Salted browned butter Rice Krispie treat white chocolate cones

Remember when I made those poppable Rice Krispie Treats?  Well as soon as I made them, I had two simultaneous ideas.  One was that I should make them with browned butter, because it just makes everything better, and then other idea was "why not put them on mini ice cream cones?" because I thought they'd make super cute treats!

I'd say I was right, no?  I made these fall themed because it's pretty darn coool out today, and also because I had picked up these adorable mini leave sprinkles that I just had to use.  I chose white chocolate because I thought it would contrast with the fall colors of the leaves, but dark or milk chocolate would work just as well.

Rice Krispie Treat Ice Cream Cones
Loosely adapted from the poppable Rice Krispie Treat recipe from Cookies & Cups

Ingredients:

1/3 cup nonpareil sprinkles, in your choice of color or combination
1/3 cup sprinkles of your choosing (I chose mini leaves for fall)
2 Tbsp butter
2 cups mini marshmallows
Pinch of salt
2 cups Rice Krispies Cereal
1-1.5 cups chocolate or white chocolate chips
18-24 mini ice cream cones, depending on the size of your Rice Krispie Treat balls

Decorations for the top could include:
Melted dark or white chocolate
More sprinkles
Red M&Ms (to look like cherries!)

Directions:

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Set aside.

Place nonpareil sprinkles in a bowl.
Place other sprinkles on a small shallow plate
Set both aside.

Melt the butter in a medium sauce pan over low heat.
Allow butter to brown, watching closely so it does not burn.
Add the mini marshmallows into the melted butter.
Stir frequently until the marshmallows are melted and smooth.
Immediately remove from the heat.

Stir in the cereal.
Allow to cool for 5 minutes.

Lightly grease your hands and form the Krispie Treat mixture into 1 Tablespoon-sized balls.

If using nonpareils, immediately roll each ball into the sprinkles, coating evenly (I skipped this part this time).
Place each ball onto the lined baking sheet.
Repeat the process with the remainder of the Rice Krispie Treat mixture.
Allow balls to set before proceeding.

Set up a rack so that mini ice cream cones can stand upright.  I find the best way to do this is to cut little "x"s in the ice cream cone box.
Melt the chocolate chips in a microwave safe bowl until smooth, mixing every 30 seconds to make sure it doesn't burn.
Fill the cone with melted chocolate (you can skip this step if you'd like).
Dip the top 1/4 to 1/2" of the ice cream cone in the chocolate (it's OK if some of the chocolate from the cone drips out) and then immediately into the sprinkles and then immediately stick the cooled Rice Krispie Treat ball on top (it should stick because the chocolate is still wet....if not, just dip the bottom of the Rice Krispie Treat Ball in the chocolate and then affix it to the cone).
Leave upright and allow chocolate to harden.

Decorate with melted chocolate and more sprinkles and/or an M&M "cherry."

Blueberry bundt cake

My friend E's mom lives in Maine and she came down this weekend with a load of lobster meat for a delicious lobsterfest!  B and I were supposed to be away but due to a change in plans, we ended up actually being in the city for it.  Once we found out we'd be able to attend, I offered my baking services to E.  I was thinking beach-themed cupcakes, lobster-shaped cookies, and lobster and other beach-related chocolate lollipops, but was really up for anything.  E thought a blueberry dessert would be fun keeping with a "Maine" theme -- and I couldn't agree more!

So I set out to find the perfect blueberry dessert.  At first I thought blueberry shortcake, which them changed to blueberry biscuits with vanilla ice cream and blueberry sauce, and ultimately ended with a blueberry buttermilk bundt cake served with vanilla ice cream.  (Admittedly, the thought of blueberry cupcakes also (briefly) passed through my head.).

This cake was delicious (and super easy to make, too!), and went perfectly with our delicious lobster lunch that came straight from Maine!

