Blond Bourbon Brownie Sundae

For the Blond Brownie:
2 cups (426 g) firmly packed brown sugar
1-2/3 cups (375 g) unsalted butter
3 large (171 g) fresh eggs
5 T (74 g) bourbon
1 T (13 g) vanilla extract
2-1/2 cups (300 g) all-purpose flour
1 T (12 g) baking powder
1 tsp (3 g) Diamond Crystal kosher salt
1-2/3 cup (188 g) chopped toasted pecans
1 pound (454 g) bittersweet chocolate, chopped

Preheat the oven to 350°F (177°C). Grease a 9×13” (23 x 33 cm) pan and set aside.

Heat the brown sugar and butter in a saucepan over medium heat until melted and mix well. Bring the mixture to a full boil and boil for about one minute. Let cool completely (to speed up the process, you can refrigerate it). It can take 2-3 hours to cool, so plan ahead…you can also make it the night before.

Transfer the cooled mixture to the bowl of a mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Beat the cooled brown sugar mixture on medium speed until whipped up, then add the eggs, one at a time, scraping down the sides of the bowl and beating well after each addition. Add the bourbon and vanilla extract and mix well.

Combine the flour, baking powder and salt and add to the batter, mixing well. Stir in the nuts and chocolate and pour the batter into the prepared pan. Bake until a knife inserted into the batter comes out clean, 30 to 40 minutes. Let cool.

If you have 2.5″ cake rings on hand, stamp out rings of brownies and place in the freezer, leaving the brownies in the rings. If not, it works just as well to cut the brownies into squares: 2″ squares will make 24 brownies, 3″ squares will make 12 brownies. (Keep any trimmings for nibbling!)

Ice Cream Layers
This brownie is amazing with a big scoop of ice cream on the top. In the photo above, I went a little further and added two layers of homemade ice cream: a salted caramel and a freckled chocolate (chocolate with little bits in it)–YUM, but SO many ice creams would work well with this!

[The following makes 12 mini sundaes; if you don’t need that many, you can either freeze them for future treats, or downsize the amount of ice cream you buy or make.]

For twelve sundaes, you’ll need two half gallons of ice cream. It’s fun to try two different kinds that pair well together (pick one from each flavor family).

Ice Cream Suggestions:
Chocolate family: Mocha, Swiss, Mexican or Italian chocolate, Gianduja, Irish coffee, Fudge
Vanilla family: Vanilla Bean, Stracciatella, French Vanilla, Tahitian Vanilla, Bourbon Vanilla
Caramel family: Dulce de Leche, Caramel Ribbons, Salted Caramel, Butter Pecan, Butterfinger
Fruit family: Strawberry, Berry, Peach, Black Cherry, Blackberry, Banana

Before working with each ice cream layer, you’ll need to take the ice cream out of the freezer 5-10 minutes ahead of time to soften it.

Place a piece of parchment paper on an 11×16 sheet pan (a standard size cookie sheet) and spread the first ice cream evenly across the paper all the way to the edge. A half gallon of ice cream should yield a half inch worth of ice cream with a little left over (for a future midnight snack). Cover the ice cream with some plastic wrap or parchment and put it back in the freezer until it’s hardened completely (tuck it as far back into the freezer as you can and it will freeze faster).

When it’s hardened, spread the second ice cream evenly over the top and return it, covered, to the freezer.

After a few hours, lift the ice cream off the sheet pan by the grabbing the edges of the bottom parchment paper. Place it on a large cutting board. Using one of the 2-1/2″ rings, cut out circles of ice cream. If going with squares, cut them into 2″ or 3″ squares.

Place each ice cream circle (or square) on top of a brownie and return them to the freezer until ready to serve.

Once all three layers are firmly set, garnish them with some freshly whipped cream, some chocolate bits, or a swirl of homemade caramel sauce (store bought works well too!)

For some added elegance, try adding some candied hazelnuts to the plate!

Brownie recipe by Caprial’s Desserts. Ice cream recipes by Salt and Straw.