Mocha Marinated Steak with Peach Salsa and Cauliflower Mash

If you haven't stopped by since last month's chocolate party, you'll notice that things have changed some since the days of double malt ice cream sandwiches.  A Calculated Whisk is going paleo!  It's not a permanent change, but I'm doing a Whole30, and the blog is doing it with me.  So for the rest of August, you'll find more healthy recipes with fruits, vegetables, eggs, meat, and seafood, but no grains, sugar, sweeteners, legumes, soy, milk, or processed food.  Desserts (at least paleo ones, which can still be impressively delicious!) will return in the fall.

Double Malt Ice Cream Sandwiches #chocolateparty

Did you ever get a malt cup from an ice cream truck as a kid?  Malt cups were always my favorite.  It's not a bar or anything fancy--just a cup of chocolate malt ice cream that you eat with one of those little spoons.  I've been wanting one forever, so I finally ordered some Milo online and made my own version.  If you like malt, you will LOVE this.

I was just thinking about ice cream, but then I found out that this month's chocolate party secret ingredient was ice cream, and that the recipes had to call for both ice cream AND chocolate (so, not just ice cream with chocolate in it!).  Well, what else was there to do?  I baked up some lightly malted chocolate chip cookies and stuffed the ice cream inside.  These ice cream sandwiches would also be delicious with any other ice cream flavor--feel free to use store bought or your favorite homemade flavor.

P.S.  While you're here, check out this giveaway!  You could win a copy of an awesome food photography e-book.



Ingredients:

For the cookies (from Hummingbird on High's recipe, makes about 24):

1 cup flour
Rounded 1/4 cup Milo
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 stick butter (8 tablespoons), at room temperature
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup white sugar
1 egg, at room temperature
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup chocolate chips (I used semi-sweet baking melts)

For the ice cream sandwiches (makes 12):

24 cookies
1 quart chocolate malt ice cream (recipe below) or any other ice cream, softened

To make the cookies, preheat the oven to 375 and line two baking sheets with parchment paper.

In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt, and Milo and set aside.

In a large bowl, cream the butter and two sugars with an electric mixer until light and fluffy.  Add the egg and vanilla, and beat just until combined.

Add the flour mixture to the other ingredients, and mix by hand JUST until combined.  Fold in chocolate chips.

Using a tablespoon measure, spoon out tablespoon-sized balls of dough at least 2 inches apart on the parchment paper.  Bake for about 8 minutes, until cookies are just set and barely beginning to brown around the edges.  Let them cool for a few minutes on the sheet to firm up, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.  Once they are cool, stick them in the freezer for an hour or so.  This will make it easier to assemble the ice cream sandwiches.

To make the sandwiches, match the cookies up by size.  Place a scoop of softened ice cream on one frozen cookie (bottom side up), and top with the other cookie, top side up.  Smoosh a little to help the ice cream get to the edges.  Wrap each ice cream sandwich individually and store in the freezer for up to two weeks.  Before serving, let the sandwiches thaw for about five minutes.

Ingredients for the chocolate malt ice cream:

1/2 cup Milo
1/2 cup sugar
3 cups heavy cream, divided
1 1/2 cups 2% milk
1 cup Whoppers, crushed (optional)

In a medium saucepan, combine the Milo, sugar, and half the cream.  Heat over medium heat, stirring constantly, until the sugar and Milo are dissolved and no clumps are left.  Remove from the heat and stir in the remaining cream and the milk.

Chill the mixture completely by refrigerating overnight or placing in the freezer for about an hour.  Once the mixture is totally chilled, freeze it in your ice cream maker.  When the ice cream is almost done, add the Whoppers, if using.  Store in the freezer in an airtight container.

Want to participate in this month's chocolate party by sharing a treat with chocolate and ice cream?  Here's how to participate:

1.) Blog about your chocolate treat. Your recipe must include the two ingredients we choose (chocolate and ice cream for July). It can be a simple no bake treat or a sophisticated layer cake, the complexity level of the recipe is totally up to you.
2.) Include a link back to a monthly round-up or the Chocolate party page. Optional, add the Chocolate Party logo in your blog post or on your sidebar.
3.) Your recipe must be published during the current month. Please do not link old recipes, they will be deleted.
4.)  Add your link below! 

Chocolate Cherry Muffins (with a secret ingredient)

For this month's chocolate party, the ingredients are cherries and chocolate.  I really enjoyed the cherry garcia frozen yogurt that I made, but chocolate and cherries are such a great pair that I wanted to try another recipe with them.  Recently I bought frozen dark sweet cherries at whole foods, and they were screaming to be baked into some chocolate muffins.

There is a secret ingredient that makes these muffins super moist.  Have you guessed what it is?  Here are a few hints: it's green.  You can barely see it in the finished muffins.  You might have some growing in your garden.

It's zucchini!!  A grated zucchini keeps these muffins really tender even though they're made with all whole grain flour.  Subbing agave nectar for half the sugar doesn't hurt, either.  The cherries provide a juicy burst of flavor within the rich chocolate muffins.  You are going to love these!  And with fruit AND vegetables, reduced sugar and butter, and whole grain flour, they are practically guilt-free.

Ingredients (makes 12):

1 medium zucchini, grated
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups whole grain pastry flour
1/2 cup cocoa (I used Dutch-process)
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/3 cup sugar
5 tablespoons butter, melted and cooled
1/3 cup agave nectar
1/2 cup milk (I used 2%)
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup frozen sweet cherries, halved

Preheat the oven to 350 and line a muffin tin with paper liners.

Whisk together the flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda, sugar, and salt in a large bowl.  In a medium bowl, whisk together the cooled butter, agave, milk, egg, and vanilla.  Add the wet ingredients and the grated zucchini to the dry ingredients and mix just until combined.  Fold in the cherries.

Divide the batter evenly among the muffin cups.  Bake for about 20 minutes, until the muffins are domed and set.  Halfway through the baking time, rotate the pans back to front and reduce the oven temperature to 325.

Cool for a few minutes in the tin, and then remove to a rack to cool completely.

Want to participate in this month's chocolate party by sharing a treat with chocolate and cherries? Here's how to participate:

1. Blog about your chocolate treat. Your recipe must include the two ingredients we choose (chocolate and cherries for June). It can be a simple no bake treat or a sophisticated layer cake, the complexity level of the recipe is totally up to you.
2. Include a link back to a monthly round-up or the Chocolate party page. Optional, add the Chocolate Party logo in your blog post or on your sidebar. 
3. Your recipe must be published during the current month. Please do not link old recipes, they will be deleted.
4. Add your link on this post.