Whenever Girl Scout cookie season rolls around, I have to have the Samoas (aka Caramel deLites). The toasted coconut covered in chewy caramel, the chocolate drizzle, the shortbread cookie crust – these little cookies are everything wonderful. So when Amoretti sent me their Toasted Coconut Extract and told me to get creative with recipe writing, Samoas were quick to come to mind. And instead of trying to make a copycat Samoa recipe, I decided to transform everything I love about them into a no-churn ice cream recipe that’s perfect for Summer. Spoiler alert: it was all that I hoped it would be and I couldn’t stop eating it. 

This no-churn Samoa ice cream starts with the most delicious toasted coconut ice cream base. It’s so easy to make – just whip up some heavy whipping cream, sweetened condensed milk, Amoretti Toasted Coconut Extract, and a little vanilla extract for good measure. I’m pretty blown away at how the extract adds the toastiness of toasted coconut and keeps the coconut flavor super authentic. After making the toasted coconut ice cream base, I gently folded in some caramel sauce ribbons and took things a step beyond. This made the perfect ice cream base for all the Samoa toppings I added in next. 

To capture the essence of Samoa cookies without actually adding them into the ice cream, I started by mixing together equal parts caramel sauce and toasted coconut. This made gooey toasted coconut caramel clusters that taste just like the Samoa cookie topping. I swirled those into the ice cream along with hot fudge sauce and baked shortbread crumbles. After freezing it all together for 6 hours, this ice cream is the perfect creamy consistency, packed with toppings in every bite, and tastes JUST like Samoa cookies in ice cream form. I am so pleased with this recipe! 

The best part about this ice cream recipe is you can make it any time you’re craving Samoas during the Girl Scout Cookie off-season (like now!). I will warn you though: this ice cream is completely addicting. I found myself thinking about it so much that I had to have a bowl of it every night until it was gone. The perfect toasted coconut ice cream base swirled with caramel, those gooey toasted coconut caramel clusters, the decadent hot fudge ribbons, the crunchy shortbread crumbles – it’s all so perfect and I hope you love this recipe as much as I do! 

The Amoretti Toasted Coconut Extract really gives this ice cream base the perfect flavor. Be sure to use my discount code: SPARROWCOFREESHIP for free shipping when you shop!

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No-Churn Samoa Ice Cream

No-churn toasted coconut ice cream base swirled with caramel ribbons, gooey toasted coconut-caramel clusters, decadent hot fudge, and crunchy shortbread crumbles. This tastes just like Samoa cookies in ice cream form!

Prep Time 45 minutes

Cook Time 1 hour

Freeze Time 6 hours

Servings 6 Cups (12 servings)

Ingredients

Baked Shortbread Crumbles

• 3/4 Cups (90g) cake flour
• 2 1/2 Tbsp (32g) granulated sugar
• 1/8 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 3 Tbsp (42g) unsalted butter, melted
• 1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract

Caramel Sauce

• 1 Cup (200g) granulated sugar
• 6 Tbsp (85g) unsalted butter, room temperature, cut into cubes
• 1/2 Cup (120ml) heavy whipping cream, room temperature
• 1/2 tsp salt

Toasted Coconut Ice Cream

• 2 Cups (240ml) heavy whipping cream, cold
• 14 Oz sweetened condensed milk
• 1 tsp Amoretti toasted coconut extract
• 1 tsp pure vanilla extract

Additional Add-Ins

• 1/2 Cup sweetened shredded coconut, toasted*
• 1/2 Cup hot fudge sauce**

Instructions

Bake the Shortbread Crumbles

• Preheat the oven to 250°F/121ºC and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. In a medium bowl, whisk together the cake flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt.
• Add the melted butter and vanilla extract. Mix with a rubber spatula until the mixture begins to form small clusters, then press the ingredients together with your hands to form even more clusters. Spread the clusters onto the prepared baking sheet and bake for 30 minutes. Cool the crumbs completely before using in the ice cream assembly.

Make the Caramel Sauce

• Have everything pre-measured and ready to go (you’ll be constantly stirring). Place the sugar in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat and stir constantly with a wooden spoon, until it melts into an amber-colored liquid and no sugar clumps remain, 5-6 minutes. 
• Reduce the heat to medium. Carefully add the butter (it will bubble up when you do) and use a whisk to combine it with the sugar mixture until the butter is fully melted and incorporated, 2-3 minutes. 
• Add the heavy whipping cream in a steady stream while whisking. As soon as the cream is incorporated, let the caramel boil for a full minute before removing it from the heat and stirring in the salt. 
• Let the caramel cool to room temperature before using it in the ice cream assembly.

