VALENTINE'S DAY ICE CREAM SANDWICHES!

Ooooh friends- do I have a great treat for you today! 

Feast your eyes on THESE babies:

These ice cream sandwiches are the perfect Valentine's treat- whether you're making them for you favorite girlfriends, you significant other, or even your kids! 

They're made with some homemade M&M cookies, ice cream, and LOTS of sprinkles....

What you'll need to make it happen:

-Valentine's Sprinkles (I got mine from Target)

- Ice cream 

- M&M Cookies (recipe makes 2 dozen cookies - 1 dozen sandwiches):

1 1/8 cup flour  ::   1/2 tsp salt :: 1/2 tsp baking soda :: 1 cup Valentine's M&Ms

1/2 cup brown sugar ::  1/4 cup granulated sugar :: 1 large egg :: 1 stick unsalted butter  :: 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

How to make it happen:

Step 1: Bake your cookies! (Cream sugars & butter until mixed. Add egg and vanilla & mix. Add flour, salt, baking soda & mix. Stir in M&Ms. Bake for 10 minutes at 350 degrees)

Step 2: LET YOUR COOKIES COOL COMPLETELY. No really. If you don't wait, your ice cream will melt errywhere- and NO one wants that, right?

Step 3: Take 1 cookie- scoop about 1/3 cup ice cream on it, and press down with another cookie

Step 4: Roll in sprinkles, and put back in freezer right away.

Step 5: Bring out again right before you're ready to serve!

Oh man these things are good! Plus, if you don't need 1 dozen sandwiches- then just eat the cookies on their own :)

Looking for other Valentine's Recipes?

Try making my Conversation Heart Cookies or Raspberry Cream Cheese Heart Pies!

xo, lp

psssssssssst: let's be friends on Instagram! you can find me here --> @lpodlich

SIX FANTASTIC FOURTH CUPCAKES (easy designs that take minutes!)

Let's talk straight for a sec:

I love baking from scratch and all, but sometimes it's a pain in the ass. When you just want something last second it can be a bummer when you don't have all the ingredients at hand. So, at times like this, I bake from a box. AH! GASP! BLASPHEMY! The girl that bakes uses box mixes sometimes?!? 

I know, your vision of my is shattered. Sorry. To help you cope, go eat a box of cupcakes. 

These are 6 super fast, fun 4th of July cupcake decorating ideas. All you need is a box of cupcake mix, some frosting, and the topping of your choice. Have fun!

Don't they look great together? Some fun, some whimsical, some classy. Make a bunch of each to please any crowd!

 Cupcake #1: Swirly Cupcake

This one is super easy, take some white frosting and dye some blue and some red. Swirl plain white along with the two colored frostings and BAM. Pretty swirls.

Cupcake #2: Washi Flag Cupcakes

All you need for this one is a few toothpicks and some washi tape. Just fold over, cut into triangles and you're good to go!

Cupcake #3 The Easiest Candy Cupcake

There are plenty of red & blue candies out there to fulfill this cupcake task. My current favorite is the 4th of July Twizzlers that you can buy at Walgreens. Lemonade/BlueRaspberry flavored. Nom.

Cupcake #4: Layered Swirl Cupcake

This one is the only cupcake that requires a little effort. Open a ziplock and hold it up by one corner. Drip red food coloring down one edge of the bag, and blue down the other- so they come together to a point. Cut the tip off the bag to let excess run out, and then load with white frosting. Squeeze to create ad swirled look!

Cupcake #5: Fruity 4th Cupcake

Just slice up some strawberries (or raspberries or cherries) and add some blueberries. Done!

Cupcake #6: Sprinkle Cupcake

If you don't have blue and red sprinkles, either use M&Ms or color white sugar with food coloring! 

Perfect!

Which one of these decorations would you try?

Let me know!

xo, lp

Looking for more 4th of July fun? Try my Patriotic Frozen Punch or 4 Washi Tape decorations for the 4th.