Sweet Cream Cold Brew Fudgesicles

I've created a cold brew addict.

Michael just started drinking coffee regularly a few years ago (I don't drink it, though) and when I first learned about cold brew I knew it was the thing for him. It's less acidic and harsh on the tummy and higher in caffeine and flavor. Pretty much exactly what he loves-and he's super apathetic about if it's hot or not so I started making homemade cold brew for him (I use this recipe, btw) and his life was changed.

And then I spotted the recipe for these fudgesicles and revolutionized everything.

The only thing Michael likes better than coffee is CHOCOLATE and coffee, bonus points for refreshing. So hi yes these are fudgesicles made with cold brew and then oh yes also a sweet creamy layer.

He was very excited.

You initially taste the sweet cream layer before that gives way to the chocolatey coffee fudgesicle and while both are delicious and interesting on their own, when you can taste both flavors at once it comes together and is just magic. Trust me-these got the full Michael seal of approval. They're epic and you need them. Make them while the weather's still warm! (Or make them when it's cold out, I'm a strong believer in eating what you want no matter what the weather is.)

Pecan Muddy Buddies

Muddy Buddies or Puppy Chow--whatever you call it, it's delicious (for those who don't know: it's chex cereal coated in a butter/chocolate/pb mixture and then tossed in powdered sugar). And I don't know why I had never even thought about using the same method to coat something other than chex. But when I saw this recipe using toasted pecans...oh my goodness I knew I had to make it happen. Plus...it's stupid easy. Which is necessary in the unpredictable life of being a new(ish) mama.

I actually sort of am enjoying baking/making desserts with James now. I'll put him in a baby wrap and he likes to face outward and then chew on one of his baby spoons or something while I make stuff (and sometimes he tries to "help"). I think the kitchen and me making stuff in the kitchen is just super new and interesting for him and it's sort of adorable and warms my heart.

Plus it means I get to have treats. So it's a win all around.

Speaking of wins, these pecan muddy buddies definitely are one. I think I still prefer classic puppy chow but I liked the nuttiness of these-and Michael was a BIG fan. He couldn't get enough. He may have even eaten more of them than me! Which is sort of a big deal.

Chocolate Stout Ice Cream

My hubby likes porters and stouts. But he also doesn't really drink much, especially if there's no one drinking with him (and I don't drink sooo...)--so long story short, we've had a couple bottles of Michael's favorite milk stout sitting in our refrigerator since like November. And he had an ice cream craving. So I made him a treat!

Here's a hilarious fact--this ice cream is technically somewhat alcoholic. Michael kept telling people that the alcohol cooked out and then I had to inform him that no...the ice cream isn't cooked at all after the addition of the beer. So technically yeah there's some alcohol in there. Then he asked if I'd been getting him drunk on ice cream and I gave him the eye roll to end all eye rolls.

Anyway, probs don't give this ice cream to your children. This is purely for adults.

For the record--I didn't think the ice cream tasted like beer at all. I thought it was just super chocolatey, which I, of course, am always totally here for. Michael said he could tell, but who ever knows with that guy. Anyway-the ice cream is super dense and chocolatey and pretty awesome. And you can use up any stouts or porters you may have hanging out in your refrigerator. So it's pretty much good stuff all around.

Oh! And make sure you read these instructions before getting your hopes up for ice cream ASAP--the mixture needs to chill for awhile before being able to be put into the ice cream maker. Just warning ya.

Quick Raspberry Ice Cream

I'm sort of in love with the pretty pretty shade of pink this ice cream is. Like...the pictures don't even do it justice. It's LOVELY. And it's all just from raspberries-no artificial coloring or anything like that. Speaking of ingredients, this recipe only uses SIX ingredients and it's completely no cook, no churn, and egg free! It's insanely quick and easy and you'll never believe HOW GOOD it is.

The ice cream is super creamy and silky and deliciously refreshing. I made the ice cream for Michael (because it's raspberry, so of course it's for him). It always makes me giggle when we order at restaurants and-with dessert for example-Michael usually orders something pink (strawberry or raspberry) and I usually get something super rich and decadent, and they always try to bring us out each other's food. Apparently I eat like a man and my hubby likes pretty pretty girly food :P

The point of the story is...Michael love love loves this ice cream. In all it's pink glory.

Look....all you have to do is blend together a few ingredients, then whip some cream, fold it all together, freeze it, AND THAT'S IT. Now you have this dreamy ice cream for yourself. It's pretty much the perfect thing to enjoy on a hot summery day. 