Prep the Additional Add-Ins

• In a small bowl, mix 1/2 Cup of the caramel sauce with the toasted coconut and set aside. Place the hot fudge sauce into a piping bag and snip off the end.

Make the Toasted Coconut Ice Cream

• Place a large metal bowl into the refrigerator and a loaf pan into the freezer to chill for at least 15-20 minutes before you begin.
• Remove the large chilled metal bowl from the refrigerator and add the heavy whipping cream, sweetened condensed milk, Amoretti toasted coconut extract, and vanilla extract. Beat with a hand mixer (or using the whisk attachment on your stand mixer) on high speed until stiff peaks form, about 5 minutes.
• Using a rubber spatula, gently fold in the remaining caramel sauce to create ribbons in the toasted coconut ice cream mixture.
• Remove the chilled loaf pan from the freezer and add 1/3 of the ice cream mixture into it. Smooth it down with a rubber spatula and add 1/3 of the caramel-toasted coconut mixture by the spoonful on top. Pipe on 1/3 of the hot fudge sauce and sprinkle a few handfuls of shortbread crumbles on top. Use a skewer to marble the toppings into the ice cream. Repeat twice more.
• Cover the loaf pan with a piece of aluminum foil and freeze for at least 6 hours, after which the ice cream should be semi-firm and ready to enjoy!

Notes

*To toast the coconut: preheat the oven to 325F. Spread sweetened shredded coconut onto a parchment lined cookie sheet and bake for 5-10 minutes, shaking the pan halfway through. 

**You can use store bought hot fudge sauce (I use Hersheys brand) or use a homemade recipe of your choice. 

Make Ahead Tips:

1. You can bake the shortbread crumbles ahead and store them in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to one week. 
2. You can make the caramel sauce ahead and store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to two weeks. When you’re ready to use it, reheat it in the microwave in 15 second intervals until it reaches room temperature. 

Storage Tips: This ice cream is best stored in an airtight container in the freezer. It will last for several months (if you can make it last that long). 

Disclaimer: I was compensated by Amoretti for my work of creating this recipe, styling, filming, photographing, and writing about their products. As always, all opinions are honest and my own. Thank you for supporting brands that support Sugar & Sparrow.

The post No-Churn Samoa Ice Cream appeared first on Sugar & Sparrow.

I never got the chance to be a Girl Scout, but I have been loving their cookies for a lifetime and don’t plan on stopping any time soon. They’ve got an array of amazing flavors, but my favorite are Samoas and Thin Mints. Hands down. So when I was working on a peppermint hot chocolate cake this past Christmas and it came out of the oven tasting just like a Thin Mint, I knew just what I had to do with it. I never made that peppermint hot chocolate cake (maybe this year!), but I am oh so happy with this Thin Mint inspired cake in the meantime! 

It all starts with a moist, decadent Mint Chocolate cake. This is essentially my favorite chocolate cake recipe, but with mint extract (I used McCormick Pure Peppermint Extract for this) added to give it the perfect flavor. It’s really easy to go overboard with mint extract, which is why there isn’t a whole lot of it in this cake recipe, but the little bit that’s in there gives such a precise balance of mint and chocolate flavors – the same you’d find in a Thin Mint cookie. It’s a one-bowl cake recipe (yay!), which means you can whip it up in about five minutes and it’s easy for cakers of all skill levels. You really can’t go wrong with this one! 

To take this cake recipe beyond, I paired the Mint Chocolate Cake with Mint Chocolate Chip Buttercream and layers of crumbled Thin Mints in between. Holy yum. I originally planned on crushing the Thin Mints and adding them straight to the buttercream, but I found that they muddled the color into a weird brownish green hue. So instead, I flavored the buttercream with a touch of mint, added a few drops of Americolor Mint Green, and added chopped semi-sweet chocolate chips. The added crunch of the crushed Thin Mints along with this Mint Chocolate Chip Buttercream is to die for.

To get your hands on a box of Thin Mints, you’ve got a few different options. You can use the Girl Scout website to find a booth near you, order directly from a Girl Scout if you know one, or get them on Amazon. I do recommend buying them in person, because you can guarantee you are giving to a great cause (funding the Girl Scout program, which empowers young women and teaches them leadership skills) and they’re a little bit cheaper that way too. 

If you don’t have access to Thin Mints at all, you can feel free to try this recipe with a different mint chocolate cookie of your preference, or omit the cookies altogether. The cake and buttercream on their own taste like mint chocolate cake heaven, and it’s guaranteed to satisfy any lover of this flavor combo. Enjoy!

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Thin Mint Chocolate Cake

Layers of moist, decadent Mint Chocolate Cake with layers of crumbled Thin Mint cookies and Mint Chocolate Chip buttercream. A mint chocolate lover's dream!

