Gingersnap Cookie Milkshakes

Here is something a little different for a taste of Christmas. It’s not cranberries, pumpkin pie, cinnamon or peppermint, or even sugar cookies… but gingersnaps. Our Udderly Vanilla would be perfect in this recipe. 

I love this time of year when we gather at holiday festivities, share family recipes, toast the New Year and celebrate being together. Not to mention all the delicious in-season ingredients that keep me inspired to cook and bake all day! Now, let’s talk about dessert.  

When entertaining during the holidays, I like to change up the dessert course by serving these mini gingersnap cookie milkshakes. They could be in addition to or in place of the traditional cookie platter or pumpkin pie. The best part of these? They take little time to prepare, and all the ingredients are likely already in your kitchen.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup vanilla ice cream
• 1/4 cup milk
• 1/2  teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/2 tablespoon molasses

Cookie Rim

• 1/4 cup agave nectar or honey
• 10-15 small gingersnap cookies, crumbled

Serve in little glasses with a cookie crumb-coated rim, drop in a colorful straw and you’ve got yourself a festive treat. I can guarantee the kids, (little and big) will go crazy…I mean, who wouldn’t want a glass of this?

Cranberry Ice Cream Pie

If you don't have time to make a cranberry pie with a traditional crust, you can try this easier, colder version. Now, you can get cranberries and ice cream in one bite without a scoop! This delicious recipe is a wonderful change from the typical holiday pies of pumpkin, apple, mincemeat, etc. 

The wonderful thing about this pie is that you can make it as involved or simple as you’d like. The recipe is written using all homemade components; however, if you’re crunched for time this week and need to throw together a quick, yet impressive dessert, you can easily adapt this to fit your needs. You can use a ready-made graham cracker pie shell, your favorite vanilla ice cream, canned whole-berry cranberry sauce, and an 8-ounce tub of Cool Whip. As much as I love baking the old-fashioned way, sometimes life gets hectic and it’s not always possible. For those times, it’s great to have a quick alternative as a backup plan! Whichever way you decide to make this pie, I guarantee it will garner the same results – impressed ooh’s and aah’s, and full, happy bellies! 

If you’re looking for a non-traditional pie to break up the parade of pumpkin, pecan and apple, look no further! 

yield: 8 servings
 prep time: 10 minutes
 cook time: 10 minutes
 total time: 4 hours 

A festive cranberry ice cream pie; a great alternative to all of the pumpkin on Thanksgiving!

INGREDIENTS: 

For the Crust:
42 gingersnap cookies (about 9 ounces)
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
5 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

For the Ice Cream Filling:
2 cups vanilla ice cream, softened
1 cup cranberry sauce (or canned whole-berry sauce)
1 tablespoon orange juice 

For the Whipped Cream:
1½ cups heavy cream
4½ teaspoons granulated sugar
½ teaspoon vanilla extractSliced almonds, for garnish  

DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Make the Crust: In a food processor, pulse together the gingersnaps and sugar until they become fine crumbs. Add the melted butter and pulse a few more times to incorporate. Press the crumbs evenly into a 9-inch pie plate. Bake for 10 minutes. Place on a wire rack to cool to room temperature, then place in the freezer while you prepare the filling.
3. Make the Filling: In a medium bowl, stir together the ice cream, cranberry sauce and orange juice until completely combined. Spoon the mixture into the prepared pie crust and smooth the top into an even layer. Freeze until firm, at least 4 hours.
4. Make the Whipped Cream Topping: When ready to serve, beat the cream and sugar in a chilled bowl at medium speed to soft peaks; add the vanilla. Continue to beat to barely stiff peaks. Spread or pipe the whipped cream over the chilled filling and garnish with sliced almonds, if desired. Serve immediately.

Note: You can make this ahead of time, just cover the pie with plastic wrap if you are going to leave it in the freezer for a few days. I would make the whipped cream the same day you plan to serve, but you can whip it in the morning, refrigerate it, and then top the pie just before serving.

 Click here to read more.

Oreo Ice Cream Cake

Ice cream is awesome, but how do you make it even better? You add Oreos! This cake is delicious!

This is one of those cakes, people will think that you spent hours creating.  When in fact it is so simple and very delicious!

• 1/2 cup hot fudge ice cream topping, warmed
• 1 (8 oz.) container whipped topping, thawed
• 1 (4 serving) chocolate instant pudding
• 8 Oreo Cookies, chopped
• 12 vanilla ice cream sandwiches

Pour fudge topping into a medium bowl, add 1 cup of the whipped topping; stir until well blended. Add dry pudding mix; stir for 2 minutes  or until well blended. Gently stir in the chopped Oreos. Set aside. 

Unwrap the ice cream sandwiches. Arrange 4 of them side by side on a 24 inch long piece of tin foil.

Top with half of the whipped topping mixture.  Repeat layers. Top with the remaining 4 sandwiches. Frost the top and sides of cake with the remaining whipped topping. Bring up the foil sides. Double foil the top and ends to loosely seal packet.  

Freeze at least 4 hours before serving. 

Ice Cream Yule Logs

Most of us have grown up hearing about the Yule Log. Typically, it was an actual log that families lit around Christmastime, and then used its remnants to light the next year’s log, and so on. But did you know that it had a delicious, ice cream variety? “…people started making the Bûche de Noël, or cakes shaped like logs, at Christmas. To create the bark-like texture on the cake, a fork is dragged through the icing.” Often, these were just cakes and mousse and icing and other tantalizing sweets. But sometimes, people created an ice cream version. Check out a few examples below to enjoy during the holidays.

To see more examples of Yule Logs, read the full article here.