VIEW SLIDESHOW: Supermarket Ice Cream Sandwich Hacks

[Photograph: Carrie Vasios]

Not all of us can live in New York City, turning pastries from Dominique Ansel and gelato from Osteria Morini into ice cream sandwiches that most would weep for. We have to make due with the supermarket.

But you know what? It turns out that with a little ingenuity and a spin of pantry-freezer-do-si-so, you can make awesome ice cream sandwiches at home. (Hint: Petit Écolier Cookies. Another Hint: Pumpkin Butter).

Click through the slideshow to see all 8 of our supermarket ice cream sandwich hack creations.

[Photograph: Carrie Vasios]

I recently revealed my new obsession with Biscoff spread. It's a caramelized cookie mixture that's full of cinnamon and ginger with warming notes of toffee.

I've been playing around making cookies, sundaes, and toppings for pancakes. But I wasn't satisfied. I wanted to utilize the taste of the spread without keeping its appearance. I wanted it to be my secret ingredient in a treat that would make people ask, "What's in these?"

Then the light bulb moment. Making chocolate truffles is one of the easiest things in the world. The building block is a combination of chocolate and heavy cream that is melted together, then frozen and shaped. I could easily swirl in Biscoff spread to create a candy that was far more complex in taste than its five (or four if you skip the garnish) ingredients would imply.

These truffles take virtually no time or effort, but the result is a little bite of happiness. Each truffle tastes like a chocolate covered Biscoff cookie, and they literally melt in your mouth.

Get the Recipe

Chocolate Biscoff Truffles »

About the author: Carrie Vasios is the editor of Serious Eats: Sweets. She likes to peruse her large collection of cookbooks while eating jam from the jar. You can follow her on Twitter @carrievasios

[Photos: J. Kenji Lopez-Alt]

My wife doesn't bake much, but she's got a few tricks up her short sleeves. Let me explain with a story that is most likely true in fact if not in detail:

A couple Thanksgivings ago, I was doing my usual messing about in the kitchen, slicing brussels sprouts, mashing potatoes, simmering gravy, flipping birds both literal and figurative. While I was busying myself rolling out the pie crust and passing the sweet potatoes through the tamis to make my famously smooth and custardy sweet potato pie, the wife was sipping white wine, schmoozing with the in-laws, kicking her feet back, and acting generally unconcerned about the state of dessert.

It's ironic, then, that when the turkey was done eaten and dessert finally rolled around, my wife pulled out a pie that she'd not only somehow managed to make without setting foot in the kitchen, but that also somehow got completely downed before the sweet potato pie was even half gone.

"What's this madness?" I asked her.

"You're just jealous because my dessert was better than yours."

"Silly wife! You've been married to me long enough to know that I never get jealous."

"True, but there is a first time for everything. If I want to make sure you never get jealous again, I'll have to remember never to make a dessert that's better than yours, while you have your back turned peeling sweet potatoes."

"Touché. Now give me the recipe, please."

Turns out that it's a variant of a key lime pie—that is, a quick cheaty custard made by stirring together heavy cream, sweetened condensed milk, and lime juice. The acid in the lime juice thickens the heavy cream while the high protein content of the condensed milk and its natural emulsifying properties prevent the whole thing from curdling. After she makes the cream, she layers it in a casserole dish (you can use a pie plate or maybe some margarita glasses if you want to be extra fancy) with alternating layers of Ducales crackers, a salty, buttery Colombian cracker similar to our Ritz. Just like an icebox cake, you let the whole thing sit, and it becomes a sliceable, tangy, sweet-and-salty pie. Magic.

So to sum up: this is a four ingredient, ten minute, better-than-homemade-sweet-potato-pie dessert. Could you ask for anything more out of a recipe?

My wife says she learned the recipe from her aunt (they love condensed milk in Colombia), but is unsure where it originally came from (maybe her aunt invented it?) Has anyone else seen this one before?

Get the Recipe

10-Minute Lime Cracker Pie »

"All you need to start these doughnuts is a roll of biscuit dough."

A tube of storebought biscuit dough can be transformed into doughnuts. [Illustration: Robyn Lee]

Soft, escalating, and deeply thoughtful, Homer Simpson's trademark moan of "Mmm...donuts.." is one of the most gut-wrenching sounds I've ever heard. And I mean gut-wrenching in the most literal way: my stomach awakens and all I can think of is a golden halo of fried dough cloaked in sweet gossamer.

My doughnut deliriums can be triggered by Homer, the sight of Krispy Kremes being delivered via conveyor belt past a cascade of glaze, or a humble sack of supermarket brand powdered doughnuts. Don't get me wrong; there are subpar specimens that even I won't eat—dry, leaden, negligently glazed—but for the most part, give me a doughnut, and I'm a happy camper.

Yes, That Easy

Speaking of campers, you may know the recipe below as "campfire doughnuts." Apparently, out in the wilderness you can poke a stick in some dough, place it over an open flame until it's cooked through, and, ta-dah! Doughnuts.

I've also heard of people using coffee cans to deep-fry dough on their excursions. I'm not outdoorsy, so I can't vouch for the stick or the can, but if a recipe does well with such modest equipment, imagine what a snap it'll be in the comfort of your own kitchen.

All you need to start these doughnuts is a roll of biscuit dough, which means no waiting for yeasted dough to rise and not much to clean up.

Punch out the doughnut holes, heat up some oil, and within minutes you'll have warm, crisp, homemade (no one will know, unless the pop! of the biscuit tin sells you out) doughnuts.

I made a few glazes, ranging from Plain Jane to fancier Orange-Cardamom, that are effortless. Only the Brown Butter Glaze requires a little attention, but it's so rich and nutty you'll want to make extra and save it to spread on toast. Whatever glaze you opt for, these doughnuts are unbelievable for breakfast or brunch, but make them à la minute for your friends and you'll be the host with the most.

Get the recipe here »

About the author: Maria del Mar Sacasa is a recipe developer, food stylist, and author of the food blogs High Heels & Frijoles and Voracious Billy Goat. Behind her girly façade lurks a truck driver's appetite.