chocolate

Dark Cocoa Waffle Ice Cream Sandwiches / August 23, 2018 by Lindsey | Dolly and Oatmeal

Dark Cocoa Waffle Ice Cream Sandwiches | Dolly and Oatmeal

the mid-90s were for many things, mood rings, discmans, flannels tied around your waist, etc.,etc. but they were also for waffles and ice cream! i can't tell you how many birthday parties i attended that served them in lieu of cake, or for breakfast if it was a sleepover birthday. i was never really a big fan of ice cream cones, so the idea of a soft, warm waffle topped with melty ice cream was my dream. there were always toppings too: whipped cream, chocolate chips, hot fudge, nuts, etc. but i remember sticking to a generic version with maybe some sprinkles.

truth is, ice cream cones still are not my favorite vessel to eat ice cream out of. i much prefer a bowl of ice cream, or it sandwiches between two cookies, or in this case - waffles! yes, i'm bringing back my memories of waffles and ice cream, but i'm upgrading your waffle situation and offering you a dairy free ice cream instead - because there's an ice cream for that!

these waffles are my absolute favorite! they have a deep dark chocolate flavor, not overly sweet; and soft, but crisp enough to cradle the ice cream perfectly. and they're best served with this luscious dairy-free ice cream from Häaagen- Dazs. I grew up on Häaagen- Dazs, my parents never bought any other brands, ever. there were 2 flavors in our freezer at all times: chocolate-chocolate chip (for my dad and me), and vanilla swiss almond (for my mom and brother). and i imagine that the world is a happier place now that that they have a dairy-free line of ice creams including: coconut caramel, peanut butter chocolate fudge, and the one i'm using here: chocolate salted fudge truffle. this is the kind of ice cream i love to indulge in once in a while, it's rich, and velvety, just like traditional ice cream. and these sandwiches are the perfect treat to close out the summer with. i like making them ahead of time and freezing them for optimal coldness on these hot august days. i also love that they're portable - take them to picnic (and eat within a reasonable amount of time), a sweet snack for your kids, a late-night treat for your ice cream loving husband ;) . these delicious sandwiches know no bounds! and to save $2 when you buy 3 Häagen-Dazs or other participating Nestlé ice cream brands, click here for a coupon :)

happy last few weeks of summer, friends! xo!

this post was created in partnership with Häaagen- Dazs.. all opinions as always are my own. thank you for supporting the sponsors that help keep dolly and oatmeal going!

Dark cocoa waffle ice cream sandwiches | gf & df

i like making the waffles ahead of time, keeping them in the fridge or freezer, and having them on-hand when we're need of a little summer treat.
you could also assemble the sandwiches ahead of time and freeze them (as directed in the instructions below) for up to 1 week.

PRINT THE RECIPE!

| makes roughly 8 large waffles and 14-16 sandwiches |

1 cup fine brown rice flour
1/2 cup raw cacao powder (or cocoa powder)
1/4 cup + 1 tablespoon coconut sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup unsweetened almond milk, at room temperature
2 pasture raised eggs, at room temperature
1/4 cup melted unrefined coconut oil, plus more for waffle iron
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
two 14-ounce containers Häaagen- Dazs.Chocolate Salted Fudge Truffle Non-Dairy ice cream

method

preheat your waffle iron.
in a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, cacao powder (or cocoa powder), sugar, baking soda, and salt, breaking up any clumps. in a separate bowl, whisk together the almond milk, eggs, oil, and vanilla until combined. whisk the wet ingredients into the dry until combined (batter will be a little lumpy, that's ok!)
brush your iron lightly with some coconut oil. pour a heaping 1/4 cup of batter into the center. use the back of the measuring cup to spread the batter out a bit, covering most of the waffle iron. cook according to the manufacturers instructions until slightly crisp. remove the waffle and let it cool, repeat with the remaining batter.
to assemble. remove the ice cream from your freezer, and let it sit out for about 10 minutes to soften a bit (this depends on how warm your kitchen is). cut the waffles into fourths and lay them out on a clean work surface.
take one waffle piece and scoop 2-3 portions of ice cream on it, top with the other half of waffle to make a sandwich. repeat with remaining waffles and ice cream.
eat immediately, or store in an air tight container, lined with parchment paper (this prevents them from sticking to the container) in your freezer for up to 1 week.

similar recipes:

Double Chocolate Caramel Cake & 5 Years / July 26, 2018 by Lindsey | Dolly and Oatmeal

