Ice Cream Contest!

Welcome to Charlene Eats! This is my very first post...I figured it was about time I started a blog, just in time to enter the ice cream contest over at Scoopalicious. Back in May I entered another contest hosted by the gals over at Scoopalicious with a Mojito Ice Cream Cupcake...it was fun to create something yummy along with having the chance to win some cool (pun intended) prizes :) I didn't win but the great thing about entering food contests like that is that you always get to eat your entry, haha!

The current contest I'm entering is all about making ice cream with Eagle Brand sweetened condensed milk so here's how I came up with my ice cream entry...

This summer has been pretty brutal and as a result my husband and I have become a little addicted to some things to make the heat a little more bearable. The hubby is seriously addicted to iced coffee, and most recently Starbucks Via Iced Coffee. He's not usually the instant-coffee-type but he tried Via and was pleasantly surprised and instantly hooked! I'm not a coffee drinker myself, so when we would go to Starbucks to purchase said Via, I'd find myself ordering those addicting Java Chip Frappucinos. So that's how my ice cream creation was born - basically a combo of my husband's love for the iced coffee and my love for the chocolate-y chip coffee goodness. So now that you know the inspiration, I give you my Coffeehouse Ice Cream :)

Ingredients:

• 1 packet instant iced coffee (I used Starbucks Via Ice Coffee - lightly sweetened)
• 1 pint heavy cream
• 1 (14 oz) can Eagle Brand Sweetened Condensed Milk
• 1/3 (heaping) cup mini semi-sweet chocolate chips
• 6-8 chocolate chip biscotti
• Magic Shell for drizzling

*Note - The packet of instant iced coffee I used makes 16 oz., so if you use a different brand just use the same amount you'd need for 2 cups of coffee. Also since mine was "lightly sweetened" you might want to add some sugar to taste.

Directions for ice cream:

1. Combine cream, coffee, and condensed milk in the bowl of an electric mixer

2. Mix on high for a few minutes, until light and fluffy

3. Stir in chocolate chips

To assemble ice cream loaf:

1. Line a 9x5 inch loaf pan with foil (make sure foil folds over sides of pan)

2. Spoon a thin layer of the ice cream on bottom of pan

3. Place biscotti on top of ice cream layer

4. Pour the remaining ice cream into pan

5. Freeze overnight or until firm

The next day, I turned the pan out onto a plate and removed the foil. Then I just sliced the loaf, trying to get one biscotti per ice cream slice and then drizzled with Magic Shell for the finishing touch!

I've always made ice cream in my ice cream maker, but using this method was super easy which was pretty awesome. (I also didn't have to worry about freezing the bowl for my ice cream maker ahead of time.) I think I'd for sure do this ice cream again, it was so simple and there was virtually no measuring which is perfect for doing a quick and easy ice cream. One packet of coffee, one can of sweetened condensed milk, one pint of cream, some chocolate chips and bam you're done! (Had I used some store-bought biscotti instead of homemade, I'd have finished making this ice cream in no time!)

For me the amount of sweetness with this ice cream was perfect. At first I wondered if it would be overly sweet with the condensed milk PLUS the sweetened ice coffee packet, but it was just right :) I think the only thing I might do differently for next time would be to cut the biscotti into smaller bite-sized pieces and mix them throughout the loaf instead of keeping them whole.

All in all, I'd say the Coffeehouse Ice Cream was a success!