures. Macarons and ice cream are both fairly time-sensitive recipes that require use of both hands, which makes photographing difficult.

Be warned, these aren’t really something that you can make on a whim or spur of the moment. This requires some planning, since the ice cream has to be sufficiently set before you can begin. The good thing is that, since it’s ice cream, you can make it way in advance and plan to make the macarons up to a few days afterwards. Or, you can use store-bought ice cream, like a chump. But, you’re not a chump. You are all about doing everything from scratch, or you wouldn’t even be here, right!?

So, here we go! You start by making the ice cream, preferably at least a day in advance.

In a small mixing bowl, whisk some egg yolks and sugar until light in color. Set aside.

Heat the milk and coffee granules in a saucepan over medium heat. Once the milk starts to simmer, remove from the heat and slowly add the hot milk mixture to the egg yolk and sugar mixture, about ¼ cup at a time, whisking constantly. Once about half of the hot liquid had been added to the egg yolks, pour the egg mixture into the saucepan with the remaining milk mixture, whisking the entire time.

Return to the stove and continue cooking, whisking constantly, until mixture thickens and coats the back of a spoon. Pour through a fine mesh strainer (this ensures a perfectly smooth mixture) into a medium bowl with the heavy cream. Add the vanilla extract and stir until combined. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until completely chilled. You can help the ice cream along by putting the bowl into another bowl filled with ice water and stirring the mixture every 30 minutes or so.

Once the custard has chilled, freeze in an ice cream maker according to the manufacturer’s instructions. Pour the frozen ice cream into a 13″ x 9″ lined with aluminum foil (heavy-duty if you have it), cover, then freeze until the ice cream hardens.

You can make any chocolate macaron batter that you like, but Chowhound’s recipe has given me great results. The important thing here is the size of your macaron shells. Take whatever cookie/biscuit cutter that you are going to use for your ice cream sandwiches and trace out circles on a piece of parchment big enough to fit your baking pan. I went one step further and made a template sized for my baking pan, then took it to Kinkos to have it printed and laminated to use over and over again. Considering how often I have been making these, it was definitely a worthwhile investment. A 2 ¼” circle is a pretty good size for an ice cream sandwich, but you can choose whatever size you wish. I find that the baking time is the same for ice cream sandwich sized macaron shells as it is for standard sized macaron shells, but do check them for doneness and adjust baking time as needed.

When the macaron shells are baked and cooled, you can start assembling your ice cream sandwiches. Pair up your macaron shells and place them on a tray. Take your cookie or biscuit cutter and cut a circle of ice cream out of the pan, then place it over a flat side of a macaron shell and top with another macaron shell to form a sandwich. Repeat the process until you run out of macaron shells, working quickly so that the ice cream doesn’t get too soft to work with. Scoop the leftover ice cream into an airtight container and store in the freezer. Or, just eat it right out of the pan. Your choice.

Store them in an airtight container and freeze until ready to consume. I normally let them sit at least overnight, but a few hours should be enough. I also rarely have any left more than a week or so.

Next stop: heaven.

It seems like a lot of work, but the hardest part is getting your macarons to come out properly. If you’ve already mastered macaron-making, then this should be no problem. Don’t be afraid. If I can do it, anyone can!

Mocha Macaron Ice Cream Sandwiches

Ingredients
- 1 batch of chocolate macaron batter (recommended recipe here)
- 2 cups heavy cream
- 2 cups whole milk
- 2 heaping tablespoons instant coffee granules
- 6 egg yolks
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
Directions

In a small mixing bowl, whisk the egg yolks and sugar until the mixture is light in color. Set aside.

In a small saucepan, heat the milk and coffee granules over medium heat until the coffee has dissolved and the mixture is about to come to a boil. Remove from heat and slowly pour the hot milk mixture into the egg yolk mixture, 1/4 cup at a time, whisking constantly. Once about 1/3 of the mixture has been added, pour the egg yolk mixture into the remaining hot milk mixture in the saucepan. Make sure you keep stirring!

