I wasn’t going to share this recipe today. I felt like maybe I should wait. Because I just posted an ice cream recipe a few days ago. And I don’t want to overload you guys with ice cream. But then I said “screw it”. Because it’s summer. And summer is all about ice cream. I would hate for November to roll around and to be thinking to myself “I wish I had made/ate more ice cream this summer”. That would be sad. No regrets.
Speaking of regrets….wouldn’t it be sad if you missed a recipe. Well, Floating Kitchen now has a Facebook page (finally). So follow along and never miss a thing! End shameless self-promotion now.
These brownies have been making their way around the interwebs for a while now. But a few weeks ago my friend Jackie made them, declaring them some of the most delicious brownies she’d ever made. That was all the convincing I needed to start baking. Because Jackie is very particular about her food (love ya Jackie!), so I knew they MUST be good.
And true to form, they are fantastic. They are everything you want in a brownie – insanely chocolatey, dense, rich and dare I say it – moist (are you cringing, Jackie??). And the best part is they contain no flour. I’ve made my share of gluten free baked goods, and messing around with all kinds of different flours can be a headache. Flourless is the way to go!
Because I can’t leave well enough alone, I added a little instant espresso powder to these brownies. Chocolate + coffee = happy dance. And then I took it one step further and stuffed them with an espresso-caramel buttermilk ice cream. The brownies and the ice cream are phenomenal on their own, but together they equal the perfect summer treat. Don’t let summer pass you by without getting your fill of frozen desserts!
See that dripping spoon of caramel in the photo….I want to DIE! It is that good. I used the same Salted Caramel Sauce that I made here. And while I certainly recommend making your own, any good quality store bought version would be great! And if you’re looking for another shortcut, a pint of good quality store bought coffee ice cream would do in a pinch!
Cheers,
Liz
Recipe for the brownies slightly adapted from David Lebovitz via Foodology
Recipe for the ice cream slightly adapted from The Little Epicurean
Ingredients
- For the Ice Cream
- 1 1/2 cups heavy whipping cream
- 1 3/4 cups buttermilk
- 3/4 cups sugar
- 5 large egg yolks
- 1/4 tsp. salt
- 1 tablespoon instant espresso powder
- 1/4 cup caramel sauce
- For the Brownies
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, cubed
- 8 ounces dark chocolate, chopped
- 3/4 cups sugar
- 1/8 tsp. salt
- 2 eggs, at room temperature
- 1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder
- 3 tablespoons corn starch
- 1/2 tsp. instant espresso powder
- Special Equipment
- Ice cream maker
Instructions
- Before you start, make sure the canister of your ice cream maker is frozen. To freeze completely, the canister should be in the freezer for at least 6 hours (but longer is better) before you attempt to churn your ice cream.
- Make the ice cream base. In a large heavy bottom saucepan over medium heat, warm the heavy cream, buttermilk and 1/2 cup of the sugar, stirring frequently until the sugar is completely dissolved and small bubbles start to form around the edge of the pan. Meanwhile, whisk together the egg yolks, the remaining 1/4 of sugar and the salt until the egg yolks become pale yellow and slightly thickened.
- Temper the egg yolks by whisking about 1/2 cup of the warm cream/buttermilk/sugar mixture into the egg yolks. Then whisk the tempered egg yolks back into the saucepan with the remaining cream/buttermilk/sugar mixture. Cook over medium-high heat, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon until the ice cream base thickens and coats the back of the spoon, about 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in the espresso powder. Pour the ice cream base into a clean bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Refrigerate until chilled, at least 8 hours or up to overnight.
- Once chilled, pour the ice cream base into the canister of your ice cream maker. Churn until the mixture is nearly frozen and the consistency of soft serve (this should take about 20 minutes). Transfer the ice cream to a freezer-safe container, layering in the caramel sauce as you go (if your caramel sauce is thick, heat it briefly in the microwave so it’s easier to drizzle). Cover the ice cream with plastic wrap, pressing it down to the surface of the ice cream, and place it in your freezer to firm up slightly, about 2 hours. This recipes make approximately 1 quart of ice cream.
- Make the brownies. Pre-heat your oven to 350 degrees. Line a 9 X 9-inch baking pan with parchment paper, letting some hang over the sides (you will use this to lift out the brownies later). Spray the parchment paper with non-stick cooking spray. If you don’t have a 9 X 9-inch baking pan an 8 X 8-inch pan will work fine, but your ice cream sandwiches will be a tad thicker.
- In a medium saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter. Turn the heat down to low and add the chopped chocolate, stirring until the chocolate is completely melted. Remove from the heat. Stir in the salt and the sugar. Then stir in the eggs one at a time. Add the cocoa powder, corn starch and espresso power and stir the batter vigorously for at least 1 minute (this part is important!) until the batter is smooth.
- Pour the batter into your prepared baking pan and bake in your pre-heated oven for 20-23 minutes (25-28 minutes for an 8 X 8-inch pan). Remove from the oven and let the brownies cool completely in their pan. Once cooled, transfer the pan to your freezer for about 20 minutes to firm up slightly. Remove from the freezer and lift the brownies out of their pan using the overhanging parchment paper. Transfer to a cutting board and cut it in half evenly. Then place the two brownie slabs back in your freezer for another 30-60 minutes.
- To make the ice cream sandwiches, spread about 3 cups of the ice cream over one of the brownie slabs. The ice cream should be slightly soft so you can spread it easily (you can take it out of the freezer for a couple minutes first), but still firm enough that it holds it’s shape (you don’t want ice cream running all over the place!). Then top with the second brownie slab, pushing down slightly. Place back in your freezer to completely firm up, at least 4 hours. Then transfer to a cutting board and carefully cut out nine 1-inch wide sandwiches (or whatever shape/size you want them to be). Serve immediately or wrap them individually in aluminum foil and stash in the freezer for later! You will have a little left over ice cream. You know what to do with it!
Notes
Notes: If you don’t have or don’t want to use buttermilk, whole milk or a mixture of whole milk and half and half should work fine in its place.
I can’t get these off my mind this morning, absolutely awesome!!
Wow, what a great compliment Matt!
I am going crazy just looking at your pictures. I have to make them.
Thanks! If you try them, let me know how you like it!
Omg! These look fantastic! Coffee and caramel and chocolate and ice cream?! I’m not sure there could be anything better!
Thanks lady! I hope you try ’em out. They are to die for. I actually just ate one while shamelessly watching The Bachelorette!!! LOL!
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