She used Peanut Butter & Co.’s Dark Chocolate Dreams peanut butter to make the ice cream, and sandwiched it between two layers of brownie.

You can also use the homemade chocolate peanut butter ice cream: >Between cookies. Try butter cookies, chocolate chip, graham or peanut butter cookies, or pizzelles.

 
Prep time for the ice cream in the recipe below is 15 minutes. The total time with freezing is 4 hours and 15 minutes.

You can bake your own brownies (recipe below) or buy them.

July 23rd is National Peanut Butter & Chocolate Day.

[1] The best thing since the peanut butter cup (photo © Isabelle Boucher | Crumblog).

Ingredients For 16 Sandwiches

For The Ice Cream

 
For The Brownies

1. MAKE the ice cream. In a medium saucepan over medium-high heat, whisk together 1-1/2 cups cream, 1/2 cup sugar, cocoa powder and salt. Heat until wisps of steam start to rise from the surface, then remove from heat.

2. WHISK together the egg yolks and remaining 1/2 cup sugar in a large mixing bowl, until smooth. Pour in a ladleful of the warm cream, whisking vigorously to keep the eggs from curdling. Slowly pour in the remainder of the cream, one or two ladlefuls at a time, whisking constantly as you go. Once all of the cream has been incorporated into the eggs…

3. POUR the mixture back into the saucepan. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly with a heat-proof spatula and scraping the bottom of the pan, until the custard is thick enough to coat the back of the spatula.

4. REMOVE from heat and whisk in the peanut butter, vanilla and remaining 1-1/2 cups cream until smooth. Pour the finished custard into a mixing bowl, and cover with plastic wrap, resting the wrap directly on the surface of the custard to prevent a skin from forming. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour, or until thoroughly chilled.

6. BAKE the brownies. Preheat oven to 350°F. Lightly grease an 11″ × 17″ jelly roll pan with cooking spray, and line with parchment paper.

7. STIR together the chocolate and butter in a small saucepan set over medium heat, until melted and smooth, about 3-4 minutes. Remove from heat.

8. COMBINE the chocolate mixture in a large mixing bowl with the sugar, vanilla extract and salt; and stir until smooth. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition, then add the flour and stir until just barely combined. Pour the batter into the prepared pan, and smooth out the top to create a very thin, evenly distributed layer.

9. BAKE in the preheated oven for about 8-10 minutes, or until the brownies are set and shiny on top, but still slightly undercooked. Remove from oven and set the pan on a wire rack to cool completely, about 30 minutes.

10. CUT the brownie layer in half lengthwise to create two long, skinny rectangles, and place in the freezer for 10-15 minutes to firm up.

11. ASSEMBLE the sandwiches: Run a knife along the edge of the pan to loosen the brownies. Carefully lift one of the rectangles out and transfer to a wire rack, leaving the other half on the cookie sheet.

12. USING the parchment, carefully flip over the brownie layer in the pan, so that it’s now top-side down. Remove the parchment paper.

13. WORKING as quickly as possible, spread the ice cream in a smooth, even layer onto the brownie in the pan. Carefully place the remaining brownie on top of the ice cream, doing your best to align the two layers. Wrap tightly with plastic wrap, and transfer to the freezer for at least 2-3 hours, or until completely frozen. When ready to serve…

14. USE a sharp knife to cut into 8 rectangular pieces, then slice each one diagonally to create 16 triangular sandwiches. Serve right away. Wrap any sandwiches you’re not eating immediately in plastic wrap, and store in the freezer until ready to serve or up to 1 month.
 
 
Find more delicious peanut butter recipes at ILovePeanutButter.com.
 
 

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You don’t have to turn on the stove or the oven to make this refreshing dessert: fruit soup.

Made from fresh or dried fruit, served hot or cold, fruit soups are underrepresented on American menus. Yet, they offer variety year-round.

Fruit soup in a footed bowl. Photo courtesy Driscoll’s.

Prep time is 5 minutes. Serve with a piece of shortbread on the side.

Fresh blackberries. Photo © Ninette Luz |
Dreamstime.

RECIPE: BLACKBERRY FRUIT SOUP

Ingredients For 4 Servings

1. PURÉE blackberries, wine and sugar in blender or food processor until smooth. Press through a strainer to remove the seeds. Discard solids.

2. STIR in lemon juice; season lightly with salt and pepper. Cover and chill several hours or overnight.

3. LADLE soup into chilled bowls, footed glasses or wine goblets. Drizzle or spoon sour cream on top, and scatter with raspberries and blueberries.

4. GARNISH each serving with a mint sprig or coarsely chopped mint.
 
MORE FRUIT SOUP RECIPES

There’s enough red, white and blue here for Independence Day; but take advantage of summer’s lush blackberries to whip them up all season long.

The Mojito (pronounced moe-hee-toe) is Cuba’s most famous cocktail. This variation adds fresh fruit to the original recipe.

It is important that the blackberries and mint are gently muddled—never crushed—to release their flavors but not release harsh or bitter tannins into the beverage. A wooden spoon or a firm silicone spatula can be used in place of a muddler.

RECIPE: BLACKBERRY MOJITO

Ingredients For 2 Drinks

Beautiful and delicious: a Blackberry Mojito. Photo courtesy Driscoll’s.

1. MUDDLE blackberries, mint leaves, sugar, lemon juice and lime juice in a tall glass until berries are mostly crushed.

2. ADD seltzer, vodka, and ice. Stir well and serve.

 
WHAT’S A MOJITO?

The mojito (mo-HEE-toe) is a quintessential Cuban cocktail. The name derives from the African voodoo term mojo, to cast a small spell.

According to Bacardi Rum, the drink can be traced to 1586, when Sir Francis Drake and his pirates unsuccessfully attempted to sack Havana for its gold. His associate, Richard Drake, was said to have invented a Mojito-like cocktail known as El Draque that was made with aguardiente, a crude forerunner of rum, sugar, lime and mint.

Around the mid-1800s, when the Bacardi Company was established, rum was substituted and the cocktail became known as a Mojito. Here’s the original Mojito recipe.

Always popular in Cuba, the drink made a short journey to Key West, and then into American cocktail society. Under the radar for many years as wine apéritifs topped cocktails in popularity, the Mojito has enjoyed a renaissance in the last 20 years thanks to the growing popularity of Latin American cuisine.