Double Chocolate Caramel Cake | Dolly and Oatmeal

frank and i celebrate 5 years of marriage tomorrow. it was one of the best days of my life, a day filled with such an overwhelming amount cheer and enthusiasm from so many people that it's hard to describe with just mere words.

since i was a little girl, i thought i would get married where i summered every year on martha's vineyard. i had the venue picked out and everything! we would get married on the patio of beach plum inn, while overlooking menemsha bight at sunset. there would be twinkling lights, and great food, and dancing, and all around awesome time. clearly little me wasn't thinking about grownup things like cost and logistics. so when frank and i started wedding planning a wedding on martha's vineyard was quickly crossed off. so we switched gears to something a bit more local, and affordable. a quick google search of "farms by the ocean", turned up with some interesting, but very limited options. luckily, we found salt air farm, which by the name alone had me super interested. it happened to be located on long island, where i grew up when i was little, and everything quickly fell into place, and felt so right.

our wedding was very much a family affair, which makes the memory that much sweeter. my mom, a close family friend/planner/caterer, and i planned every last detail. our dj was another long-time friend, as was our amazing photographer. i designed the invitations, seating cards, table numbers, etc.! and salt air farm also happened to be a fruit and flower farm, so all the centerpieces came right from the fields that the entrance of the farm welcomed each guest with. there was so much heart and soul that went into our wedding, but we also never felt more appreciative of the outpouring of love than on that day.

but the best part was marrying frank. never have i known anyone like him. he is simply the sweetest, kindest, most patient man i will ever know. i am forever grateful to whatever cosmic powers that led to us meeting.

ok, let's talk cake before i start crying even more than i already am. our wedding cake was 3-tiers, and aside from being yummy and gluten-and-dairy-free, i didn't really care too much about it. we went to babycakes in nyc, and tasted a few of their flavors, and i'm pretty sure we just settled on a basic chocolate and vanilla duo, with a traditional vanilla frosting. the cake here has two really luscious chocolate-y layers, a chocolate fudge frosting, and it's topped off with an almond butter-based caramel sauce. i decorated it with the same blush-y shade of flowers that was in my wedding bouquet, as well as in the centerpieces on each table - a subtle, little reminder of that day. the recipe comes from one of my favorite cookbooks from this past spring, sweet laurel. the book is full of thoughtful gluten-and-dairy-free recipes. from morning treats, to breads, and nut-based cream cheese; to beautiful cakes, and tips on how to decorate them. it's a lovely book for those who love to bake, or someone who is new to gluten-and-dairy-free baking.

love & cake. xo!

**all non-cake photos by: kisha bari

Double Chocolate Caramel Cake | gf & df

chocolate cake and dark chocolate fudge frosting recipe from Sweet Laurel, by Laurel Gallucci & Claire Thomas

| make a two 6-inch layers |

dark chocolate fudge frosting

4 pounces 100% cacao unsweetened baking chocolate, roughly chopped
1/4 cup coconut oil, solid
1/4 cup maple syrup
1/2 cup almond butter
1/4 cup almond milk or full-fall coconut milk, or as needed

cake

coconut nut oil, for greasing the pans
2 1/2 cups almond flour
1/4 cup 100% unsweetened cacao powder
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon himalayan pink salt
2 large eggs
3/4 cup maple syrup
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 cup dark chocolate fudge frosting (ingredients below)
1 cup caramel sauce (ingredients below)

caramel sauce (recipe from Pinch of Yum)

1/4 cup coconut oil
1/4 cup maple syrup
2 tablespoons almond butter
pinch of sea salt

method

make the frosting. in a small heavy saucepan over medium heat, melt the chocolate and coconut oil, stirring constantly. remove the pan from the heat. slowly add the maple syrup and stir to incorporate. allow to cool completely.
transfer the chocolate mixture to a medium bowl and, using an electric mixer, beat in the almond butter until a thick frosting forms. add the almond milk and stir with a spatula until smooth.
refrigerate for at least 8 hours, then bring to room temperature and beat with an electric mixer until spreadable.
make the cake. preheat oven to 350°F. line two 6-inch cake pans with parchment paper rounds, then grease the sides of the pans with coconut oil.
in a medium bowl, whisk together the flour cacao powder, baking soda, and salt. in a large bowl, whisk the eggs, maple syrup, and vanilla. a little at a time, add the dry ingredients to the wet, stirring until a batter forms.
divide the batter evenly between the prepared pans and bake for about 25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. invert the cakes onto racks, and allow to cool completely (*my note: i let the cake cool in the pan on a rack, then inverted them onto a rack to then cool completely).
place one layer on a cake plate and top with 1/2 cup of the fudge frosting, smoothing it evenly over the entire surface. drizzle a few tablespoons of the caramel on top. add the second layer and top with the remaining 1/2 cup of frosting, then drizzle more caramel over the cake, letting it drip down the sides.
refrigerate until ready to serve. take out 20-30 minutes prior to serving. decorate with fresh blooms, sprinkles, herbs, herbs flowers, etc.!

