Chonky Boys: The Chocolate Chip Cookie Ice Cream Sandwiches that Scream Summer!

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Featuring my thick and nuggy Chonky Boy Chocolate Chip Cookies, these ice cream sandwiches are the stuff that summer dreams are made of.  If you've ever had the Cookie Ice Cream Sandwich at Disneyland , you are going to LOVE these!  These big and bold chocolate chip cookies are based on a recipe from my culinary school studies at Auguste Escoffier, but with a few modifications to give them that Jennuine touch.  They make the perfectas book for a fat slice of real vanilla bean ice cream.  And those mini chips?  You just gotta have that extra cronch! Thank goodness this recipe only makes 8 sandwiches, otherwise I would be eating them for breakfast lunch and dinner.  This way, my big family can help save me from my inner child diet-saboteur.   Print With Image Without Image Chonky Boy Chocolate Chip Cookie Ice Cream Sandwiches Yield: 8 Author: Jenn Erickson Loaded with chocolate chips and buttery, brown-sugary vanilla flavor, these mall-sized cookie...

My Favorite Breakfast ~ Catalonian Chocolate Crostini (Pa amb Xocolata)

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I'm willing to contend that there are few things that smell more glorious or taste more delicious than freshly baked bread.  I love the experience of baking bread from scratch, but life doesn't always afford me the luxury of the time to tenderly nurture and knead a golden loaf into sublime existence.


So it was a pleasure to have the opportunity to try a new line of par-baked artisan breads ~ a marriage between Ecce Panis -- know for their hand-crafted, stone baked breads -- and Pepperidge Farm.  With simple ingredients like flour, water, and yeast -- and no preservatives -- the Ecce Panis breads make it easy to have warm, freshly baked breads ready-to-serve any time.  


When you think of the perfect accompaniments for a loaf of fresh, crusty bread, what comes to mind? There was a time when my thoughts would have instantly gone to the savories -- Irish butter, cognac laced pâté, hot artichoke spread, and fresh, garlicky tomato bruschetta.  That all changed the first time I was introduced to Pa amb Xocolata ~ a chocolate crostini popular in the Catalan region of Spain.  This simple treat consists of crusty sliced bread, lightly toasted with olive oil and topped with dark chocolate and a sprinkling of sea salt. 


Pa amb Xocolata has become my all-time favorite breakfast, and I was so pleased to find that The Ecce Panis French Demi Baguettes (Just $2.88 for two loaves in the bakery section of Walmart stores) are the perfect bread with which to make it.

Chocolate Crostini
(Pa amb Xocolata)
Serves 4

1 Ecce Panis Demi Baguette
3. 5 ounces high quality dark chocolate
(I use a bar of Lindt Excellence 70% Cocoa, $2.48 at Walmart)
1 Tablespoon heavy cream
1/4 cup olive oil (a fruity one is preferable; my favorite is the Etruria Bergamot Olive Oil)
Zest of one orange
Fine flake sea salt to taste


Step 1:  Chop chocolate into small pieces and place in a microwave safe bowl.  Add heavy cream.  Microwave on low, in 30 second increments until chocolate has melted.  Whisk together the melted chocolate and hot cream until smooth.  Set aside to cool.


Step 2:  Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.  Bake demi baguette on an ungreased cookie sheet for 15 minutes (as directed on package).  Remove from oven and allow to cool.

Step 3:  Slice baguette on the diagonal into 1/2" slices.


Step 4:  With a pastry brush, lightly brush one side of each slice with olive oil.


Step 5:  Broil bread slices until lightly toasted.


Step 6:  Spread chocolate evenly on toasted bread, then top with orange zest and a light sprinkling of sea salt.  When raspberries are in season, they make a wonderful alternative to the orange zest.

When planning your #EasterMeals this April, consider delighting your family with a sweet and simple breakfast of Chocolate Crostini made with Ecce Panis demi baguette.

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This shop has been compensated as part of a social shopper insights study for Collective Bias. #CBias.  All opinions are my own. You can read more about my experience from shopping to table HERE.


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