Prep Time 20 minutes

Cook Time 45 minutes

Ingredients

Mint Chocolate Cake

• 2 Cups (265g) all purpose flour
• 1 2/3 Cups (340g) white granulated sugar
• 2/3 Cup (60g) unsweetened natural cocoa powder (not Dutch Process)
• 2 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp kosher salt
• 1/2 Cup (120ml) vegetable oil
• 2 eggs, room temperature
• 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
• 1/2 tsp pure peppermint extract
• 1 Cup (240ml) full-fat buttermilk, room temperature DIY recipe in notes below
• 1 Cup (240ml) hot water

Mint Chocolate Chip Buttercream

• 2 Cups (452g) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 7 Cups (840g) powdered sugar
• 6 Tbsp (89ml) heavy whipping cream
• 1 tsp pure peppermint extract
• 2 tsp pure vanilla extract
• 1/4 tsp salt
• A few drops of green food color gel
• 1/2 Cup (92g) semi-sweet chocolate chips, finely chopped

Chocolate Ganache Drip

• 1/2 Cup (92g) semi-sweet chocolate chips
• 1/2 Cup (120ml) heavy whipping cream

Additional Fillings and Garnishes

• 8 Thin Mint cookies, crushed into crumbs
• 8 Thin Mint Cookies, whole (for garnish)

Instructions

Make the Mint Chocolate Cake

• Preheat the oven to 350ºF and prepare three 6-inch cake pans or two 8-inch cake pans by spraying the sides with cooking spray and fitting the bottoms with a wax paper or parchment cake circle. 
• Place all of the dry ingredients into the bowl of a stand mixer and stir on low for 30 seconds to fully combine them. Add the vegetable oil, eggs, vanilla extract, peppermint extract, and buttermilk and mix on low until just combined. With the mixer still on low, add the hot water in a slow stream, then turn the mixer to medium and beat until smooth, about 2 minutes. The batter will be very thin. 
• Pour into prepared cake pans no more than 2/3 full and bake for 40-45 minutes, until a wooden toothpick inserted comes out clean. Cool completely.

Make the Mint Chocolate Chip Buttercream

• With a hand mixer or paddle attachment on your stand mixer, cream the butter on medium-high until it’s creamy and light (almost white) in color. About 7 minutes. 
• Add the powdered sugar a few cups at a time, mixing on low and scraping down after each addition to make sure each is fully incorporated before adding the next one. Add the heavy whipping cream, vanilla extract, peppermint extract, and salt and mix on medium-low for another two minutes until fully incorporated.
• Add a few drops of green food color gel until the desired shade of mint green is reached. Then, gently fold in the chopped chocolate.

Make the Chocolate Ganache

• Place chocolate chips into a heat resistant bowl (glass or metal).
• In a saucepan over medium-high heat, warm heavy whipping cream until it just starts to boil. I always look for small bubbles forming around the edge and a soft boil starting in the middle. When you see that it’s just starting to boil, pour it into your bowl of chocolate and let sit for one minute. 
• Whisk it together until it’s uniform in consistency and there are no bits of chocolate left on your whisk. Cool ganache at room temperature for about 30 minutes, or until the ganache itself is room temperature. 

Assembly

• Torte the cooled Mint Chocolate Cake layers and place the first one on top of a cardboard cake circle, ensuring it stays put with a swipe of buttercream between the cake and cardboard. Add a layer of Mint Chocolate Chip Buttercream as filling, followed by a layer of crushed Thin Mint cookies. Place the next cake layer on top and repeat the fillings before placing the final cake layer, upside down, on top.
• To create the design pictured, frost the cake with Mint Chocolate Chip buttercream and place it into the refrigerator for at least 20 minutes to firm up before adding the chocolate ganache. Once the chocolate ganache has reached room temperature and the cake finish is chilled, drip the cake with it (here is a great tutorial on how to drip cakes). Place back into the refrigerator for at least five minutes before finishing the cake with buttercream piping and more Thin Mint cookies.

Notes

DIY Buttermilk recipe: For this recipe, add 1 Tbsp of white vinegar to a jar and top it with 1 Cup of whole milk. Stir and let sit for 15 minutes before using in the recipe. 

Make ahead tips: the Mint Chocolate Cake can be made ahead and stored at room temperature, covered tightly in plastic wrap, for up to two days. Alternatively, you can cover with plastic wrap and store in the freezer for up to two months before thawing to room temperature. 

The Mint Chocolate Chip Buttercream can be made ahead and stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to one day. Alternatively, you can store it in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to two weeks. When you’re ready to use it, bring it back to room temperature and re-whip with your stand mixer on medium for one minute to bring it back to frosting consistency. 

