How To Make Ice Cream Cupcakes

We finally got to celebrate my sister-in-law’s birthday! Usually, I would make an ice cream cake, but to do that, I use a springform pan. The only springform pan I have is like 10 inches. It wouldn’t be a big deal, except that to have a smooth top, you have to full it to the top and level it off… which requires a LOT of ice cream. If you just use the cheap bucket, that’s not so bad, but when you start buying specialty ice creams, even if they’re store brand… well that can get expensive. So I decided to apply my ice cream cake technique to cupcakes. I got the foil cups because they’re a little sturdier.

To start, I let the chocolate ice cream set out on the counter about 10-15 minutes so it would be softer. Then I put a small scoop in the bottom. You only want to fill it about 1/3 full or you won’t have room for all the goodies. Use the back of the scoop, or spoon to press it down and make an indent. Let if refreeze solid, maybe an hour or so. (It isn’t super important at this stage, but it will be later if you want to keep them from mushing together.)

To make a copy cat of Dairy Queen ice cream, I usually mash up oreo cookies (scrape out the cream) and mix with the shell coating. Dairy Queen uses “cake crunch” and chocolate dip cone coating, so it’s similar. But… I forgot to get the oreos. I decided to do cookie dough instead. I made chocolate chip cookie dough, minus the chocolate chips (you could always put them in, but they didn’t fit with the rest of my theme). I added a little cocoa, as the theme was chocolate and coffee. You could really use any filling you like! Roll the dough into balls and put them in the indention on the bottom ice cream flavor. You’ll definitely want to let them refreeze before the next level, about an hour. (I always forget about them and let them freeze for much longer, but if you’re in a hurry, it’s not super important until they’re finished.)

To top them off, I used coffee mocha ice cream (which is why I chose to leave out the chocolate chips and make the dough chocolate as well). Again, leave the ice cream out for 10-15 minutes to let it soften enough to mold to the existing parts of the cupcake. Again, smooth them out with a spoon. I used the front side of a large table spoon so they’re rounded on the top. Again, let them refreeze solid. This will make them much easier to eat, especially if you want to take them out of the wrappers at all.

Lastly, some chocolate frosting to make it pretty, and there you have an ice cream cupcake!

Avie and Auntie were excited about them. (See Avie’s shirt?) Happy Late Birthday, Arielle.

Don’t worry, I didn’t forget about the pricing of the plum pork chops. We had those for dinner. But I’ll save that post for tomorrow. I promise, I’ll post it tomorrow!! I just had to post this one first.