This week I’m heading to New York, where I and 9 other bloggers will make holiday desserts in a friendly cook-off hosted by I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter. I’ll keep you posted on the big event, but I’m looking forward to seeing what the competition is up to! As for my creation, it’s called “Profiteroles with Peppermint Ice Cream and Chocolate Ganache” and the choux pastry is made with I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter. I wasn’t sure how the product would work in choux, but the results were very good. The buttery flavor really came through in the profiteroles, which are one of my all-time favorite treats. I like them filled with cream or ice cream, and in this case I think the peppermint gives them a nice holiday theme.
Here’s the puff itself.
It’s going to be fun baking up a batch of these in the I Can’t Believe it’s Not Butter Test Kitchen, and for those of you interested in trying the recipe at home, I’ve typed it up below.
But first, here’s your chance to win a special treat from I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter. I apologize to my non-US readers who I love hearing from, but this one’s only open to those in the US.
Prize Package Includes:
– Caphlon Contemporary Non Stick Shallow Sauce Pan
– Antique White Dinnerware Rectangular Serving Platter
– A Non Stick Baking Sheet
– Bamboo 14” Wooden Spoon
For your chance at winning, just write a comment telling me your favorite holiday dessert and who usually makes it.
I’ll close the contest Friday November 12 at 8:00 AM EST, pick a random comment using the random number generator, and announce the winner later that day.
Good Luck!
P.S. After you enter here, increase your odds by entering at some of the other bloggers’ sites. All of the prize packages are different and tailored to each cook-off entry.
P.P.S. Thanks for the comments!! The number of comments we get plays into a small part of the overall scoring of the contest. Gee, why the heck am I sending you to the other blogs then 
. Just kidding. Have fun, and good luck! I’m really looking forward to reporting back to you all about the test kitchen tour and meeting the other great baking enthusiasts.
Aly-tude
Fake Ginger
Disclosure: The giveaway prizes are provided by I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter and my Cook-Off trip expenses to NYC are being paid for by I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter.
Peppermint Ice Cream Profiteroles with Chocolate Ganache
Profiteroles
1/2 cup flour, fluffed and scooped
1/8 teaspoon salt
4 tablespoons I Can’t Believe it’s Not Butter Baking Stick
1/2 cup warm water
2 large eggs, room temperatureSauce
3 oz excellent quality semi- sweet chocolate, chopped
6 tablespoons heavy cream
2 teaspoons of I Can’t Believe it’s Not Butter Butter Baking Stick
¼ teaspoon vanilla extract6 scoops peppermint or mint chocolate chip ice cream (or whatever YOU like)
Preheat oven to 450 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Mix together the flour and salt; set aside. In a 3 quart saucepan, heat the I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter and water just to a boil. Add the flour mixture and stir over medium heat for about 1-2 minutes or until mixture forms a ball in pan. After mixture forms a ball, continue mixing it for another minute, pushing it around in the pan. Remove from heat and let cool for 10-15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add eggs one at a time, beating well with the mixing spoon after each egg is added.
Using a heaping tablespoon, drop 6 equal size portions of dough onto a parchment lined or lightly greased cookie sheet spacing about 3 inches apart. Bake on center rack for about 22 minutes or until puffs are golden. Remove from oven. Turn off oven and let it cool down for about 5 minutes. Meanwhile, using a toothpick, poke a small hole in the bottom of each pastry puff. Return puffs to cookie sheet and place puffs in closed “off” oven for 10 minutes to dry. Remove from oven and let cool completely before filling.
Sauce: Put the chopped chocolate in a bowl. In a small saucepan, heat the cream and I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter until it just begins to simmer. Pour over chocolate and stir until smooth. Stir in the vanilla.
Assemble profiteroles. Split each profiterole horizontally down the center and fill with a scoop of ice cream. Drizzle warm or slightly cooled ganache over top.
Serves 6
Notes:
If you’re intimidated by pastry, there’s nothing that will get your confidence up like a batch of choux. It’s simple! For this batch, I made the choux with I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter and got some of the best results ever.
Like hot lava cakes, profiteroles are impressive and perfect for making ahead. You can bake the puffs before dinner and have them cooled and ready to go for dessert, or you can make them a week ahead, freeze them, then crisp them for 5 minutes in a 375 oven when ready to use. You can also make the ganache ahead of time. Just chill it until ready to use, the put it in a stainless steel bowl and set the bowl over but not touching barely simmering water until the ganache softens.
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Cuccidata (Italian fig cookies). My parents & I make them every year at Christmas time. It is an old family recipe that is time consuming & like 20 ingredients in the filling alone, but so worth it. They are a bit hard to explain & I have seen many scaled down easy versions out there, but nothing compares to my grandma’s recipe. Everyone looks forward to the treats each year.
Homemade “Pan Dulce”, filled with all different types of nuts.. I usually make it, and it cannot be compared with the one you buy in stores!
I love my Mom’s pumpkin pies!
tcarolinep at gmail dot com
ohhhhh, the christmas cookies that my mom used to make…every culture has a different name for them, but for me they are powdered sugar covered pecan balls..
Mexican Wedding cookies..yummm…they are LOVED in my family–a tradition that has carried on and on!
Pumpkin bread pudding with caramel sauce, made by me!
I am the dessert maker in the family. Our favorite holiday dessert is a cranberry, pecan & white chocolate tart from a Pillsbury cookbook.
susitravl(at)gmail(dot)com
My mom makes this amazing no bake blueberry/strawberry custard pie! Definitely a holiday fave
Our traditions are just starting- last year we did a Red Velvet Cake from DaCapo’s bakery in Houston. I really love peppermint ice cream though so I think I’ll have to add that to the offerings this year.