Blueberry Buttermilk Bundt Cake
From Food Network

Ingredients:

2 sticks unsalted butter, at room temperature, plus more for the pan
3 cups plus 2 Tbsp flour
2.5 tsp baking powder
1 1/4 tsp salt
1 3/4 cups granulated sugar
1/4 cup vegetable oil
4 large eggs, at room temperature
1 tsp vanilla extract
3/4 cup buttermilk
2 cups blueberries (about 1 pint -- mine was a bit more than 1 pint)

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350F
Generously butter a nonstick 12 cup bundt pan -- I used Pam for Baking -- it works like a charm!
Whisk 3 cups flour, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl.

Beat 2 sticks butter, granulated sugar, and vegetable oil in a bowl with a mixer on medium-high until fluffy, at least 5 minutes.
Scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula as needed.
Reduce mixer speed to low.
Beat in the eggs 1 at a time.
Beat in vanilla.
Add about 1/3 of the flour mixture and half of the buttermilk, beat until almost incorporated.
Add another 1/3 of the flour mixture and the remaining buttermilk.
Beat, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed, until just combined.
Add the remaining flour mixture and beat for 30 seconds.
Finish incorporating the flour by hand to avoid overmixing (mine was a little "overmixed" and it was fine!)

Toss the blueberries with the remaining 2 Tbsp of flour in a small bowl.
Spoon 1/3 of the batter evenly into the prepared pan.
Sprinkle half the blueberries on top, then cover with another 1/3 of the batter.
Scatter the remaining blueberries on top and then cover with the rest of the batter.
Smooth the top.
Bake until the cake is golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, about 1 hour to 1 hour and 10 minutes (mine took 55 minutes).

Transfer to a rack and let cool for 30 minutes in the pan.
Run a small sharp knife around the edge of the pan to loosen the cake (I didn't have to since I used the Pam, the cake popped right out.  Literally.).
Invert the cake onto the rack to cool completely (I inverted mine onto a cardboard cake round, since I needed it on there to transport it to the Lobsterfest.)

*I served mine with vanilla ice cream, since I think that vanilla ice cream and blueberries are a perfect summer dessert!!  I was also going to make some homemade blueberry sauce but got too lazy...*

Ice cream cone marshmallows

Things I've been making a lot lately: marshmallows.  Things I should probably stop making in the near future: marshmallows.  Types of marshmallows I made today: two.

OK, so clearly I've gotten my math a little wrong.  Sue me.  Or rather, wait till you see what I made today before you decide to do that.

Today I made Ice Cream Cone Marshmallows (ice cream cone treats are another thing I've done recently, but last time in cupcake form).  I made mini ice cream cones (well, I cut about 1.5 inches off the top of a regular sugar cone), then piped in some vanilla marshmallow mixture, and topped with rainbow sprinkles.  I have to admit that (even though the marshmallow filling fell a little) they turned out pretty cute!  I can't wait to make these again in vanilla, chocolate, and strawberry varieties...and maybe I can even work out a swirl?!  Shouldn't be too hard since I just ordered a bunch of mini (2.5 inch) ice cream cones, which should be arriving soon :)

Ice Cream Cone Marshmallows
From this recipe

Ingredients:

For the marshmallows:

1 cup water, divided

3 Tbsp. + 1 1/2 tsp. unflavored powdered gelatin (3 envelopes – envelope is 1/4 oz. each, for 3/4 oz. total)

2 cups granulated white sugar

1/2 cup light corn syrup

1/2 tsp. fine salt

2 Tbsp. pure vanilla or vanilla bean paste -- I cut this down to 1 Tbsp and still found them overly vanilla-y...I'd go down to 2 tsp next time

You will also need:

- Sugar ice cream cones with 1.5 inches cut off the top - best done with a serrated knife and very gentle pressure (the cut-off tops reserved) -- OR -- mini ice cream cones
- Sprinkles of your choosing
- Piping bag
- Large star tip
- A regular pan for the leftover marshmallow batter

Directions:

Spray a 9x9 or 7x11 inch baking pan and line with parchment paper (Recommendation: cut to fit flat on the bottom, with the edges of the paper over-hanging the sides. The ends are fine just sprayed.)

