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 cookies form a perfect partnership with a

Recipe: Homemade Gourmet Ketchup
+ a Printable Vintage Catsup Label


If someone had told me one year ago that I'd someday be singing the praises of ketchup, I would have told them to take their crystal ball in to be serviced.  Unless it's mixed up in a fry sauce or is on a burger, I've been perfectly content to live my life without that high fructose laden tomato condiment.  That all changed a few months ago, however, when my family stopped for a bite at a wonderful little cafe and charcuterie in Solvang, CA.  


Served alongside my daughter's house-cured hotdog and crispy potato wedges at Succulent Cafe was a homemade ketchup like no other.  "Try this!" my husband insisted.  I threw him the "You know I don't eat ketchup {dorkpie} !" face.  "Seriously.  You have to try it," he persisted.  He would not relent till I tried it.  I'm glad I gave in.  The homemade ketchup had a rich tomato flavor, not too sweet and the perfect tang.  The flavor was so complex that we found ourselves wanting to eat it with a spoon long after the fries were gone...
...Fast forward to last week...

vintage catsup ketchup label photo vintagetomatocatsupketchupbottlelabelprintable_zps007d8eb1.jpg
Just click on the image above to download for personal use.
While browsing a local antique mall, I came across a beautiful vintage catsup label. It was just the inspiration I needed to try making my own gourmet ketchup at home.


I used a recipe from my favorite culinary experts, the folks at Cook's Illustrated.  On a tip from childhood friend, Kara, I added harissa to half of the homemade ketchup.  My kids couldn't get enough of the plain homemade ketchup, and my husband and I are hooked on the slightly spicier and more aromatic harissa version.  

Ketchup, Catsup, whatever you like to call it -- is it worth the time and effort to make at home?  Absolutely!  The only danger is that once you've had it, it'll be hard to go back to the pre-made stuff.  It's like eating a jarred spaghetti sauce after growing up with an Italian grandma's homemade, simmered all day and cooked with love, sauce. 

The homemade harissa ketchup makes a mean fry sauce too!  Just add 1 Tablespoon of the homemade ketchup to 3 Tablespoons mayonnaise and stir in two finely chopped cornichons. 

Homemade Gourmet Ketchup

(with harissa or without)
Yield:  approx. 4 cups

adapted from my favorite canning cookbook:


  • a sheet of cheesecloth
  • 10" kitchen twine
  • 1 teaspoon black peppercorns
  • 1 teaspoon mustard seeds
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 1 cinnamon stick, broken in half
  • 1/2 teaspoon whole allspice berries
  • 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
  • 1 teaspoon whole cloves
  • 1 small onion, chopped
  • 1 (6-ounce) can tomato paste
  • 2 garlic cloves, minced
  • 2 (28-ounce) cans whole peeled tomatoes (I prefer Muir Glen Organic)
  • 1/2 cup packed dark brown sugar
  • 1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • Optional:  3 Tablespoons harissa for each cup of finished ketchup.  You can make your own harissa, but I used and enjoyed Shiloh's (100% natural from Whole Foods)
Step 1:  Bundle the peppercorns, mustard seeds, bay leaves, cinnamon stick, and allspice in a sheet of doubled-over cheesecloth and tie with kitchen twine to secure, leaving about 5 inches extra twine on 1 end.


Step 2:  Heat the oil and cloves in a large saucepan over medium-low heat until oil begins to bubble.  Continue to cook 5 minutes.  Remove from heat, cover, and let steep for 5 minutes.  Strain oil through a fine-mesh strainer set over a bowl and discard the cloves.

Step 3:  Return strained clove oil to the now-empty saucepan and heat over medium heat until shimmering.  Add the onion and cook until softened (5-7 minutes).  Stir in tomato paste and garlic and cook until fragrant (about 1 minute).  

Step 4:  Transfer to blender, add tomatoes and process (in batches if necessary) until smooth, about 30 seconds. Return tomato mixture to the now-empty pot, and stir in brown sugar, vienegar, and 1 1/2 teaspoons salt.  Secure twine of spice bag to the handle of the pot and submerge the bag in the tomato mixture.

Step 5:  Bring mixture to a boil over medium-high heat, then reduce heat to medium-low and simmer, stirring occasionally until mixture is dark red, thick, and reduced to about 4 cups (about 2 hours).  

Step 6:  Remove spice bag.  Strain ketchup through a fine-mesh strainer set over a large bowl, pressing on solids.  Let ketchup cool to room temperature, then season with salt and pepper to taste.  

Step 7:  Optional -- stir in 3 Tablespoons of harissa for every 1 cup of ketchup.

Step 8:  Pour cooled ketchup into jars or plastic squeeze bottles with tight-fitting lids and refrigerate.  The homemade ketchup can be refrigerated for up to a month.

If you'd like to personalize your labels, here's a free sheet you can download and customize in MS Word.

Click HERE

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