Espresso Ganache Swirl Ice Cream, Peanut Pretzel Ice Cream Bars, And Strawberry Icebox Cake
Hello, hello, hello peeps. As it write up this newsy letter for you, it is insanely toasty out – like 90°F toasty – and so I am thinking about refreshingly frozen treats, such as ice cream and ice cream bars and I am also thinking about refreshingly chilly treats, such as icebox cakes. All of these treats fall under the no-bake category of goodies and for that, I love them all. But first a word about Snackable Bakes, before we dive into the scrumptiousness that is my espresso ganache swirl no-churn ice cream (from Snackable bakes, no less, my peanut pretzel ice cream bars (my latest for the Washington Post), and my strawberry icebox cake, an oldie but goodie recently featured on Leite’s Culinaria.
The book is doing splendidly – thank you for asking – and was named one of the “best books of 2022 (so far)” by the San Francisco Chronicle, which made me feel just so darn good. If you have already purchased a copy of Snackable Bakes, I am eternally grateful, and if you have not, I hope it is perhaps in your future-plans. Moreover, if you’ve purchased and reviewed on Amazon, wow: are we ever besties. And if you have purchased, but have not reviewed, and have been enjoying the recipes, etc., I’d just be over the moon if you’d consider dropping a line about it online. Even if you did not purchase the book from Amazon, you can leave a review and it really helps sales. Okay, enough pitching, begging, groveling, etc. – on to the recipes.
First up, my no-churn espresso ganache swirl ice cream from Snackable Bakes. Not only is the ice cream’s espresso flavor that of which coffee-ice cream dreams are made, but the “couldn’t-be-simpler” ganache swirl, woven throughout, takes it all way over the top. Moreover, it is ice cream of the no-churn variety which means just that: you do not need to churn it in an ice cream machine to make it. You merely need to whip up some espresso flavored whipped cream (ie: heavy cream plus espresso powder), fold in some sweetened condensed milk, place the mixture in a loaf pan, swirl in some easy-peasy ganache (that you ideally just prepared in your microwave), stick the pan in the freezer, and 4 to 6 hours later, you’ll just be in cold creamy heaven.
Next up is my latest for the Washington Post (I frequently contribute recipes to the Post): pretzel peanut ice cream bars. These are divine and I feel the need to walk you through these, just to prove to you how darn easy they are. You start with a no-bake pretzel crust (grind up pretzels and melted butter and a little sugar in the food processor) that you press into a 9x13-inch pan. Then you spread softened store-bought vanilla ice cream over the crust, press roasted and salted peanuts into the ice cream and coat the whole shebang in an easy chocolate ganache (I guess it is fair to say this is an “easy ganache” focused-newsletter – which only the best are . . .). The bars come together lickety-split and if you have never made (or eaten) a dessert with a pretzel crust – boy oh boy, are you in for a treat.
Finally, we’ll close out this newsy-letter with a strawberry icebox cake: puree fresh strawberries and sugar until still a bit chunky, fold the puree into some whipped cream, layer the whipped cream with Nilla Wafers, let chill in the fridge for 4 to 6 hours, and bam: the best ever fruity, creamy, kind of cake-y dessert you ever did have is yours for the asking. You’re welcome you’re welcome you’re welcome.
Hope these three treats keep you cool over the next two weeks and I’ll see you on the other side.