In a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, pour in 1/2 cup of the water and sprinkle the gelatin over.

Let stand.

In a medium saucepan over high heat, stir together the sugar, corn syrup, salt and the remaining 1/2 cup of water.

Stir until sugar dissolves and mixture begins to boil.

Stop stirring and once mixture comes to a rolling boil, continue boiling for 1 minute.

Remove from the heat. (Recommendation: the original recipe said that they like to carefully pour mixture into a 2-cup glass measuring cup, to make it easier to pour into mixer.  I did this and found it extremely helpful!).

The mixture is very, very, very hot.  Be extremely careful!

Turn the mixer to low and mix the gelatin a bit to loosen.
Very slowly and carefully add the hot sugar mixture by pouring it gently down the side of the bowl.
Continue to mix on low until all the sugar mixture is added.

Turn the mixer to high and whip the mixture for 10 to 12 minutes until the marshmallow batter almost triples in size and becomes very thick.
If you have a smaller mixer bowl, you may need to scrape down the sides of the bowl frequently to avoid the batter overflowing as it grows.
Stop the mixer, add the vanilla, and then whip briefly to combine.  When I added the vanilla, mine thinned out a bit.  Just an FYI.

While the marshmallow mixture is being whipped, place the mini ice cream cones in the inverted cut-off tops of the ice cream cones (since they make the most perfect stands for the cones!!)

Transfer some of the mixture to the piping bag fitted with the large star tip.
Pipe the marshmallow mixture into each of the cones, piling it on a little bit.
Sprinkle the ice cream cones with sprinkles.

Place the rest of the mixture into the prepared baking pan (a silicone bowl scraper works like a charm for this) and use a spatula or bench scraper to spread the marshmallow evenly in the pan, pushing it down into the corners.
Work quickly, as the marshmallow becomes more difficult to manipulate as it begins to set.

Spray a sheet of plastic wrap liberally with cooking spray and lay it across the top of the marshmallow, sprayed side down.
Using you fingers, smooth the plastic wrap on top of the marshmallows a bit to seal it smoothly and tightly against the mixture.

Leave the marshmallow to set at room temperature for at least 3 hours or, even better, overnight.
The marshmallow will be too sticky and soft to cut if you try too soon.

Meanwhile, mix the coating ingredients in a bowl.  I whisked them together with a small whisk.

When marshmallows are ready, grab the edges of the parchment and lift the marshmallows from the pan.
Remove the plastic wrap from the top and fold down the parchment on the sides.
Using a pizza cutter or a large knife, cut the slab into 1x1 inch squares.
Roll each of the freshly cut marshmallow squares in the coating mixture.
Put them on a baking sheet to dry slightly before packaging them up (about 30 – 45 minutes).

Ice cream cone cupcakes

The other day as I was meandering around the store (Target, naturally), I saw some ice cream cones.  And a delicious looking salted caramel sauce.  And maraschino cherries.  Perfect for an ice cream party.  Except I don't have any plans to have an ice cream party, and plus, ice cream doesn't transport well in this heat.  But somehow all of these ingredients ended up in  my basket.

See, I had a plan...a cupcake, that looked like an ice cream cone!  Complete with frosting "soft serve," chocolate or caramel sauce, sprinkles, and whipped cream....and even a cherry on top!

See, I had this memory of cupcakes baked in flat-bottomed ice cream cones from my elementary school bake sale days, and I figured I had to recreate it.  I'm sure the moms of my fellow schoolmates opted for the boxed cake mixes, but you know me well enough to know that that wasn't going to fly with me today.  Plus the ice cream cone cupcakes of my youth didn't actually look like a real ice cream cone, but I was out to change that :).