Pour the heavy cream into a medium-sized bowl, then return the milk mixture to the heat. Continue cooking the mixture over medium heat, whisking constantly, until the mixture thickens and coats the back of a spoon. Remove from heat and pour through a fine mesh strainer into the bowl that contains the cream. Add the vanilla extract and stir gently until smooth. Cover and refrigerate until the mixture is cold.

Remove the bowl with the custard mixture from the refrigerator and freeze the custard according to your ice cream maker’s instructions. Pour the soft ice cream into a foil lined 13″ x 9″ pan and spread evenly. Cover and freeze for 4 hours or until the ice cream is firm.

While the ice cream is freezing, take the macaron batter and transfer it to a piping bag. Pipe the macaron batter into circles of the size that you wish your ice cream sandwiches to be (I recommend 2 ¼”), then rest and bake according to the recipe’s directions. Allow to cool completely before beginning the assembly process.

To assemble the ice cream sandwiches, pair up the macaron shells, then remove the pan of ice cream from the freezer. Place one macaron per pair flat side up. Using a biscuit cutter that is the same size as the macaron shells, cut out a round of ice cream. Place a round of ice cream on the flat side of the macaron shell, then top with the other macaron shell. Repeat the process until you are either out of macaron shells or out of ice cream, working quickly to keep the ice cream from getting too soft (if this happens, put the pan back in the freezer until the ice cream firms up again). Transfer the ice cream sandwiches to an airtight container and freeze for 4 hours or until ready to serve.
May 4, 2016
Caramel Macchiato Cupcakes

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I have a love/hate relationship with coffee. While I like coffee-flavored things, I don’t actually like to drink coffee. Some people like that black, unsweetened concoction to just punch them in the face with caffeine. I, on the other hand, prefer to add enough sweeteners and flavorings that I almost forget that I am drinking coffee. My favorite “coffee additive” is caramel, because caramel is awesome. So, it’s no wonder that caramel macchiatos are my favorite coffee beverage. This cupcake is an homage to this beverage. As an added bonus, the presentation of these caramel macciato cupcakes makes so you can fool people into thinking that they’re actual drinks. Pretty neat for an April Fool’s Day post, no?

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April 1, 2016
Snickers Brownie Peanut Butter Ice Cream Cake
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One day, about a year or two ago, a recipe for a Snickers Brownie Peanut Butter Ice Cream Cake showed up on my news feed. After I picked my jaw up off the floor, I made a mental note to try making it someday. Then, I forgot about it until I happened to get my hands on a bunch of Halloween candy (you remember that, don’t you?) and was looking for things to make with it. Snickers, brownie, and ice cream…what could possibly be wrong with that!? After making this Snickers ice cream cake once, it quickly became one of my most requested desserts. I’ve made it several times since then, and finally decided to share the recipe.

Now, we all know that I can never leave a recipe well enough alone. It’s not that this Snickers ice cream cake recipe isn’t probably great on its own, but there’s always a way to tweak it to suit my style. For one, while the layers look nice, I just don’t have the patience to go through all of that. Since I only have one springform pan, that would make the process take longer. Secondly, the “ice cream” used in the recipe isn’t true ice cream. I decided that this recipe deserved some peanut butter ice cream made from scratch.

The first thing you should do is make the custard for the ice cream. Heat the cream, milk, sugar, and peanut butter until the peanut butter is melted and the mixture starts to simmer. Whisk some egg yolks, and then temper the egg yolks by gradually adding hot liquid to the egg yolks. Once you’ve added about 1/3 of it into the yolks, pour the yolk mixture into the rest of the liquid in the pot and return to the heat. Continue cooking, whisking constantly, until the mixture thickens and coats the back of a spoon. Strain the mixture into a bowl, and then pour the strained mixture into a bowl with the rest of the cream. Add vanilla extract, then cover and refrigerate. It’s going to need time to chill, so make sure you give yourself enough time. You can also let it refrigerate overnight.