similar recipes:

chocolate layer cake w/ cacao macadamia mousse & coconut whip

strawberry-rhubarb olive oil cake w/ chocolate whip

Chocolate-Drizzled Tahini Granola Bars From "The Pretty Dish" / April 5, 2018 by Lindsey | Dolly and Oatmeal

Chocolate-Drizzled Tahini Granola Bars | Dolly and Oatmeal

spring is definitely here in LA. (and i say this with the deepest acknowledgment that so many of you are still feeling the wrath of winter-spring snowstorms, or just general yucky weather. this former, life-long new yorker gets it - i am with you!) and i can't believe it, but we're coming up on a whole year of living in southern california. i feel like i'm just beginning to feel a real vibrational shift in the seasons though. maybe it was daylight savings that tipped the scale, maybe the almost 2 weeks of on-and-off rain; but there is green grass, birds happily chirping, and weeds! i never thought i would miss weeds, but i do/did! most neighbors are trimming them down, but for a few days these lovely, untamed, wild shrubs were lining the sidewalks, and it made me the happiest :)

i decided to keep this week's recipe a, not-so-seasonal recipe. we're all experiencing so many various climates depending on where we live that i didn't want to hit you with a salad, or some sort of asparagus recipe when you have snow coming down outside. so i thought something we could all get behind is chocolate!

these delicious granola bars come from jessica merchant's newest book, the pretty dish. they're pretty low maintenance as far as granola bars go, in that they're a no-bake situation, and they're also made with mostly pantry ingredients. i would say these came together in about 30 minutes from start to finish. out of the amazing 150 recipes in jessica's book, i was drawn to this one, particularly because it uses tahini, giving them a beautiful flavor. i think so many of us think of tahini as a savory ingredient, but it pairs so incredibly well in sweeter dishes, especially with the chocolate here. the recipe also makes a generous amount, certainly enough for the entire week. these impressive little granola bars check the box on just about any list you may have, including that i swapped some ingredients to give the bars a lower glycemic index. and i also went ahead and swapped the butter for coconut oil, making them vegan. (you can see my notes at the bottom of the ingredient list.)

big spring hugs! xo

**and be sure to tag @dollyandoatmeal when you're making any recipes from the site or my book! i love regramming you all on instagram stories! xo!

chocolate-drizzled tahini granola bars

see my notes at the bottom of the ingredient list for a vegan, and low glycemic version.

recipe from: The Pretty Dish by Jessica Merchant

| makes about 12 |

6 tablespoons unsalted butter
6 tablespoons tahini
1/2 cup honey
1/4 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup old-fashioned rolled oats
1 cup quick-cooking oats
1 1/2 cups brown rice cereal (i used puffed quinoa)
3 tablespoons ground flaxseed
2 tablespoons chia seeds
2 tablespoons hemp hearts
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup chocolate chips, melted, for drizzling
3 tablespoons sesame seeds, for topping

*my notes to make these vegan or dairy-free, and refined sugar-free:

replace the butter with equal amounts melted coconut oil
replace the honey with coconut nectar (you could also use maple syrup, but i prefer coconut nectar because it has a lower glycemic index)
swap the light brown sugar for equal amounts coconut sugar
i replaced the melted chocolate chips with this raw chocolate sauce

method

line a 13" x 9" dish with parchment paper. spray the paper with cooking spray.
in a saucepan, heat the butter, tahini, honey, and sugar over low heat. whisk until the butter melts, the sugar dissolves, and the mixture is warm. remove the pan from the heat and stir in the vanilla.
in a large bowl, stir together the oats, cereal, flaxseed, chia seeds, hemp hearts, and salt. pour the butter mixture over the dry ingredients and use a spatula to gently combine until everything is moistened. press the the mixture into the pan. drizzle with the melted chocolate. sprinkle the sesame seeds over the top. refrigerate the bar for 4 hours, or until set.
remove from the fridge and lift the parchment out of the dish. slice the bars into squares or triangles.