For a holiday sweet treat, this rich and creamy Chocolate Swirled Peppermint Crunch Semifreddo is the perfect make-ahead dessert
Disclosure: I was sent the OXO products showcased in this post to assist with this recipe. As always, my opinion and adoration for OXO is all my own.
For the holidays, I am a firm believer on making things ahead. So many holiday dishes can be made ahead from my favorite cranberry relish to dessert and today’s recipe is one you are going to love. We will be spending the holidays at my family’s cottage so a bit of preplanning is a must. This Chocolate Swirled Peppermint Crunch Semifreddo will be the perfect sweet dessert to end the holiday meal reminiscent of a favorite holiday ice cream cake from childhood.
OXO is a brand I trust and use on the regular – both in my kitchen in Philly and at my family cottage in Connecticut. OXO sent me their Glass 1.6 Qt Loaf Baking Dish and Glass 9″ Pie Plate along with some of their favorite essential pastry tools including their SteeL Pie Server, Double Pastry Wheel and 1″ Pastry Brush with the challenge – whisk up a perfect make-ahead recipe for the holidays that can go from freezer to oven or vice versa. I accepted the challenge and put these tools to the test.
What I love about OXO products is not only that they can go from freezer to oven with no issues, but they also have these wide rims perfect for gripping with the oven mitts. The tools always are quality and last forever! The SteeL Pie Server is my favorite and looks so chic on the holiday buffet. Any of these OXO products are perfect to give and receive this holiday season.
When thinking of my perfect make-ahead dessert, I remembered that Giada did a semifreddo recipe that seemed like a chic twist on a classic ice cream cake. Egg yolks are whisked with sugar and cream with a bit of vanilla – what’s not to love? I figured I’d play on the classic combo of peppermints and chocolate and went with a chocolate biscotti crust and added a touch of peppermint extract and peppermint candies for crunch. You only need a hint of peppermint extract as it’s a bit strong. Add a bit of chocolate sauce swirled throughout the peppermint custard and your guests will be swooning at every bite.
When I was making the recipe at the cottage, I realized I did not have a glass bowl to whisk the egg yolks in over simmering water as I’m still putting together the kitchen here. No worries – I used the OXO 9″pie plate and it worked perfectly as I knew it could handle the heat followed by a quick ice bath to cool the custard down. Who knew one could MacGyver a double boiler. The hardest part will be waiting for for this semifreddo to firm up so we could enjoy a slice.
This holiday, make this Chocolate Swirled Peppermint Semifreddo – just make sure to save a slice for yourself because I promise that there will be no leftovers!
On to the recipe:
Gather your ingredients
First, let’s bake the chocolate biscotti crust in the OXO Loaf Pan
Look at these custard ribbons (and my MacGyver’d Double Boiler using the OXO Pie Plate)
Folding in the peppermint candy
Swirling in the chocolate and some more peppermint crunch
Now – this, my friends, is the perfect holiday make-ahead dessert
Shall I cut you a slice?
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