To expedite the chilling time, I usually place the bowl of custard in an ice bath. With this method, the custard is usually sufficiently chilled in about 2 hours.

A half batch of brownie batter makes the proper thickness of brownie for a 9″ round springform pan. Let the brownie layer cool completely, then put it in the freezer until it’s ready to use.

Get your Snickers chopped and ready to go while you wait. Try not to eat all of it before you can assemble your cake.

Pour the chilled peanut butter custard into an ice cream maker and churn. Mine is usually done in 15-20 minutes.

When the ice cream is done, sprinkle some Snickers pieces over the brownie layer, then spread the ice cream over the it. Sometimes, I also drizzle some caramel sauce over this layer. Top with the remaining Snickers pieces, and gently press them down into the ice cream. Freeze for about an hour, and then cover with plastic wrap and freeze for at least 4 hours or overnight.

Depending on how well your freezer works, you might need to run a hot knife around the edge of the cake to get it out of the pan.

Drizzle each piece with caramel sauce sauce and hot fudge sauce, then let the compliments roll in.

You can also make the cake in a 13 x 9 pan using 3/4 batch of brownie batter. The ice cream layer will be slightly thinner, but still adequate.

Honestly, can you really say no to this?

Since this is a frozen cake, it’s a great make-ahead dessert for a group.

Snickers Brownie Peanut Butter Ice Cream Cake

(Adapted from this recipe)

Ingredients

For the Ice Cream (adapted from recipe from Brown Eyed Baker)
- 1 cup whole milk
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- ½ cup creamy peanut butter
- 2 cups heavy cream, divided
- Pinch of salt
- 6 egg yolks
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
For the Brownie (adapted from recipe from Allrecipes.com)
- 1 cup white sugar
- 1/2 cup butter, melted
- 1/4 cup cocoa powder
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 eggs
- 3/4 cups all-purpose flour, with about 1 tbsp of flour removed
- 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
Additional ingredients
- 1 11.5 ounce package Snickers miniatures, unwrapped and chopped
- caramel sauce
- hot fudge sauce
Directions

Make the ice cream custard

Warm the milk, sugar, peanut butter, 1 cup of the heavy cream and the salt in a medium saucepan over medium-low heat, stirring until the sugar is dissolved and the peanut butter has melted. Continue cooking until the mixture comes to a slight simmer, bubbling around the edges of the pan. Remove from heat.

Whisk the egg yolks in a medium bowl. Slowly pour the warmed milk mixture into the egg yolks, 1/4 cup at a time, whisking constantly. Once you have incorporated about 1/3 of the milk mixture, pour it back into the saucepan with the remaining milk mixture.

Place the saucepan back over medium heat and whisk constantly until the mixture thickens and coats the back of a spoon, a few minutes.

Pour the custard through a fine-mesh strainer into a clean bowl, and then stir it into the cream. Stir in the vanilla extract, cover, and transfer the custard to the refrigerator until completely chilled, at least 8 hours or overnight.

Make the brownie

Preheat oven to 350°. Spray a 9″ springform pan with nonstick cooking spray.

Combine the butter and sugar until combined. Add the cocoa powder and mix well. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well with each addition. Stir in the dry ingredients and stir until just combined (do not overmix). Stir in the vanilla.

Pour into prepared springform pan and bake for 20-30 minutes, or until toothpick inserted in the center only has a few fudgy crumbs. Allow to cool completely on a wire rack, then freeze in the pan until ready to use.

Assembly

Freeze the chilled peanut butter custard in an ice cream maker according to the manufacturer’s directions.

Sprinkle about 1/3 of the Snickers pieces over the brownie. You can also pour some caramel sauce over them, but this is optional.

When the ice cream is ready, spoon it over the brownie and Snickers, spreading it evenly. Spinkle with the remaining Snickers pieces, gently pressing them down into the ice cream. Refrigerate for about an hour, then cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 4 hours, but preferably overnight.

