This is such a simple and delicious dessert!
Every Christmas the oven is entirely too busy baking our Christmas feast to be able to also accommodate any baked desserts (other than cookies of course!) so we usually have a wonderful vanilla ice cream scooped up with a melon baller and rolled in coconut to look like snowballs. We always serve these in martini glasses to make them feel extra special.
This year there is a limited edition peppermint bark ice cream flavor from Haagen-Dazs so of course we had to try it. I also saw a fantastic recipie for butterscotch sauce over at Smitten Kitchen that I just had to try. Sprinkle coconut around the edges and drizzle with the butterscotch and you have an easy dessert that is just fancy enough for Christmas.
Recipe after the break!
Every Christmas the oven is entirely too busy baking our Christmas feast to be able to also accommodate any baked desserts (other than cookies of course!) so we usually have a wonderful vanilla ice cream scooped up with a melon baller and rolled in coconut to look like snowballs. We always serve these in martini glasses to make them feel extra special.
This year there is a limited edition peppermint bark ice cream flavor from Haagen-Dazs so of course we had to try it. I also saw a fantastic recipie for butterscotch sauce over at Smitten Kitchen that I just had to try. Sprinkle coconut around the edges and drizzle with the butterscotch and you have an easy dessert that is just fancy enough for Christmas.
Recipe after the break!
This is all you will need! How easy! Just butter, cream, brown sugar, salt (I used kosher ground in the mortar and pestle), and vanilla.
The rest comes from Smitten Kitchen
Ridiculously Easy Butterscotch Sauce
Adapted loosely from The Washington Post, who adapted it from The Perfect Cake
Yield: About 2/3 to 3/4 cup sauce
1/4 cup (4 tablespoons, 2 ounces or 1/2 stick) unsalted butter
1/2 cup packed dark or light brown sugar (I used dark)
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/2 teaspoon flaky sea salt (or 1/4 teaspoon regular salt), plus more to taste
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract, plus more to taste
Melt butter in a medium heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium heat. Add the sugar, cream and salt and whisk until well blended. [A flat whisk works great here.] Bring to a very gentle boil and cook for about five minutes, whisking occasionally.
Remove from heat and add one teaspoon of the vanilla extract, stirring to combine and this is where, despite the simplicity of the recipe, you get to feel all “chef-y”. Dip a spoon in the sauce and carefully taste the sauce (without burning your tongue!) to see if you want to add additional pinches or salt or splashes of vanilla. Tweak it to your taste, whisking well after each addition. I ended up using a full teaspoon of flaky salt and the listed amount of vanilla to get a butterscotch sauce with a very loud, impressive butterscotch flavor but the strength of your vanilla and intensity of your salt may vary.
The rest comes from Smitten Kitchen
Ridiculously Easy Butterscotch Sauce
Adapted loosely from The Washington Post, who adapted it from The Perfect Cake
Yield: About 2/3 to 3/4 cup sauce
1/4 cup (4 tablespoons, 2 ounces or 1/2 stick) unsalted butter
1/2 cup packed dark or light brown sugar (I used dark)
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/2 teaspoon flaky sea salt (or 1/4 teaspoon regular salt), plus more to taste
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract, plus more to taste
Melt butter in a medium heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium heat. Add the sugar, cream and salt and whisk until well blended. [A flat whisk works great here.] Bring to a very gentle boil and cook for about five minutes, whisking occasionally.
Remove from heat and add one teaspoon of the vanilla extract, stirring to combine and this is where, despite the simplicity of the recipe, you get to feel all “chef-y”. Dip a spoon in the sauce and carefully taste the sauce (without burning your tongue!) to see if you want to add additional pinches or salt or splashes of vanilla. Tweak it to your taste, whisking well after each addition. I ended up using a full teaspoon of flaky salt and the listed amount of vanilla to get a butterscotch sauce with a very loud, impressive butterscotch flavor but the strength of your vanilla and intensity of your salt may vary.
Merry Christmas, everyone!!!
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