A simple but delicious apple cake, circa 1970 dump-cake-from-scratch, a recipe that came from a friend of my aunt, my aunt shared it with my mom and I found it in Mom’s little wooden recipe box after she passed away. This cake has been a favorite of my family since the 70′s and it was the first “scratch” cake I learned to make successfully.
Holiday cookies or sweet pecan pie – I can’t celebrate the holidays without them. Thanks for the giveaway opportunity!
Believe it or not, my favorite holiday dessert is my mother in laws strawberry pretzel salad. Love the combo of salty pretzels with sweet cream cheese and jello.
My great-aunt made the best chocolate pies. Seriously, the BEST. She wrote the recipe down but no one makes them like she did. We think she left out a secret ingredient.
I love all Christmas cookies!
My favorite holiday dessert is iced pumpkin cookies. I make several batches a year for family members.
My family has German roots, and my favorite holiday dessert has always been my mother’s homemade Lebkuchen and Pfeffernusse cookies! They always seem to taste better than my versions
My favorite holiday dessert is cookies that I’ve made with my family. Fun traditions and then a great treat.
My favorite holiday dessert is my mom’s pumpkin pie. She makes everything from scratch, including the whip cream. It’s so popular in our family that she has to make three to four just for Thanksgiving day so everyone has plenty to take home…then she’ll usually make another one for us to share a day or two after
My favorite holiday treat is gingerbread cookies. I make the cookies, but my sisters and I all decorate them.
My holiday nostalgia is triggered by warm, homemade chocolate chip cookies. It’s been a tradition for my dad and me to make them together, especially around the holidays. There’s no better smell in the world.
Strawberry Salad made by my mom. It is a strange combination of strawberries, pineapple, and jello with a middle layer of sour cream. Yum!
My favorite Holiday dessert is Peanut Butter Blossoms and I usually make them.
Besides the basic pecan pie, I love all the different cookies I only have around the time of year. Specifically, pizzelles and italian wine cookies.
my favorite holiday dessert is pumpkin pie! simple, but delicious. apple pie and pecan pie are up there too!
My favorite family recipe are the oatmeal crispy cookies my mother makes.. with red and green m&ms.. the recipe came from my grandmother and they are tres chic.
I love chocolate desserts. This dessert looks so festive and “fancy”. Just right for the holidays.
I am so bummed to see the list of people going. I just couldn’t swing it this time of year… you all will have so much fun and your profiteroles look delicious. ICBINB makes the yummiest pie crust…seriously. Try it!
I love my mom’s cream pies..especially her banana cream pies!
My favorite holiday treat is oatmeal ground raisin cookies. I make them along with most of my sisters. MY mom used to be the baker, but she no longer bakes. Hers are still the best.
Doughnuts for Hanukkah of course! And I’m the one who bakes – or fries in this case – everything in my house
it’s hard to narrow it down, but one of my favorite holiday treats is the fudge and mint cheesecake topped brownies my mom makes.
My favorite holiday dessert would be a simple sugar cookie with some chocolate buttercream frosting on top. My sister and I have a tradition with making them when I come home from school during winter break. We stay up all night sometimes decorating them.
gingersnaps made by me!
Those profiterales look amazing! My favorite holiday dessert recipe is apple pie, and my dad usually makes it.
My dad’s favorite dessert is profiteroles. I used to feel really important by knowing such a big dessert word.
My favorite holiday dessert is my mom’s chocolate fudge. All that stirring is totally worth it!
I love all things desert, and love to bake! I love mint brownies.
My favorite Thanksgiving dessert is pumpkin pie- I make it and can’t wait. Right after Thanksgiving I move into Christmas mode and love to be surrounded by all kinds of holiday cookies (which I also make). I seem to be the only baker in my family.
Those profiteroles look great. Love the mint middles. Have a great time in NYC! (jealous)
It’s super hard to pick a favorite holiday treat. I just like making lots of them. I do love fudge and that seems to really be a once a year treat.
Good luck in NYC, Anna! My fave holiday dessert is tiramisu, made by me.
My husband and I both bake during the holidays but my favorite holiday dessert (maybe because I didn’t have to make them!) are his pizzelles. Had never heard of them until we got married. LOL!
my favorite holiday dessert is warm applie pie with some vanilla ice cream on the side. made by my grandmother. sooo good!
MY favorite holiday dessert is Pecan Pie made by me!
Good luck in NYC, Anna! We love making all kinds of Christmas cookies, but especially the candy cane ones from an old Ladies Home Journal recipe.
I love peppermint canoli. Sometimes I cheat and use premade shells.
We always have several pies to choose from and of course coolies and fudge!
My mom’s Pecan Pie
My friends Carrot Cake that she makes for special occasions (such as my birthday!!).
My favorite holiday dessert is homemade mini Reese’s cups, and I am the one who makes them.
My favorite is pecan snowballs! My mom and I always make them.
My favorite holiday dessert is my mother’s Five-Pound Fudge. (I have never actually eaten 5 pounds but I’ve eaten my share! delish)
I have been making gumdrop cookies for 40 years. Everyone loves them. The recipe came from my mother’s stepmother. I asked her for the recipe after eating the cookies at her house. My mother couldn’t believe she shared the recipe, but maybe since I was only 7 or 8 at the time, she melted! My mom and I made Christmas cookies listening to kitchen radio. She stored them in a huge old crock and my brother would stick our hands down in the crock and come up with a surprise. When I got married, I took the original hand written recipe for the gumdrop cookies with me. I’ve only shared it once!
At Thanksgiving, my aunt and uncle make a more innocent version of a brandy alexander with eggnog, pumpkin spices, vanilla ice cream, and of course, a little brandy. Yum!
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