Someone in our house has a soft spot for butterscotch.
He woke up this morning and asked if I thought butterscotch was heavier than milk. And then muttered something about cereal.
I think I'm going to have to put a lock on the refrigerator.....
Anywho, I wanted to see if I could make Mr. S love me any more than he already does, so I dreamt up this sundae. Butterscotch sauce is really easy to make, and the waffle bowls just took a bit of time. No hard skills, just patience.
Start off with sauce. Melt butter in a medium saucepan.
Then add in the light brown sugar and molasses. If you have dark brown sugar, you can cut down the molasses, or opt out all together. We like that butterscotchy taste around here, so all the molasses went in.
When that's all incorporated, toss in the salt.
Then, the cream.
Boil gently for 5 minutes.
Remove from the heat and pour in the vanilla. Stir.
Taste it to make sure you like the salt and vanilla levels. The horrible part of all this, I know!
And you're done. The sauce thickens as it cools. Promise! Pour it into a mason jar to keep in the fridge for a week or so (if it lasts that long).
Now for waffle bowls. They aren't really waffle patterned, but I don't know how else to call them. Cone bowls? that doesn't sound right. Toile bowls? that just sounds silly.
Oh well.
Start with the almonds. Blitz them to smithereens in a food processor.
Gently dump the almond powder into a bowl and sift in the flour, powdered sugar, and salt.
Lightly whisk the egg whites, almond extract, and water together.
Stir the egg white mixture and the melted butter into the almond powder bowl.
Gather your tools! Silpat or parchment, tablespoon measure, and offset spatula (a large spoon would work too).
Create 2 circles of 2 tbsps worth of batter on each pan.
Let them cook until they are brown just around the outsides. Spatula them off of the baking sheets and right onto the tops of inverted water glasses.
Use the tips of your fingers to bend the edges, creating a wavy sided bowl.
The smaller the glass bottom, the higher the bowl sides.
These need to be eaten as soon as you make them. The longer they wait, the softer and soggier they get. But you can crisp them back up in the broiler, just be prepared to shape them again.
Now is the moment to.....Assemble the sundae!
Put a scoop or two of ice cream in the bottom of the bowl, drizzle with butterscotch sauce. Top with chocolate sprinkles.
Squeal like a 5 year old.
Butterscotch Sauce
Makes 2 1/2 c.
Adapted from Smitten Kitchen
1 stick of butter
1 c. packed light brown sugar
2 tbsp molasses
1 c. heavy cream
1/2 tsp salt
3 tsp vanilla
In a medium saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat. Add in the brown sugar, molasses, and salt. Whisk until incorporated. Gently pour in the cream. Allow the sauce to come to a gentle boil and cook for 5 minutes.
Remove from the heat and stir in vanilla. Taste and see if you want to adjust the salt level or the vanilla level (just be sure you don't taste it till it's gone!).
The sauce will thicken when chilled, or remain drizzly when warm.
Almond Waffle Bowl
Makes 8 (if you don't mess any up...)
Adapted from The Kitchn
1/2 c. slivered almonds
1/4 c. flour
1/2 c. powdered sugar
1/4 tsp salt
2 egg whites
1/4 tsp almond extract
1/2 tsp water
5 tsp butter, melted
Preheat your oven to 300 degrees. In a food processor, blitz the almonds until as smooth as possible. Dump them into a large bowl. Sift in the flour, powdered sugar, and salt. Mix well.
In a separate bowl, lightly whisk the egg whites, almond extract, and water.
Add the egg white mixture and the butter to the flour mixture. Whisk together with a few swift strokes.
Line two thin baking sheets with parchment paper or silpats.
Pour 2 tbsp of batter onto 1 half of the baking sheet. Spread out into a large thin, nearly transparent circle. Make another circle on the other half of the baking sheet.
Bake for 10-18 minutes, or until the edges turn golden brown. While they are baking, prepare yourself for bowl-making. Turn over 2 water glasses with big bottoms. Cover the bottoms of the glasses with parchment paper squares.
Remove from the oven and slide a spatula under the circle. It should be bendy and moldable. Place the center of the circle over the glass's bottom. Using the very tips of your fingers, create the wavy edge of the bowl by pushing the edges down. Allow the bowls to cool on the cups for a few seconds before removing them.
Place the waffle bowl on the plate. Top with a scoop or two of ice cream and then drizzle with butterscotch sauce. Top with chocolate sprinkles!
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