homemade brownie bowls and butterscotch for ice cream

On Saturday, I threw a baby sprinkle for my good friend, Kristine, for her second baby. She chose an ice cream social theme. So cute!

For the occasion, I made brownie bowls. I also bought waffle bowls as a backup in case the brownie bowls didn’t turn out. (It was a new recipe. You never know!) When my guests saw the waffle and brownie bowls, they asked, “Can we have both?” I thought, “Genius! Why hadn’t I thought of that?” This is why we’re friends. They take a good idea and make it great. So we added the brownie bowl inside the waffle bowl, and we had no regrets.

For ice cream, we served vanilla and chocolate flavors. The toppings included mini M&Ms, sprinkles, chopped mixed nuts, maraschino cherries, crumbled Oreos, Reece’s Pieces, strawberries, bananas, Torani’s dark chocolate sauce, whipped cream, and last but not least, the homemade butterscotch. The butterscotch was rich, and you could taste the butter and brown sugar in it. It was SO good!

I mean, ice cream by itself is good, but then you add the homemade butterscotch, all the toppings, and voila, it’s ambrosia-of-the-Gods good. The butterscotch is really easy to make; it only contains 4 ingredients, and it lasts up to two weeks in the fridge. Also, it’s great to put over bananas for breakfast. Yum!

For the brownie bowls, you can use any brownie recipe (including brownie mixes). Follow the directions to make the brownies, and then, while they are still warm, take a tablespoon, carefully press down the middle, and allow them to cool. That’s basically it, though I do recommend spraying the bottoms of the muffin pan with oil but not the sides because you want the batter to stick to the sides to help create the bowl shape. Happy baking!

For the punch, I combined Hawaiian punch, Sprite, and a splash of orange juice. Then added lemon slices and rubber duckies on top.

homemade brownies

The batter assembled.

Putting the batter into the muffin pan.

Carefully pressing down the middle of the brownie with a tablespoon to create the bowl.

Prep time: 20 minutes

Total time: 40 minutes

Serves: 9-10

Ingredients:

1/2 cup vegetable oil

1 cup sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla

2 large eggs

1/4 teaspoon baking powder

1/3 cup cocoa powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup flour

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Mix oil and sugar until well blended, then add eggs and vanilla, and stir until just blended.

In a separate bowl, mix all of the dry ingredients. After well mixed, stir dry ingredients into the oil/sugar mixture.

Spray just the bottom of the muffin pan, then pour the brownie batter into the muffin pan. Bake for about 13-14 minutes or until sides start to pull away from the pan. You can also use a toothpick to determine whether they are done. If the toothpick comes out clean, then they are done.

Once done, take the pan out of the oven, and very carefully push down the middle of the brownies with a tablespoon to create the bowl shape.

Cool completely before taking out of muffin pan.

(Adapted from Genius Kitchen, http://www.geniuskitchen.com/recipe/the-best-brownies-54225)

homemade butterscotch

 

Homemade Butterscotch

Makes: 3/4 cup

4 tablespoons salted butter

3/4 cup light brown sugar

2 tablespoons plus 1/4 cup heavy whipping cream, divided

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions:

In a heavy-bottom saucepan, over medium heat, melt the butter. Once the butter is melted, mix in the sugar, and then whisk in 2 tablespoons of heavy cream. Bring to a foamy boil, cook for 4 minutes, occasionally whisking, until the mixture deepens in color.

Remove from heat and carefully whisk in remaining 1/4 cup heavy cream, followed by vanilla extract.

Add to a glass container or 8 ounce mason jar. Do not scrape down the sides of the pot if the butterscotch has thickened as it can make the sauce gritty. Cool the butterscotch slightly before adding the lid. The butterscotch can last in the fridge for up to 2 weeks.

(Adapted from Popsugar Food, https://www.popsugar.com/food/How-Make-Butterscotch-35888266)