Ben and Ellen's Excellent Adventure: Le dessert

Every once in a while, we like to pretend that it's actually summer here (even though most days it's still cold and rainy and I have to wear a sweatshirt to walk the dogs), and the best way to enjoy summer is, of course, with ice cream. I love all kinds of ice cream and I love to make sorbets and gelatos at home, but there has always been a special place in my heart for Drumsticks. The chocolate covered tops, the caramel cores, the little plug of chocolate at the bottom of the cone... Mmmmm. The problem is, I could never share this love of Drumsticks with my favorite person and partner in ice cream eating because Ben does not eat nuts. Ever. He just doesn't like them in any form. And if you're tempted to ask, "Not even _____ (pistachios, peanut butter, almonds, etc)?" The answer is no. No nuts. So Drumsticks in every form are out of the question because they are always covered in peanuts.

So imagine my delight when I found this, a recipe on one of my favorite blogs for homemeade drumsticks. That's ingenious! Such a simple idea! Why hadn't we thought of it? Even better, our local grocery store actually sold sugar cones for a brief period of time! (Because of course the commissary doesn't have them.) We stocked up while we could, and have been working on perfecting our drumstick making techniques this summer. We made them again a couple nights ago, and I think we're getting pretty good. Allow me to share with you the magic of ice cream and chocolate from the Morrison kitchen.

First, we found a delicious ice cream flavor, no boring vanilla for our cones! And improvised a way to keep the cones upright for freezing periods in between steps. Little glasses work well, but we've also cut out holes in a cardboard box to serve as a cone-holder. We like using the glasses because we can easily move them around and work with one cone while sticking the others in the freezer if needed. Before scooping I spooned a tiny bit of melted chocolate into the bottom of each cone to act as a plug and then stuck them in the freezer for a few minutes to let it set. Then, Ben got to scoopin'.

After scooping the ice cream, we make holes in each one for a caramel center. The caramel is, in our opinion, the very best part of the drumstick.

Next, the carmelling! I feel like a mad scientist with my syringe of caramel deliciousness. The squeezable bottles of caramel topping work just as well, but aren't nearly as exciting.

After that step the cones need to go in the freezer for a few hours to harden so they don't melt and drip and fall apart during our next step. While they are chilling, we assemble our toppings: chocolate for dipping, and white chocolate, butterscotch chips, rainbow sprinkles, and chocolate espresso beans as substitutes for the dreaded peanuts. We've also used crushed Oreos in the past and they were pretty delicious, too.