I went with my go-to yellow cake recipe.  I thought that since I used so little of the batter in the ice cream cones, that they'd bake up really quickly, but I was wrong.  It took 18-20 minutes for them to bake up.  But the plain cupcakes I baked at the same time took about 15 minutes.  Bizarre!  I digress.  But after they baked, I let them cool to room temperature.  Then I made some vanilla and chocolate buttercream icings.  I piped them onto the cupcakes with a star-tip to make it look like soft serve ice cream.  Then I drizzled either (store-bought....shhhh!!!) chocolate sauce or the salted caramel sauce I bought that day, topped them with some sprinkles, some whipped cream (I got lazy and used the canned stuff....but I also thought it would hold up better than homemade whipped cream in the heat), and the not-so-proverbial cherry on top!

Ice Cream Cone Cupcakes

Yellow Cake Cupcakes
My go-to recipe for yellow cake cupcakes from none other than Smitten Kitchen.

Ingredients:

4 cups plus 2 tablespoons (480 grams) cake flour (not self-rising)
2 teaspoons (10 grams) baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon (5 grams) table salt
2 sticks (1 cup, 1/2 pound or 225 grams) unsalted butter, softened
2 cups (400 grams) sugar
2 teaspoons (10 ml) pure vanilla extract
4 large eggs, at room temperature
2 cups buttermilk (475 ml), well-shaken

24 flat-bottomed ice cream cones (I halved the recipe and had leftover batter when I made these....so I made some regular cupcakes, too.  If you wanted to make all ice cream cone cupcakes, you'll probably need 48+ cones)

Other things that you will need:

Icing (see below for chocolate and vanilla icing recipes)
Chocolate sauce, caramel sauce, or any other sauce you may like on your ice cream cone (I had thought of using a magic shell on top, but didn't this time....but would love to try it next time!)
Sprinkles
Whipped cream (from the can, or made from scratch)

Maraschino cherries

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350°F. 
Place one ice cream cone in each cavity of a cupcake pan.

Sift together the dry ingredients EXCEPT for sugar in a medium bowl.

In a large mixing bowl, beat butter and sugar in a large bowl with an electric mixer at medium speed until pale and fluffy, then beat in vanilla.
Add eggs 1 at a time, beating well and scraping down the bowl after each addition.
At low speed, beat in buttermilk until just combined (mixture will look curdled).
Add flour mixture in three batches, mixing until each addition is just incorporated.


Spoon the batter into the ice cream cones.  I filled mine just to the top of the center cavity of the ice cream cone (NOT all the way up to the top -- the cupcakes rise and if you overfill them you'll have batter dripping out of the ice cream cone.  I ended up using a kitchen tablespoon [not a measuring tablespoon] and used about 1.5-2 of those to fill each cone).


Bake until golden on top and cooked throughout (the cupcakes took about 18-20 minutes).


Cool on a rack 10 minutes. 

Assemble the Cupcakes

First, decide which icing you want to use for your "ice cream."
I couldn't decide if I wanted mine to have vanilla "ice cream" or chocolate "ice cream," so I ended up going with both.  I used dark cocoa powder for the chocolate icing, and it came out a little darker than chocolate soft serve would look.  So if/when I do it again, I'd use regular cocoa powder.

Then, make the icing of your chosing.

Find the Chocolate Icing and Vanilla Icing recipes by clicking on the links.

Pipe the icing onto the cupcakes using a piping bag fitted with a large star tip.
Pipe the icing on in a circular motion piling it up on itself so it looks like an ice cream cone filled with soft serve.
Drizzle the sauce of your choice on top, and sprinkle with sprinkles.

Put in the fridge for a few minutes.

Top with a dallop of whipped cream (you can be lazy like me and use it from the can, or make it from scratch) and a maraschino cherry on top!

Keep in the fridge until serving, removing them about 15 minutes beforehand so that the icing can come to room temperature.

