Happy 3rd Birthday to Tag Sale Tastes! My very first post — Cream Cheese Spritz Cookies — was July 1, 2012. Each year around this time I’ve continued to post a recipe or two for some sort of patriotic-themed treat: Giant M&M Cookies, 4th of July Firecrackers, Stars and Stripes Pie, and this year’s Red, White, & Blue Biscotti:
I hope one of these might inspire you to make a special dessert to celebrate Independence Day.
If you’re not quite into red, white, and blue, in honor of Tag Sale Tastes’ birthday, I’m sharing a recipe my daughter made for Father’s Day that is worthy of any summer celebration. Layers of brownie, mint chocolate chip ice cream, chocolate ganache, real whipped cream, and a topping of shaved chocolate — it’s easy, cool, and quite decadent. Although I think you cheat yourself if you use whipped topping instead of real whipped cream, don’t think twice about using Ghirardelli Dark Chocolate Brownie Mix instead of making your own brownies.
- 1 box Ghirardelli Dark Chocolate Brownie Mix
- 1.5-quart container good quality Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream
- ¾ cup heavy whipping cream
- 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
- 1 cup heavy whipping cream
- ¼ cup powdered sugar
- 1.5-ounce chocolate bar
- Prepare brownie mix according to package directions. Lightly spray a 9x9 pan with cooking spray. Spread brownie batter in prepared pan and bake according to package directions. Remove from oven and set aside to cool completely.
- Remove ice cream from freezer and allow to soften at room temperature for 15-20 minutes, until soft enough to spread. Spread ice cream over the cooled brownie layer, leaving approximately ½" to top of pan for ganache layer. Place pan in freezer and allow ice cream to harden, at least 1 hours.
- Prepare ganache by placing ¾ cup heavy cream in a microwave-proof container and heat for 2 minutes until hot but not boiling. Add the chocolate chips to the cream and set aside for a few minutes to allow the chocolate to melt, then stir until cream and chocolate are thoroughly combined. Set aside and allow to cool (ganache will thicken as it cools). When the ganache is cool, spread evenly over the ice cream layer and return pan to freezer for 2-3 hours, until ice cream and ganache are firm.
- Just before serving, whip 1 cup heavy cream and powdered sugar using an electric beater, just until stiff peaks form (be careful not to overwhip -- you don't want butter!).
- To serve, cut into 2" squares. Pipe or dollop whipped cream decoratively on top of each square. Garnish by grating chocolate over whipped cream. Serve immediately.
Happy 3rd Birthday to Tag Sale Tastes!
Sounds like your daughter is a chip off the old block. This looks wonderful. Big happy birthday TST! I’ve enjoyed every post. Keep ’em coming!