Chocolate Coffee Toffee Caramel Ice Cream Pie (say that ten times fast!)

Chocolate Coffee Toffee Caramel Ice Cream Pie.

 (I couldn't come up with a better name.  I was too concerned with eating it.)

I was day dreaming about ice cream the other day. What you don't dream about ice cream? I do.

  I do NOT like coffee, but for some reason I decided coffee flavored ice cream would be good with other ingredients...particularily chocolate. Boy, was I right. I don't think being right has ever tasted so good.

You see, chocolate makes everything taste better.  You can't convince me otherwise, so please don't try.

Thank you in advance. :)

::ingredients::

25 oreo cookies-crushed

4 tbsp melted butter

1 pint coffee ice cream

1 pint chocolate ice cream

3 heath bars

caramel sauce

Start by throwing 24 or 25 oreos in a food processor. No one will notice is you eat one of said oreos.

Give em a few good whirls around the food processor until they look like this.

(You can also put them into a zipoc bag and take your frustrations out on them with a rolling pin. Works beautifully.)

Pour them into a pie dish, and drizzle 4 tbsp melted BUTTER. (not margaring or veg. spread. Butter is better. That's going to be my new motto.)

Using a fork, blend the oreo crumbs and butter well and press into dish, including the sides.

Pop it in the freezer for an hour or so.

When they hour is almost up, remove your coffee and chocolate  ice cream from the freezer and let it soften a bit.

Spread the coffee ice cream onto the frozen crust. I used an offset spatula. 

Chop up 2 toffee bars (I used Heath Bars) and sprinkle them over the coffee ice cream.  Drizzle some caramel sauce on top.  (If your coffee ice cream layer is overly soft or soupy, pop it back into the freezer to firm up, along with your chocolate ice cream.  I had to do this. Somehow I forgot I was softening ice cream. If not, move on with your chocolate layer.)

Spread the chocolate ice cream on top of the coffee, toffee, caramel layer. 

Lick the spatula.

  Now chop up that last Heath bar and sprinkle it on top. Cover with foil and freeze it for atleast 2 hours.

Cut, and EAT.  

You can change up all of the flavors/ingredients to fit your favorite ice cream.

Today I am thankful for 100 degree weather that makes ice cream taste even better.

Chocolate Ganache Swirl Cheesecake

seriously. yum.

Again...my food styling is sub-par, but this is one Heavenly cheesecake. (this coming from a cheesecake fanatic!)

I made this a while back, and I have been craving it like crazy this week. Normally I would whip one up, but my husband doesn't like chocolate. That was hard to say. Who doesn't like chocolate? Sheish... Anyways it is his birthday week, so I am only baking things that he loves.  (plus, I ate this entire thing on my own last time...I really don't need to make that a habit. I don't want to have to buy all new jeans!)

I am working on a tute for Kanzashi flowers, (and making a lot of them) so I thought while I was working on that I would share something fantastic! The recipe can be found here.  Don't be suprised when it takes you to one of my favorite blogs.  Seriously I think I love it as much as I love this cheesecake. Wait, is that possible?

There are so many ways you can make this. Change the recipe up just a tad, and you have a completely chocolate cheesecake...which I am dying to make. Or leave out the swirl part and the ganache and you make my husband happy...it would break my heart, but I'd rather him be happy! :) On a side note-this was the first cheesecake I ever made, and it came out perfect. No cracks, moist, beautiful. I have always been intimidated by making cheesecake (not once have I been intimidated by eating one...) and this one was so easy! Don't be scared...if I can do it, so can you!

You NEED this cheesecake in your life.

and I just made my craving worse...I know what I'll be baking next week!

Today I am thankful for my bed. Man, did I need some sleep last night!

Blondies!

Buttery, chewey, delicious blondies.  YUM. 

See what I mean? (and I don't know what happened to the one on the top...)

I came across a recipe for bondies, tried it, liked it, changed it! ;) I can't help it! This is a really easy recipe...one for which I do NOT want to know that calorie count.  Heck, I don't want to know the calorie count for anything I eat.  I'm a firm believer that things just don't taste as good if you are well informed of nutritional content.  I have had a recipe for blondies for a while (that I can't find...sad) but it calls for cream cheese and several ingredients.  Aaaand it is rather expensive to make, and makes a large batch...which in all honesty, I can handle the large batch part. :)  I enjoy inexpensive recipes that I can whip up with pantry items, though.  This recipe is one of those.  I think that's a good and a bad thing.  I can't tell you how many times I was craving it and whipped a batch up on the spot.  My jeans might not appreciate that.  On to the recipe!

Blondies
ingredients
1 1/2 stick salted sweet cream butter (I usually use unsalted, but love the flavor the salted gives these!)
1 1/2 c dark brown sugar
1 1/2 c flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract

directions
Preheat oven to 350.   In small-medium saucepan, melt butter and brown sugar.  Cook about 5 minutes or so over medium heat (lower if needed-you don't want to boil this), until sugar is melted-stirring often. Set aside to cool slightly.  In medium bowl, wisk together flour, salt, and baking powder.  In a large bowl, wisk together eggs and vanilla.  Add small amount of butter/sugar mixture while wisking to temper the eggs.  (Don't add too much at first, or you will scramble the eggs. Yuck)  Slowly pour in the remaining butter/sugar mixture, wisking the whole time.  Once well incorporated, wisk in the flour mixture, just until incorporated. Don't over mix!  At this point, you can stir in anything you like...macadamia nuts would be incredible, dried cranberries, white chocolate chips...you get the idea.  Do what feels right. :)  Grease and flour (or spray) an 8x8 baking dish. (Next time, I'm going to try muffin tins, and make blondie cups.)  Pour the batter into the dish.  You can bake plain ( like the one in the left of the picture) or swirl somthing yummy in.  My favorite is Nutella.  I dropped small balls of Nutella about 1 1/2 inches apart and used a knife to swirl it through the batter.  Peanut butter would also be delicious!  Bake for about 30 minutes.  The top will be nice and golden!

My husband doesn't like Nutella-GASP-I know, right? I still love him tremendously though. So, when I make these, I don't swirl Nutella throughout...just on half. 

*baking tip-use room temperature eggs when baking.  When all of your ingredients are the same temperature, it will turn out so much better! You can set them out on the counter for a while, or to speed things up a bit, place the eggs in a bowl of warm-NOT HOT-water.

Cool slightly and enjoy!