Peanut Butter Butterfinger Ice Cream {No Cook, Egg-free}

When you make your own sweet treats at home...it spoils you, guys. Like...you got to a cupcake bakery and scoff when you see their cupcakes don't have filling (IF A CUPCAKE ISN'T FILLED IT ISN'T WORTH IT!) Or you look at an ice cream display and see that their "Butterfinger Ice Cream" is vanilla ice cream with Butterfingers-NO!

The correct way is to have peanut butter ice cream with Butterfingers. Which is why we have to make these things ourselves. So I did. For you. (...well...and me....and Michael).

One super nice thing about this recipe is the fact that it's pretty darn simple to make--you don't cook anything, it doesn't have any eggs in it--you just blend together some half and half, peanut butter, sugar, etc. and then pour it into your ice cream maker! Plus...making this ice cream was an excuse for me to finally try out the new Butterfinger Baking Bits (have you seen those??? They're in the same area as the chocolate chips and such). It's pretty much just a bag of super crushed up Butterfingers...which makes them perfect for using in baking or...ice cream!

This ice cream turned out PERFECTLY-creamy, silky textured sweet peanut butter ice cream with crunchy Butterfingers in every bite....MMmmm! If I ever opened an ice cream shop, I would serve this and share with the world the way Butterfinger ice cream is supposed to be! Of course...I am sharing the recipe with all of you, so...same thing, no? Give it a try, enjoy it, and then say "Ah Kayle you're totally right! This is the way to make Butterfinger ice cream!" And I'll say, "Aww thank you! OMG riiiiight?? Forreals."

...because I'm a millennial. But can we still be friends?

:P

So Delicious Dairy Free® Frozen Chocolate Salted Caramel Pie {Vegan, No-Bake}

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #DairyFree4All #CollectiveBias

I'm not dairy-free but that hasn't stopped me from lusting after So Delicious Dairy Free® frozen treats. I've long seen them and made a note to myself, "Hey...those look yummalicious. You should get them sometime." So when I had the opportunity to create a dairy-free recipe using So Delicious, I RAN to the frozen section of my closest Walmart! I was faced with a dizzying array of amazing options...but my heart was stolen when I laid eyes on their Cashew Salted Caramel Cluster and Cashew Dark Chocolate Truffle. Sweet and salty cashew milk based frozen dessert with chocolate covered cashews and ribbons of salted caramel? HEAVEN. Fair trade cocoa (also cashew milk based) frozen goodness folded with fudge and shaved chocolate? OMIGOSH YES.

Now...before I could create a recipe...I had to at least give each of the frozen desserts a try. And I can 100% confidently attest that they were RICH, DECADENT, CREAMY, and seriously insanely delicious. I think I'm a complete convert--I've gone So Delicious Dairy Free® and I don't think I can go back! It's seriously so unbelievable that they are:

• Certified Vegan
• Dairy-Free and Egg-Free
• Non-GMO Project Verified
• Cholesterol-free
• No artificial colors, flavors, trans-fats, hydrogenated oils, or preservatives
• No high-fructose corn syrup
• Always 100% plant-based
• Certified Kosher

Like....WHAAAT? Not to mention the fact that many of their products are also made with organic ingredients. Be still my good-food-lovin' heart: no wonder So Delicious Dairy Free® has been a dairy-free staple for more than 25 years! Seriously...their products are outstandingly delicious and something you can feel good about eating (or drinking...or licking..)

I decided the perfect way to highlight the 2 delectable pints of So Delicious Dairy Free® goodness that I picked up was in the form of a vegan (and, obviously, dairy-free) frozen pie! The base is a perfect, no-bake, chocolate cookie crust. Then there's a layer of the Cashew Salted Caramel Cluster, topped with a layer of Cashew Dark Chocolate Truffle. And the finishing touch? You cover the entire pie with vegan salted caramel sauce (which you are more than welcome to buy, but I have included a recipe below!) This pie is the perfect melding of flavors, everything balances so nicely and it all tastes deliiiicious together! The alternating layers of chocolate and caramel. The crunchy crust, creamy frozen filling, and gooey caramel. The perfect marriage of salty and sweet. A dessert that can be enjoyed by practically everyone-vegan or not!  Guys...this is a good one, you're going to LUHVE it. The name does not lie....it really is: SO DELICIOUS!