Birthday week treat #2: Neapolitan Rice Krispie treats

Birthday week treat #2 was supposed to be a cookie.  But I worked late, ran an errand, and then went back to the office to finish a few charts and call two patients back, and then by the time I got home at 10 p.m. I had to make some meatballs before the ingredients went bad, and I was missing some of the cookie ingredients, and well, I made these instead.  My apologies that its yet another Rice Krispie Treat.....for the second day in a row!  At least these are "fancy" Rice Krispie treats (as one friend called them)...but I digress...

I have been wanting to make this recipe for a while, ever since I saw it on Pinterest.   The only thing holding me back was the inability to find strawberry marshmallow fluff to make the strawberry layer.   But when I was at Target yesterday buying the ingredients for the funfetti Rice Krispie treats, I found strawberry marshmallows!  And figuring I could just exchange the strawberry marshmallows for the fluff, I bought two bags.

The other interesting thing is that the recipe called for Cocoa Krispies and regular marshmallows for the cocoa layer.  Suffice it to say I was intrigued by this recipe.  I've seen chocolate marshmallows, too, so I thought that that may have been how to make the chocolate layer, but I love the Cocoa Krispie idea.  I'm already trying to think of other flavor combinations, but I don't think Cocoa Krispies with strawberry marshmallows would be tasty.  But maybe I'm wrong?

Again, my apologies for making two Rice Krispie treats in the span of one week, but I felt that even though they don't involve baking, they were fun twists on Rice Krispie treats (kinda like the Oreo ones I made before).

Neapolitan Rice Krispie Treats
(adapted from erincooks.com)

FYI:

1.  The original recipe calls for using a 9 x 13 inch pan.  I halved the recipe and used a 9 X 9 inch baking pan.  With the 3 layers in that pan, it came to the tippy top of the pan.  So I recommend that you use a pan with high sides - regardless of if you half it or not.

2. The original recipe calls for using strawberry fluff for the strawberry layer.  I looked long and hard for strawberry fluff but couldn't find it anywhere!  I came across strawberry marshmallows (the large ones, same size as the regular ones) at Target and substituted those for the fluff, and followed the directions for regular rice krispie treats instead of the fluff directions (who knew there were different fluff directions?!).

3.  The original recipe calls for making rice krispie treats the way I remember making them when I was a kid (the few times that we actually made them) - on the stove top in a pot.  But the marshmallow bag that I have at home said to use the microwave, so I did.

4.  The ingredients listed below are for the full 9 x 13 inch pan!


Ingredients:

For the Vanilla Layer

3 tablespoons butter or margarine
40 regular marshmallows (that's just under a full bag)
6 cups Rice Krispies cereal

For the Chocolate Layer

3 tablespoons butter or margarine
40 regular marshmallows
6 cups Cocoa Krispies cereal

For the Strawberry Layer 

3 tablespoons butter or margarine
40 regular-sized strawberry marshmallows
6 cups Rice Krispies cereal

Directions:

Begin by lining a metal square edged 9” by 13” pan with aluminum foil (I skipped that part)
Use a pan that has high sides.
The original recipe notes that: Casserole dishes with rounded edges will not be able to hold all of the treat layers.
Generously spray your prepared pan with cooking spray (I sprayed the pan directly)

For the "Vanilla Layer" melt the butter in a microwave safe bowl.
Add the marshmallows and toss the marshmallows to coat them.
Put the bowl into the microwave for about 1 and a half minutes, stirring about halfway through, until all of the marshmallows are melted and mixed well.
Quickly stir in the rice krispies until they are completely coated.
Pour the mixture into the prepared pan.
Spray a rubber spatula with cooking spray and then firmly press the marshmallow covered cereal into the pan (I use a piece of wax paper sprayed with Pam).
Place the pan in the refrigerator.
Rinse the bowl and dry well. 
Proceed to the Chocolate Layer.

