CopyCat Eskimo Bars

Happy Birthday to me!  Yes I did make my own birthday dessert in case you are wondering.  I did try to convince my husband that he could make these for me and I would talk him through it, but I don't think he heard it over the laughing and rolling on the floor that ensued. Yea, so I made them myself.

My inspiration for this dessert came about from The Food Network's show called "The Best Thing I Ever Ate". Giada was talking about her time in Jackson Hole Wyoming at a place called Snake River Grill.  After watching that episode I could think of nothing else but getting my hands on these babies.  Sadly, this isn't the kind of thing I would just whip up for myself so I waited,  and I waited, and I waited some more and finally my birthday rolled around and decided that my big day was a perfect time to celebrate with this unique dessert.  It encompasses all the things I love.  It does take some time and planning ahead so give yourself a day to prepare it.

They might not be very pretty, but looks aren't everything.

They aren't difficult to make but they are time consuming.  Totally worth it.

These little gems would be a show stopper at a dinner party for dessert.

Kids LOVE them!

My daughter skipped the caramel dipping but the rest of us were in love with the combination. 

I hope you're noticing the wonderful nail polish in my thumb there, I let me daughter paint them. Looks nice doesn't it? 

I need a manicure. 

For this first attempt I used boxed brownie mix (Ghirardelli Double Chocolate) and store bought ice cream (Breyer's Natural Vanilla).

I promise you that these are so worth the effort.

CopyCat Eskimo Bars

From the Alissamay's kitchen

Ingredients

• 1 Box Brownie Mix (just a basic one)
• 1/2 gallon ice cream, softened
• 1 bag chocolate chips (I used Hershey's special dark)
• 1 tsp shortening
• 1 recipe or jar of caramel sauce

Cooking Directions

1. Spray a 9x13 inch pan with cooking spray or line it with parchment paper.
2. Bake the brownie mix according to the manufacturers instructions but use the 9x13 inch pan instead and bake for about 20 minutes. My pan was metal, cooking times might vary using glass.
3. Let the brownies cool to room temperature and then freeze for about 30 minutes or until completely cold.
4. Soften the ice cream until it's soft serve consistency. Empty the contents of the vanilla ice cream on to the top of the brownies. Spread out and smooth out on top so it's as flat an even as possible.
5. Freeze again for about 30 more minutes or until the ice cream is completely frozen.
6. While the ice cream is hardening in the freezer, use a double boiler to melt the chocolate chips. Add the shortening and stir into the melted chips until smooth.
7. Let the chocolate cool to room temperature, keep stirring so it remains soft.
8. Once cool, bring the brownie/ice cream out of the freezer and use a very sharp knife to cut them into the size bar you want.
9. Freeze the bars on a cookie sheet so they are very cold.
10. Remove about half the bars from the freezer - hold onto the brownie portion of the bar and dip the ice cream part in the chocolate. Move quickly because they melt fast.
11. Once dipped immediately put back onto the freezer and continue with the remaining bars until all have been coated.
12. Keep in the freezer until right before you are ready to serve. Serve with caramel for dipping.

Caramel Sauce recipe by Two Peas & Their Pod

Make this caramel sauce slightly ahead of when you plan to serve it, you want it to be at room temperature.