Dark Chocolate and Peanut Butter Ice Cream

Now this is MY KIND of ice cream! After making two wonderful (but not up my personal alley) batches of ice cream for Michael, I finally made some for ME*!

*Ok...it's for both of us. I'm still nice, I share.

My current favorite ice cream flavor (aside from Jeni's Salty Caramel), that I order when I go to most places, is dark chocolate with peanut butter swirl. I need the chocolate to be chocolatey (none of that sub-par, barely chocolatey ice cream for me!) and I need the pb swirl to be nutty and gratuitous--no skimping on the peanut butter!!! This recipe is everything I want! It's rich and the chocolate flavor is perfect, and there is PLENTY of salty and nutty peanut buttery goodness swirled up in there.

Bonus? The recipe is super easy and egg-free. I won't say that it's healthy but...it's not as bad for you as it could be (no egg yolks mean lower fat, dark chocolate is good for you, and the peanut butter swirl is created from just mixing peanut butter and coconut oil together!) For ideal peanut buttery results...I suggest you make homemade crunchy peanut butter. It's the perfect accompaniment to the chocolate ice cream. If you like rich desserts then this is for you! It also makes the perfect amount---not so much that you can't make it all at once in your ice cream maker, but enough that you won't run out too quickly. This is definitely a winner all around!

Strawberries & Cream Chocolate Chip Ice Cream {Easy, No Cook, Egg-free}

This ice cream is extra special for a couple reasons.

1. Michael requested it as his birthday treat.
2. It was my first time using my ice cream maker!
3. It's insanely easy and super pretty and was the perfect way to finish out summer (mind you--I don't care that it's October. Strawberry ice cream should be enjoyed all the time.)

I'm so glad this was the recipe I started with for my first foray into real ice cream--it was kind of insanely easy. Like...you blend a bunch of stuff together and then you put it in the ice cream maker. Then you add in some mashed strawberries and chocolate chips and...yeah. The end! And seriously...how pretty is it? No food coloring here-just naturally pink strawberry-liciousness! It's also super creamy, thanks to the cream cheese. I will make a small note that if you freeze this extra long/store it in the freezer-it does get quite hard so I suggest taking it out for a bit to soften prior to serving (unless you gobble it all up straight out of the ice cream maker, that's cool too!) Also, this recipe doesn't make a bunch but I actually made another batch almost immediately after-so you can totally double the recipe if you have a hungry Michael type person in your house.

It's ok if that hungry person is you. It means we'd probably be friends. #facts

Chocolate Covered Potato Chips with Salted Caramel Drizzle

STOP IT!

Stop right now! You stop your thoughts of "Ew...chocolate covered potato chips??!" I am here to tell you that no...they are NOT gross. They are absolutely delicious (when done right). Let me tell you a little tale.

There have been a couple occasions are chocolate covered potato chips were presented to me. They were chips that were very thickly covered in a hunk of milk chocolate. And they were...meh. But I knew they had a greater potential. I knew they just weren't being executed correctly. I LOVE sweet + salty...and that's all this potato chip business is. So I knew that I would make my own chocolate covered potato chips...but I would use a thin layer of DARK chocolate (it gives a much nicer contrast and just tastes better) and add a salted caramel drizzle and sea salt...because...I mean...that just sounded great.

And so I waited.

I waited for the wedding to be over so I could make something sinful and decadent. I waited to make salted caramel sauce. And that day finally came last week. And so I made them. And they were GOOD.

Honestly...you barely taste the potato chip. It's just a little crunchy salty something underneath the rich dark chocolate and heavenly salted caramel. It may sound weird but...try them. You won't regret it. You'll just thank me as you shovel chip after chip into your face. Or fight with your husband over whether or not you or they should eat anymore because WHAT IF YOU EAT THEM ALL AND THEN THEY'RE GONE??!

Oh...maybe that's just at my house...

Raw Sugar Salted Caramel Sauce-Guest Post at Golden Barrel

By now we should all be aware of how enamored I am with salted caramel. So when it came time for me to have some more fun with Golden Barrel products for another blog post, I decided to use their raw sugar for an unprocessed, delicious twist on my fave caramel sauce recipe.

You might be wondering--oh, is caramel sauce hard to make? The answer is: NO! It's actually pretty quick and easy, so long as you use a deep enough pot to cook it so it doesn't spatter and burn you. And you may also be wondering--does raw sugar make the caramel sauce difficult, because of the larger sugar crystals? Answer: NOPE again! Still easy!