For the "Chocolate Layer" melt the butter in a microwave safe bowl.
Add the marshmallows and toss the marshmallows to coat them.
Put the bowl into the microwave for about 1 and a half minutes, stirring about halfway through, until all of the marshmallows are melted and mixed well.
Quickly stir in the cocoa krispies until they are completely coated.
Pour the mixture into the prepared pan on top of the vanilla layer.
Spray a rubber spatula with cooking spray and then firmly press the marshmallow covered cereal into the pan (I use a piece of wax paper sprayed with Pam).
Place the pan in the refrigerator.
Rinse the bowl and dry well. 
Proceed to the Strawberry Layer.

For the "Strawberry Layer" melt the butter in a microwave safe bowl.
Add the strawberry marshmallows and toss the marshmallows to coat them.
Put the bowl into the microwave for about 1 and a half minutes, stirring about halfway through, until all of the marshmallows are melted and mixed well.
Quickly stir in the rice krispies until it is completely coated.
Pour the mixture into the prepared pan on top of the chocolate layer.
Spray a rubber spatula with cooking spray and then firmly press the marshmallow covered cereal into the pan (I use a piece of wax paper sprayed with Pam).
Place the pan in the refrigerator.

When the treats have cooled completely, remove them from the pan.
Place them on a cutting board.
Discard the aluminum foil (If you used it) and cut the large rectangle into slices.
Then cut each large slice into smaller squares.
Enjoy!

Ice cream cone "cake pops"

Delaying gratification is not a strong suit of mine.  So that new cake pop baking pan that I bought earlier today?  Well yeah, I couldn't wait to use it.  Nope, couldn't wait till next weekend, or even tomorrow.  Passover ended at sundown on Saturday, and I could bake "real" baked goods again.  So new pan + being allowed to bake things that actually rise = must use new pan that night.  It's a character flaw, but one that I have embraced.
This new cake pop pan also has an additional advantage.  I can make funfetti cake pops!  Funfetti cake has been all the rage lately, and I wasn't sure that my original cake pop recipe would work with funfetti cake (I thought with all the mixing that the colored speckles would disappear and I'd just end up with a slightly off white cake pop center).  But this way, it should work well.  And I can adorn them with sprinkles to mimic the funfetti sprinkles inside.  Genious!  At least I think so ;-)

And....just to mix things up a bit, I decided to make these into Ice Cream Cone Cake Pops.  Yup, you read that correctly!  I mean seriously, are these not THE cutest thing in the whole wide world....ever?!

There's only one problem.  Remember that inability to wait for just about anything baking-related?  Well I tried removing the cake balls before they were completely cooled and I ended up breaking 17 of the 18 cake balls in the first tin right in half.  So I reverted back to my crumbled-cake-plus-icing cake balls, and made the first batch with those while I baked the second batch of cake balls up.

My Directions:

All you'll need are the regular ingredients for cake balls or cake pops (a box of your favorite store bought cake mix, the ingredients on the back of the box, and about 1/2 can of an icing flavor that goes with the cake flavor), 2 boxes of ice cream cones (with about 1-2 inches cut off the top), and candy coating or chocolate....lots of it!

Start by baking the cake according to the directions on the box, allowing it to cool, and crumbling it into a bowl. 

Mix in about 1/2 container of regular icing.

Shape into balls (I like to leave mine in the fridge overnight as I find them easier to handle that way).

Cut 1-2" off of the top of the ice cream cones

I chose to dip the top 1/2" of the cones into the candy/chocolate coating, but you don't have to.

Dip cake balls into coating and then place on wax paper or parchement paper-lined sheets.  If using sprinkles, make sure to put them on when the coating is still wet.

Let the coated (and decorated) cake balls harden so that you can handle them.

Dip the top of the cone into the coating and apply the cake ball.

Place upright in a styrofoam block, then chill.

(The directions from the CandiQuik blog are a little different, and probably a little more logical than the way I made them.  Those can be found by clicking on the link above, Ice Cream Cone Cake Pops.)