To serve, remove Snickers ice cream cake from the springform pan and cut into slices with a knife run through hot water. Drizzle each slice with caramel and hot fudge sauce.
March 1, 2016
Red Velvet Ice Cream Sandwiches

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Okay, I lied. I am totally posting a “red” recipe in February for Valentine’s Day. But, I got inspired and decided that this recipe deserved a posting. I mean, they’re HEART-SHAPED! What other month of the year could I get away with this!? Exactly. Besides, it’s kind of cheating because it’s simply combining two existing recipes.

These ice cream sandwiches are made with brownie, but you can also use blondie or cookie dough for the outside, if you prefer. The star of the show is the red velvet ice cream sandwiched in the middle. Out of so many things red velvet that exist in the world, this ice cream is a personal favorite.

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February 15, 2016
Mushroom Risotto
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February posts on recipe blogs are usually dedicated to all things pink, red, and nauseatingly romantic. This year, I have one word for you:

Risotto.

Just saying it makes you sound fancy, doesn’t it? Risotto. It’s basically just creamy rice, but you don’t impress people with a dish called “creamy rice.” But risotto…now THAT gets people’s attention. That’s exactly why it’s a perfect post for the month of Valentine’s Day. Forget heart-shaped cookies with sickeningly sweet, pink frosting. This mushroom risotto is the ultimate “Date Night Trump Card.” It uses ingredients they are easy to find and makes a great impression. This is the dish that you want to present when you want “seeing where things go” to turn into “relationship upgrade.” When you messed up really bad and are trying to make it up to them. Or, maybe when you just want them to feel special. Risotto is Italian for “I will babysit a pot of rice for 30 minutes for you, because you mean that much to me.” It totally is, I swear.

At its core, risotto is a Northern Italian dish of rice that is cooked by slowly adding broth to achieve a creamy consistency. It’s funny that this dish, mainly associated with high-end Italian dining here in the U.S., is essentially staple of home-cooked comfort food. Basically, it’s Northern Italy’s answer to mac and cheese. Risotto intimidates a lot of home cooks because it sounds complicated, but is actually quite simple to make. It takes time and patience, so it’s not something that can be made in a rush. Done right, you are rewarded with a creamy and satisfying dish that makes a great accompaniment to pretty much any protein, or is hearty enough to make a meal on its own. As a bonus, this risotto is made with mushrooms for extra heartiness. I don’t even miss having meat in this dish.

The key to any risotto is to add the liquid gradually. One ladle (about 1/2 cup) of liquid should take around 2 minutes to be absorbed by the rice. Make sure you adjust your heat accordingly to get the proper pacing of liquid absorption, or your risotto will end up either too dry or too runny.

Mushroom Risotto

(Adapted from this recipe from Allrecipes.com)

Ingredients
- 6 cups beef broth or stock (or vegetable broth for vegetarian option)
- 3 tablespoons olive oil, divided
- 1 pound portobello mushrooms, thinly sliced
- 1 pound white mushrooms, thinly sliced
- 1/2 cup shallots or onions, diced
- 2 cloves garlic
- 1 1/2 cups Arborio rice
- 1/2 cup dry white wine
- sea salt to taste
- freshly ground black pepper to taste
- 3 tablespoons finely chopped parsley
- 4 tablespoons butter
- 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
Directions

In a saucepan, heat the beef stock on medium to medium-high heat until it barely starts to simmer. Reduce heat to low.

Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Stir in the mushrooms and cook until soft, about 3 minutes. Remove mushrooms and their liquid, and set aside.

Add 1 tablespoon olive oil to the same saucepan, and stir in the shallots or onions. Cook for 3 minute, or until onion starts to soften. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute, or until fragrant. Add the rice, stirring to coat with oil, about 2 minutes. When the rice has taken on a pale, golden color, reduce heat and pour in wine, stirring constantly until the wine is fully absorbed. Add 1/2 cup broth to the rice, and stir until the broth is absorbed. Continue adding broth 1/2 cup at a time, stirring continuously, until the liquid is absorbed and the rice is al dente, about 30 minutes.