Really I mean...just look at that amber caramel perfection. It is so delicious. And makes your house smell fantastic. And makes you want to eat it with a spoon or maybe develop some recipes with it...? Hmmm...I suppose we'll have to wait and see :P

Now, enough jibber jabber, do you want to make this caramel sauce??

Head to the Golden Barrel blog to get the caramelicious recipe!

Toasted Marshmallow Brown Butter Krispie Treats

When it comes to Rice Krispie Treats....I'm usually a purist. Those recipes that put chocolate, peanut butter, etc. etc. in a krispie treat? Nope. Not for me. I prefer them the old fashioned way. However....when I saw that you could brown the butter and toast the marshmallows...I figured...it's like all the same stuff you put in a classic rice krispie treat....but elevated. Taken to another level. Made epic to the nth degree!

Rice Krispie treats were one of the things that my mom made best growing up. I can still smell the marshmallow and butter, I can still see her with a greased up ziploc bag on her hand (so she could smooth the treats in the pan), I can still taste them all gooey and perfect. Sometimes, if I was feeling impatient for her to make some, I would buy those pre-made rice krispie treats...but....they never tasted right. So I would spread a little butter on top, drizzle them with a bit of vanilla extract, and heat them up for a few seconds in the microwave. For some reason that made them a bit better. Weird.

But now I'm a grown up and can make my own treats. So I did.

You know...you may think rice krispie treats are just something you eat. The end. Buuuut-not true! They make great gifts (they're sturdy so they travel well), you can use them for chocolate fondue, serve them with/in hot chocolate, or...ok...just eat them. I like them when they're gooey so I like to reheat leftovers in a microwave for 5-10 seconds...it just makes them a little bit extra special.

Speaking of extra special-these krispie treats taste pretty standard. But the differences are such wonderful bits of subtle nuance....the browned butter you occasionally will get hit with when you take a bite and it's extra buttery and a bit nutty. The toasted marshmallows give you that campfire/s'moresy little twist, just giving these an extra bit of oomph.

Yeah. I think this is just how we should make Rice Krispie treats from now on.

CHANGE APPROVED!

Browned Butter Cookie Dough PB Cups-Guest Post at The Domestic Rebel

Hello my friends! Remember Hayley-that quirky, amazing, food genius also known as The Domestic Rebel?

Welllll-she's in NYC. WITHOUT ME. I know. I'm bummed.

Regardless, girlfriend needed some guest posts on her blog, and I was happy to oblige!

Only the tastiest will do for Hayley, and these Browned Butter Cookie Dough PB Cups fit the bill! Browned butter peanut butter cookie dough-super rich and completely addictive-is encased in our old friend, dark chocolate, and then topped with salt because...I mean...it's a good idea.

Michael and I ate these treats up in no time flat and I know you will fall in love with them too!

Head on over to The Domestic Rebel for the full post and the recipe!

Peanut Butter Caramel Pie

This recipe was supposed to be a copy cat recipe. But then I got a little too creative, and it sort of became it's whole, own, new thing. Which is totally awesome and delicious. And really...this just means I get to make another recipe to be the copy cat in the future.

Oh noooo not more caramel pie!  :P

In case you're curious, I was trying to copy cat the gooey caramel pie from O'Charley's restaurant (a place near our house that we frequent and which has the GENIUS promotion of Free Pie Wednesdays). I did want to add some oomph to the pie initially by making it a gooey salted caramel pie. But then I went a step further and, after seeing a recipe for peanut butter caramel and thinking OH MY YUM, made it a peanut butter caramel pie. And then I got lazy and saw a recipe for microwave caramel and...you get the idea. This is how we ended up with this pie.

Which is a couple steps too far removed to be a copy cat of the O'Charley's pie but...regardless...

still friggin delicious.

A delicious peanut butter graham cracker crust (my go-to graham cracker pie crust recipe, in fact) is topped with a layer of super easy to make (remember? lazy. Microwave caramel sauce. FORREAL) peanut butter caramel (which is super sweet but also rich and peanut buttery, and thusly has that delish salty element as well), some salted whipped cream (which I thought was genius but is actually kind of weird but, luckily, worked in this pie) and then some pecans because they're fun and tasty and were on that original pie.

PEANUT BUTTER FLAVOR TO THE MAX.

