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Gourmet

Chocolate Cups with Ice Cream and Peanuts

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Chocolate Cups with Ice Cream and PeanutsRomulo Yanes

We particularly like this dessert made with coffee ice cream, but youcan use any flavor that goes well with chocolate and peanuts.

Active time: 45 min Start to finish: 2 1/4 hr

Cooks' note:

Petits fours can be frozen up to 1 day (cover with plastic wrap after completely hardened). Let desserts stand at room temperature to soften slightly, about 2 minutes, before serving.

Recipe information

  • Yield

    Makes 12 frozen petits fours

Ingredients

Vegetable oil cooking spray
4 oz fine-quality bittersweet chocolate (not unsweetened), chopped
1 pt superpremium ice cream, slightly softened
1/4 cup chopped cocktail peanuts

Special Equipment

a mini-muffin pan with 12 (1/8-cup) cups; 12 paper-lined foil mini-muffin liners* (1 1/4 inches across bottom and 1 inch high); a small watercolor paintbrush

Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Line muffin cups and lightly spray liners with cooking spray.

    Step 2

    Melt chocolate in a metal bowl set over a saucepan of barely simmering water, stirring occasionally, until smooth. Spoon a scant teaspoon chocolate into each cup and use paintbrush to coat bottoms and sides evenly. Freeze cups until chocolate is firm, about 5 minutes, then repaint any thin spots, especially around top edges, with some of remaining chocolate and refreeze until firm, about 5 minutes.

    Step 3

    Spoon remaining melted chocolate into a small sealable plastic bag, pressing out excess air. Twist bag firmly just above chocolate and set aside.

    Step 4

    Working in 3 batches, scoop about 1 1/2 tablespoons ice cream into each cup and gently press into cups with a small offset spatula or back of a spoon to fill cups evenly. (You will have some ice cream left over.) Refreeze cups to firm ice cream, at least 5 minutes. Sprinkle cups with peanuts, then snip off a minuscule portion of 1 bottom corner of plastic bag with scissors to form a very small opening and decoratively pipe remaining chocolate over peanuts. Freeze desserts until chocolate and ice cream harden, at least 30 minutes. Remove petits fours from freezer 1 at a time and carefully peel off liners, then refreeze on a tray until hardened, about 30 minutes more.

  2. Step 5

    *Available at New York Cake & Baking Distributor (800-942-2539).

TagsFrozen DessertDessertAmericanChocolateGluten FreeMake AheadGourmet
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