Peppermint Ice Cream and Hot Chocolate Affogato

I really hope you are not already sick of holiday recipes, because this recipe is truly great. Even if you have already had your fair share of peppermint bark or peppermint mochas, you just need to make space for one more chocolate and peppermint treat. Fair warning though, once you try this hot meets cold peppermint affogato, you will probably want it every night for dessert.

Things I think to myself at the grocery store: When does a favoritism towards peppermint ice cream turn into an outright obsession? When I buy if four weeks in a row, five weeks in a row...when I worry that McConnell's will stop making it post-holidays, so I buy three tubs at the grocery store? And what type of person becomes obsessed with peppermint ice cream?

Please note you might start to think these things as well if you try this recipe.

I'm particularly partial to McConnell's peppermint ice cream. It's refreshing, without being too herbal like some mint ice creams. Plus, it has a nice pink color that I find festive. Z is now addicted too.

This hot chocolate is a mix between American-style and French. I use both cocoa powder (Dutch processed cocoa will give you more flavor) and chopped up semi-sweet chocolate. The better the chocolate, the better the hot cocoa. And don't skimp on milk. Use at least 2%, but full-fat is best. It's the holidays!

Peppermint and Hot Chocolate Affogato

Serves 6

3 tablespoons Dutch processed cocoa

2 oz chopped semi-sweet chocolate

2 tablespoons super fine sugar (feel free to add more if it's not sweet enough for you)

2 cups milk

Pinch of flaky sea salt

1 pint McConnell's Peppermint Stick ice cream

In a pot over medium-low heat, combine the cocoa, chocolate, sugar, and 1/2 cup of milk. Stir until the sugar and cocoa powder dissolve. Add more milk, and then heat until hot and chocolate melts, stirring frequently using a whisk. Do not let it boil! Add in the pinch of sea salt.

Meanwhile, place one scoop of ice cream in a small bowl or ramekin. Repeat with 5 other bowls. 

When hot chocolate is ready, ladle hot chocolate over the ice cream (about 1/3 cup hot chocolate). Serve immediately. 

Holiday Gift Guide: Cookie Lover

For the cookie monster in your life, bring them delicious treats all year long with these great cookie-themed gifts!

1) Send them crazy cool ice cream sandwiches thanks to CoolHaus {link}

2) Holiday cookie plates the cookie monster who could use a break from baking {link}

3) I'm obsessed with Milkbar cookies, and now you can make them at home too! {link}


4) Who wouldn't love a set of these adorable tea party inspired cookie cutters? {link}

5) The ultimate decorating tool for beautiful sugar cookies {link}

Molasses Spice Cookeis

Welcome to Day Two of Cookie Week here on Hilary Stone Soup! All week I am showcasing some of the best holiday cookie recipes around.

No holiday cookie collection is complete without a perfectly chewy molasses spice cookies. This recipe doesn't disappoint! It has a great chewy texture, and the warm spice combination tastes delicious. It's rare for me to make a cookie that comes out looking absolutely perfect, but these cookies always do! They are sure to impress anyone.

I personally love these cookies with vanilla ice cream. I love the idea of making homemade ice cream sandwiches with these spice cookies and some high-quality vanilla ice cream. Think of how much your office would love you if you bright these in to the holiday office party!

Molasses Spice Cookies

From Cook's Illustrated

Makes 22 cookies

1/3 cup granulated sugar, plus 1/2 cup for rolling

2 1/4 cups all purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

1 1/2 teaspoons ground ginger

1/2 teaspoon ground cloves

1/4 teaspoon ground allspice

1/4 teaspoon ground pepper

1/4 teaspoon table salt

12 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened but still cool

1/3 cup dark brown sugar, packed 

1 large egg yolk

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 cup dark molasses

Adjust oven rack to middle position, and preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Place 1/2 cup sugar for rolling in a cake pan.

Whisk flour, baking soda, spices, and salt together in medium bowl.

Using an electric mixer, beat butter and sugars at medium-high until light and fluffy. Reduce speed to medium low and add egg yolk and vanilla, then beat until incorporated, about 20 seconds.

Add molasses, and again beat until fully incorporated, scraping down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula. 

Reduce speed to lowest setting, add flour mixture, and beat just until incorporated. Give dough a final stir with spatula to make sure there are no flour pockets. 

Scoop heaping tablespoon of dough and roll between palms to create a 1 1/2 inch ball. Drop ball into cake pan and roll in sugar. Set on prepared baking sheet. Repeat with the rest of the dough. 

Bake one sheet at a time until cookies are browned, still puffy, and edges begin to set. Cookies will look raw between cracks and seem underdone, about 11 minutes. 

Cool cookies for 5 minutes on baking sheets, then transfer cookies to wire rack. 

Enjoy!

Gluten-Free Chocolate Brownie Cookies

Whether you are gluten-free or not, you will fall in love with these delicious, rich cookies. Part chocolate chip cookie, part brownie, this cookie is what my dreams are made out of.

These brownie cookies are perfect for the holiday season. Both adults and kids will love the rich chocolate taste, and everyone can enjoy them, no matter what type of gluten-free diet they are on!

The best thing about these cookies though is that come together in about 20 minutes, total. I bet you can make the batter in under 5 minutes, and they take about 15 minutes to bake!

Z and I ate these warm out of the oven with some ice cream, but they are just as delicious the next day on a beautiful holiday cookie platter.

Gluten-Free Chocolate Brownie Cookies

From Bon Appetit

Makes 24 cookies

3 cups powdered sugar

3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

1 teaspoon kosher salt

2 large egg whites

1 large egg

4 ounces bittersweet chopped chocolate

Place oven racks in upper and lower thirds of oven. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Whisk powdered sugar, cocoa powder, and salt together then whisk in egg whites and egg. Fold in the chopped chocolate.

Spoon batter by the tablespoon onto parchment-lined baking sheets. 

Bake, rotating once, until cookies are puffed, cracked, and just set around the edges, 14-16 minutes. 

Let cookies cool down in the pan so they can firm up.

Enjoy!

Coming up next week...COOKIES!

Happy Friday everyone! Hope you all have some lovely holiday plans in store for the weekend. Z and I will be spending the weekend getting our apartment ready for the holidays, and then spending time with friends outside (I'm excited for the sun after all the rain this week!).

I'm also going to be preparing for Cookie Week on Hilary Stone Soup! Starting Monday, I'll be sharing some of my favorite cookie recipes for the holidays. Whether you celebrate Christmas, Festivus, or Chanukah, these cookies will be the perfect treat!

Have a great weekend!