Crunchy, chewy Oreo pieces and chunks of decadent brownie mingle together in every scoop of this Oreo Brownie Ice Cream.

Brownie and Ice Cream

My dad adored brownies. We often had them for dessert with vanilla ice cream. He was a little weird though and liked slightly burnt brownies best. He would leave any leftover brownies out overnight to dry up, and in the morning he’d dip them in coffee like biscotti.

So, while it was certainly a rarer dessert than my mom’s Jell-O, the combination of brownie and ice cream was one I got to gleefully experience as a young child. It’s a classic pairing, and for good reason.

I love the way intense chocolate is elevated by lightly sweet vanilla ice cream. The textures alternate between crunchy, chewy, and smooth. And, in the classic case of a brownie with ice cream, it tastes piping hot and freezing cold, at the same time. The balance is dreamy.

You can use any brownies that you like for this ice cream. I was inspired by these Oreo Brownies. But, Dark Chocolate Brownies are great in vanilla ice cream, and these Gluten-Free Double Chocolate Brownies would also work.

Salted Caramel Brownie Ice Cream

Now, I’m not going to tell you how to eat your ice cream. And, I happen to think the world is a better place when people aren’t telling me how to eat it, myself.

But…

You would not visit the Empire State Building and only go half

Thick, chewy, fudgy brownies with generous chocolate icing are enticing enough to have me eating these Lunch Lady Brownies for dinner. 

This post was originally published eight years ago. I remade these brownies earlier this year while thinking about my friend Joan. I reshot them at the time, knowing that I wanted to share this post again on the 8th anniversary of her passing.

Chocolate for Joan

My chocolate-loving friend Joan would most definitely approve of eating brownies for dinner! This Lunch Lady Brownie recipe is one of hers that has become a family favorite for us as well.

Joan passed away unexpectedly on October 22, 2015. While crying and grieving the next day, I decided to bake in memory of her. I spent that weekend making many of her favorites and then shared the sweets with friends.

Joan was passionate about her desserts and I imagine that she would have gotten a kick out of being remembered with an abundance of chocolate.

Lunch Lady Brownies

You’ll need the following ingredients to make the brownies:

• butter
• cocoa
• light brown sugar
• white sugar
• eggs
• vanilla extract
• all-purpose flour

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This creamy vanilla ice cream with hints of brown sugar and cinnamon is generously filled with pieces of oatmeal cream pie cookies.

When I first spied Little Debbie’s line of ice creams in the grocery store, I did a double take. And then I immediately put them all on my must-try-soon list. You know how much I love trying new flavors of ice cream and then recreating them at home. Check out Nutty Bars Ice Cream for the first Little Debbie ice cream we made!

Oatmeal Creme Pies

My grandmother introduced me to Little Debbie’s Oatmeal Creme Pies when I was so young they were basically a magic treat in a plastic sleeve. And there’s still something special about that first moment when I open one. It makes me feel a bit like a kid again.

What I like best about this particular Little Debbie treat is that you can really taste the oats in the cookies, along with a noticeable brown sugar and cinnamon flavor.

They’re chewy, satisfying cookies that I have no shame in eating when I’m craving a treat like my grandma used to make. (Unlike my other grandmother, my grandma on my mom’s side wasn’t known for her baking skills.)

Little Debbie Ice Cream

Both Little Debbie and Blue Bell make an oatmeal cream pie ice cream. Blue Bell’s version is made with an oatmeal-flavored ice cream base with a vanilla icing swirl throughout. (I was not a fan of that idea, as that icing swirl is just too sweet for me.)

Little Debbie’s version is made with a vanilla ice cream base that has just a hint of molasses. Both ice creams contain pieces of chopped-up oatmeal cream pie cookies.

However, much like homemade cookies and cream ice cream, more cookie pieces are always better, and this recipe for oatmeal cream pie ice cream trumped both store-bought versions.

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These coconut chocolate chip cookies are loaded with both white and dark chocolate, in addition to a good amount of coconut. They are delicious warm from the oven and every bit as fantastic two days later.

Chewy Coconut Cookies

These are chewy cookies with crunchy edges, filled to the max with almost all of my favorite cookie flavors. I’ve made them three times in the past month! It clearly takes very little excuse for me to stir together a batch of these cookies.

There’s a little bit of oatmeal tucked inside as well, adding to that terrific texture and chewiness.

White and Dark Chocolate Chip Cookies

If you don’t happen to be a fan of white chocolate, feel free to replace it with semi-sweet, milk, or dark chocolate. While I am very rarely a fan of white chocolate myself, I do enjoy it in these cookies.

The white chocolate chips add creamy sweetness, while the darker chocolate chips contribute rich, bitter notes. Their contrasting flavors create a great balance in these cookies.

Chocolate Chip Coconut Cookies

You’ll need the following ingredients to make this recipe:

Arroz con Leche is a Mexican rice pudding made with sweetened condensed milk, evaporated milk, whole milk, and plenty of cinnamon.

This heartwarming dish offers a taste of tradition and comfort to anyone lucky enough to taste its creamy goodness. Arroz con Leche is a crowd-pleaser every time we make it.

What is Arroz con Leche?

Arroz con leche, which translates to “rice with milk” in English, is a sweet rice pudding enjoyed across Spanish-speaking regions worldwide.

This is a Mexican rice pudding recipe made with sweetened condensed milk, evaporated milk, whole milk, and plenty of cinnamon.

While the ingredient list is about as basic as a dessert recipe can get, the result is a rich, creamy, flavorful dessert that we absolutely love.

Arroz con Leche

As soon as I opened my friend Krysten’s cookbook and spied her recipe for Arroz con Leche, I knew that recipe needed to be made as soon as possible. Luckily, with a handful of ingredients I already had on hand, I was stirring this together in less than an hour.

There are so many awesome, easy-to-make recipes in this cookbook, it really is named appropriately: So Easy & So Yummy!

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