Remove from heat, and stir in mushrooms with their liquid, butter, and parmesan. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Garnish each serving with chopped parsley and more parmesan cheese, if desired.
February 2, 2016
Caramel Pumpkin Oatmeal Bars

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I know what you’re probably thinking. “Why is she posting pumpkin desserts in January?” You have a point. I could have waited until Fall rolls around again, and posted this then. But, that would have meant that you, my loyal followers, would not know the existence of this little squares of heaven for almost another year. I just couldn’t have that. (more…)

January 13, 2016
Chocolate Coquito Macarons

Ah, macarons. They are such wonderful and enigmatic things. The first time that I tasted a macaron was at a chocolate festival. There was a French bakery showcasing these delicate meringue and almond flour confections, and it was love at first bite. Since then, they hold a special place in my heart.

Making them, on the other hand, can probably bring a seasoned chef to tears. Even an experienced baker can botch these things. It seems like it takes equal amounts of skill and luck to get the almond flour, meringue, and sugar to come together in just the right way. The meringue has to be stiff, but not too stiff. The batter can’t be overmixed or undermixed. The weather can’t be too humid. The stars need to align. The baking gods need to smile upon you. You need to say a prayer.

I honestly don’t know what possessed me to try making them the first time. Perhaps I am just a glutton for punishment. Still, I tried, and failed. Then, I tried and failed again. And, I kept trying and trying. Then, I would sometimes succeed, but I still fail most of the time. (more…)

December 16, 2015
Red Velvet Rum Cake

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Every now and then, my boss flies into town and pays her subordinates a visit. During her most recent visit, one of my colleagues and I were dealing with an ongoing project, and she was feeling fairly overwhelmed. As a joke, she asked our boss to approve the shipment of a cake just for her (she works out in California) to boost her morale. Unbeknownst to her, my boss thought that this was a good idea, and asked me to make one to ship to her.

Drinking on the job is, for obvious reasons, frowned upon. But, there’s nothing stopping us from sending the booze in the form of a cake. But, my boss reminds me that my colleague’s favorite cake is red velvet. Yes, but red velvet cake needs the cream cheese icing, which would never survive a trip without professional food packaging. A rum cake is much more likely to make it to its destination with little to no deterioration in quality, because of the alcohol content helping to keep it fresh. My boss ponders a bit, then asks “Well, could you make a red velvet rum cake?”

Why didn’t I think of that sooner? (more…)

December 2, 2015
Malted Chocolate Cheesecake

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After Halloween, I did something really stupid. I went to the store and perused the racks with the clearance Halloween candy, and ended up leaving with enough candy to last me several months. Normally, this isn’t really a problem. I have a candy jar at my desk at work that was always in constant need of refills. But, then they moved me to an isolated cubicle on a mostly empty floor, and the candy jar remained untouched.

What’s a woman to do with a bunch of leftover Halloween candy? Eating it would be a simple answer, but so pedestrian. Besides, I easily had at least 20 bags of candy lying around. So, I decided to start getting creative. This malted milk ball cheesecake was inspired by the Whoppers candies that I sifted out of a giant variety bag of candy. The cheesecake itself doesn’t contain any Whoppers, but it’s a light chocolate cheesecake flavored with malt. (more…)

November 24, 2015
Bacon Wrapped Ribs

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When I moved into my house earlier this year, my friends pooled their resources and gave me a very generous wad of cash as a housewarming gift. Naturally, I spent that money on cooking-related items. One of these purchases was a grill and smoker, which the hardware store happened to have on sale. South Florida has a tragic shortage of good barbecue. I came to terms long ago with the fact that I would have to learn to use a grill if I were to ever have any hope of having accent to a decent barbecue meal. Now that I finally have a house, and it has a space in the back big enough for entertaining, it was a good time for me to learn how to use a grill. (more…)

November 10, 2015