I’m so thrilled with how this Thin Mint Chocolate Cake recipe turned out and hope you love it as much as I do! Let me know what you think in the comments and feel free to tag @sugarandsparrowco to show me your take on this cake. I love to see what you create with my recipes!

The post Thin Mint Chocolate Cake Recipe appeared first on Sugar & Sparrow.

Starting today, I’m hosting a Goodie Girl Cookie giveaway on my Instagram page to give you a chance to have the best mail day you’ve had in a long time (or maybe ever)! TWO lucky winners will receive a variety of Goodie Girl cookies, a Goodie Girl tote, a fun T-shirt, coupons for even more sweet treats, and a $50 Amazon gift card. All the details are on this Instagram post, so head on over there to learn more! 

Besides the vibrant packaging and tempting flavors, what makes Goodie Girl Cookies so special is that they’re 100% Gluten Free, peanut free, and made from all-natural ingredients. The thing that surprised me the most about them is that if I hadn’t known they were gluten free, I wouldn’t have thought they were. The flavors are so on point and I can’t recommend them enough whether you’re eating gluten free or not!

I got the chance to whip up some fun cupcakes inspired by a handful of my favorite Goodie Girl Cookie flavors to celebrate how delicious they are. The flavors I chose are ones available in their cute little Snack Paks, but they’ve got tons of tasty flavors available in even bigger boxes. Be sure to check them out!

Birthday Cake 

This is the flavor I was most excited to try, and it totally lived up to the hype! They’re all-natural vanilla wafer cookies with a funfetti vanilla creme filling in the middle. There’s something about funfetti filling that’s just downright magical.

These Birthday Cake Cookies are perfect for a topping funfetti cupcakes with vanilla buttercream (tinted pink for good measure). I finished off the look with some pretty sprinkles and a birthday candle for extra fun.

Fudge Striped

I grew up on Keebler Fudge Stripes cookies, so I was really looking forward to trying Goodie Girl’s version. They’re buttery little cookies, dipped in and drizzled with chocolate fudge. I ended up eating way too many of these (still can’t stop), because the flavor is amazing! I think they’re my favorite of the bunch.

These Fudge Striped cookies are all you need as cupcake toppers (they’re so cute!), but I drizzled some chocolate ganache on top to really enhance those stripes. 

Mint Cookies

If you’re into the Thin Mint Girl Scout Cookies (who isn’t?), these Mint Cookies are going to rock your world! They’re Goodie Girl’s top seller for good reason – a delicious chocolate mint wafer covered in chocolate fudge perfection. I honestly can’t believe they’re gluten free.

I used some mint frosting (tinted mint green) to top these cupcakes before adding a whole Mint Cookie, then crushed up a few to sprinkle as a finishing touch. I couldn’t resist adding a little mint leaf, handpicked from my garden (don’t be too impressed, it’s the only thing that’s growing back there). 

Chocolate Creme

A tasty chocolate wafer cookie with soft vanilla creme filling, reminiscent of an Oreo and honestly just as good. My husband has been loving these ones all week!

I love a good cookies and creme anything, so I crushed up some of the chocolate wafers and added them to vanilla buttercream before piping it onto these cupcakes (so yummy). Then, I added a Chocolate Creme cookie and sprinkled some crumbs on top. 

Vanilla Creme

An all natural vanilla wafer cookie sandwiching a soft vanilla creme filling. It’s perfect for any vanilla lover and has such a great texture contrast between the crunchy wafer and the smooth creme filling.

I snapped this one in half to top these vanilla cupcakes, then crushed the other half into cookie crumbs that I sprinkled over the whole thing. 

Chocolate Chunk 

These mini chocolate chip cookies have the perfect amount of crunch. I was so surprised to learn that one serving of these Chocolate Chunk cookies contains less than ⅓ of the sugar as one cup of regular low-fat vanilla yogurt! It made me feel even better about eating so many of these ones!

Inspired by these chocolate chip cuties, I topped each vanilla cupcake with a whole Chocolate Chunk cookie and a good sprinkling of mini chocolate chips. 

Are you drooling yet? Cause I am! Be sure to head to Goodie Girl’s online shop to see even more of the flavors they offer. And don’t forget to enter the giveaway on my Instagram by Wednesday, November 6th at 11:59PM PST for your chance to win a big box of Goodie Girl fun!

Disclaimer: I was compensated by Goodie Girl Cookies for my work of creating this project, styling, filming, photographing, and writing about their products. As always, all opinions are honest and my own. Thank you for supporting brands that support Sugar & Sparrow.

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