Sweet, salty, rich, gooey, crunchy, luscious....just....mmmm....ok?

And check back about that copy cat recipe....I'll get there (but in the meantime there's nothing wrong with creating a fun, entirely new thing, yeah? Yeah. No regrets about this pie. NONE.)

No-Churn Fluffernutter Ice Cream-Guest Post with The Spiffy Cookie

I know I know, you thought I was done with the guest posts! But...life got a little overwhelming so my wonderful friend Erin (AKA The Spiffy Cookie) stepped up and volunteered to share a little something with you guys. I've guest posted on her site before so I'm so happy to introduce this super fun, former Buckeye (she still loves chocolate and peanut butter, though!), wonderful blogger/cook/baker to you again! And look! Erin brought ice cream! With pb! and marshmallow! HOORAY!

Hello again Cooking Actress readers! Erin here from The Spiffy Cookie giving Kayle a break from blogging while she plans for her upcoming wedding. Kayle is such a wonderful person and I couldn't be happier for her. She and Michael are the cutest! I was lucky enough to meet her in NYC last year but now that she has moved back to Ohio I really need to pay her another visit, especially since she lives in the same town as some of my other friends.

Today I am sharing a recipe for my new obsession, no-churn ice cream. This recipe is so easy and delicious it almost makes ice cream makers obsolete. All you need for the base is 1 pint of heavy cream and 1 can of sweetened condensed milk. The churning aspect of ice cream is substituted by whipping the heavy cream with an electric hand mixer. Fold in the sweetened condensed milk and any other flavor additions and it's ready for the freezer. But of course you already knew all of that since Kayle has shared an extensive list of easy no-churn ice cream flavors.

Normally the hardest part of making no-churn ice cream is deciding on a flavor. I did ponder whether or not a browned butter ice cream could be possible since Kayle is the browned butter queen but thankfully Kayle is as much of a peanut butter lover as I am which made the decision much easier. After discovering the magical results of adding marshmallow creme to no-churn ice cream I went with fluffernutter ice cream, complete with marshmallow bits and a magic peanut butter shell.

Healthier No Bake Cookies

 Low fat.

No added sugar.

Gluten free*.

These are not words I would normally associate with tasty, delicious, no-bake cookies.

But all of that has changed!

*gluten free if you use gluten free oats.

No-bake cookies have a special place in my heart from my childhood. I loooved 'em. Still do!

And really, you'd think...how unhealthy can they possibly be? It's just like chocolate, pb, and oats, right?

Um...I guess not?

It's ok all, THESE no bakes are pretty much just chocolate, pb and oats (and like...honey, a smidge of coconut oil, and vanilla. All pretty good stuff!)

You may notice that my cookies don't seem super coated: I've made an adjustment for that in the recipe. I had too many oats apparently. It's ok though, they were still super delish. A bit crumbly, but still full of that familiar chocolatey peanutbuttery flavor. 

Plus-they're an awesome way to avoid turning on the oven in the hot summer weather! Wins all around!

Grab a glass of milk and dig in!

Freezer Strawberry Jam for #StrawberryWeek

For once I just shut my mouth and followed directions. I made my mom's recipe. 

Which is the Sure-Jell (pectin) recipe. 

And you know what? It rocks!

I guess some things shouldn't be fiddled with.

My poor mom. Sometimes I'm a bit too hard on her. When she told my brother that we were going to make this jam he scoffed at her, saying, "Kayle probably won't want to make your jam, she'll want to make her own!"

Because I'm a snobby meanie pants.

But this time that was not going to happen! I trusted in my family and their time-honored tradition of making this recipe, and it was totally the right choice.

Mom and I made this jam together, as a team. So I'm pretty sure we put some magical mother-daughter bonding love in there. Which is probably why it tastes so amazing. Plus all the sugar. Yeah. It's probably both.

Michael took one bite of a piece of toast loaded up with this jam and he said, "THIS is what strawberry jam should taste like!"

Recipe could not be simpler. You just mash some gorgeous strawberries, add in some sugar, cook a little pectin, mix mix mix, let sit, then freeze! DONE. Super easy. My mom made like a triple batch so we ended up with a ton of jam! It got given to aunts, uncles, grandma, etc. So we spread the love via spreading the strawberry jam!

This was the first strawberry recipe I made and now it is my final post for #StrawberryWeek-how perfect! Ending it the way it began.

Mmmmm mmmm mmm.