Did you know that July is Ice Cream Month? Seriously –there is a month devoted to that glorious sweet treat that mostly all have stashed in their freezer. Added bonus – this Sunday, July 19th, is National Ice Cream Day so this will be the perfect sweet treat this weekend!
Growing up, in my neighborhood, around 3pm it was all about the ice cream. Often that familiar ice cream truck jingle would sound in the neighborhood and it was game on. Kids would run with money in hand for something sweet to stave off the summer heat. I tended to lean towards things that had a bit of chocolate woven throughout or even some caramel. Don’t get me wrong, I do like ice cream popsicles from time to time but the ice cream bar/sandwich – that was my favorite!
With entertaining on the agenda this summer and breaking out the grill, sometimes the last thing I want to do is crank up the oven and bake something sweet. My ice cream maker – that is on a shelf because I can never remember to put that bowl in the freezer to freeze before making ice cream. I could make no churn ice cream but I have the patience of a gnat when it comes to waiting for it to chill. To end the meal on a sweet note, sometimes dessert is in the freezer. I keep a stash of my favorite gelatos along with some tried and true classics that I know my friends and family would love.
Did you ever keep your favorite chocolate candy in the freezer? My friends and I would keep Snickers candy bars in the freezer for a sweet chilly bite. Recently, when I was picking up supplies for a grill soiree, I noticed the store had SNICKERS® Chocolate Ice Cream Bars as well as TWIX® and MILKY WAY® Ice Cream Bars. Seeing those, I knew exactly what I was going to do for dessert – take my friends on a nostalgic trip down candy lane, but with a bit of a twist.
I learned a fabulous trick from Chef Ingrid Hoffmann. She once told me a story about how she was entertaining and for dessert, she brought out some store bought popsicles and had her guests dip them in a bit of rum and then press in a bit of coconut or other toppings for a grown up sweet treat. Who doesn’t love that, right?
Recalling this story, I decided to give this a whirl. At the end of the night, I surprised my friends with an interactive dessert – chilly cold SNICKERS, TWIX and MILKY WAY Ice Cream Bars along with a tall glass of my favorite silver rum and some sweetened coconut lightly dusted with a dash of vanilla salt that I keep on hand for baking. My guests dipped their Ice Cream Bars in the rum and then pressed the ice cream bars into some sweet and salty shredded coconut. Those that were not coconut fans, they loved the rum accent on the chocolate and were fine with a bit of a spirited ice cream treat. As ice cream melts a bit quickly, you might want to chill the rum prior to everything, but if it gets messy, it’s all in good fun. Your guests will love their Jazzed Up Ice Cream Bars – it’s a bit of a grown up spin on those childhood flavors. I also think that a bit of blanco tequila might be nice, perhaps with STARBURST™ Sorbet Bars.
That’s it – I need to plan another grill night – and I know what’s on the dessert menu – more Jazzed Up Ice Cream Bars!
Aly M. Cleary
Yields 6
These Jazzed Up Ice Cream Bars are a grown up twist on a childhood favorite. Your favorite candy bars, in ice cream form are immersed in rum and then dusted with sweet and salty shredded coconut. How easy is that?
10 minPrep Time
10 minTotal Time
Save Recipe
Ingredients
- 6 of your favorite SNICKERS, TWIX, or MILKY WAY Ice Cream Bars
- 1 cup of sweetened shredded coconut
- 1/8 teaspoon of flaky sea salt (I used vanilla salt)
- Half a vanilla bean (optional)
- 1 cup of silver rum
Instructions
- Keep the Ice Cream Bars cold while you prepare the dessert fixings.
- In a large bowl, toss together the shredded coconut and sea salt. If you are adding a vanilla bean, scrape half of the beans from the vanilla bean pod and toss lightly with the coconut so you can see flecks of the vanilla bean against the flaked coconut.
- [Sidenote: reserve the other half of the pod and some flaky sea salt and make vanilla salt for future baking fun – trust me on this]
- Pour the silver rum into a bowl or a large glass.
- Dip the Ice Cream Bar into the rum and let sit for a second.
- Remove from the rum and press into the coconut mixture, making sure the coconut adheres.
- Place on a plate and add a bit more coconut if desired.
- Enjoy – spoons optional of course!
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Want to find out more about your favorite MARS Ice Cream brands? You can follow SNICKERS on Twitter and Facebook, visit MILKY WAY on Facebook or Twitter, or chime in on the #RightTwix/#LeftTwix debate raging on TWIX‘s Twitter and Facebook accounts (I’m all about the #IceCreamTwix, personally).
FTC Disclosure: This post has been sponsored by MARS Ice Cream. My opinions and long time adoration for the brand is all my own. Thank you for supporting the brands that I work with.
