Ice Cream Social: Buttered Blueberry Waffle Ice Cream with Maple Caramel Swirl

There are no words to describe my excitement today because I FINALLY get to share an exciting project I've been working on for a while: Ice Cream Social!

Ice Cream Social is an idea I came up with while daydreaming about ice cream that happens to encompass a few of my favorite things: Sweet frozen treats, food blogging friends and creative, jaw-dropping recipes.

The "ice cream" part of Ice Cream Social is a given... scoop after scoop of cool, creamy goodness will be served up right here and you won't want to miss a second. Did you know that July is actually National Ice Cream Month? {Thanks to dear old President Reagan. I'm glad I was born while he was in office, the man obviously had good taste.} What better way to celebrate than with recipes to enjoy the frosty stuff?

But the "social" element of Ice Cream Social is a big part of the fun, too! I've come to know so many fabulous food bloggers over the past few years that it would be a shame for me not to introduce them to you. So, I've invited seven of my favorite bloggers over to my corner of the web so you could get to know them, too. Each blogger will be guest posting one day this week, bringing over a little dose of ice cream magic to share with you. I hope you'll not only check out the recipes they're sharing all week long, but also head over to each of their blogs to so you can see why I marvel over all of the things that happen in their kitchens!

Because all good celebrations end with party favors, I'm also inviting you to enter to win an Ice Cream Social prize pack filled to the brim with all sorts of goodies for you to host your very own scooping soiree in the comfort of your own home {where no one can see you lick the bowl if you want to}. Here's a little peek at what you'll get if you're the grand prize winner:

- From our friends at Joy Cone: 1 coupon for redeeming a free box of your favorite kind of cone, a reusable tote, a frisbee and a pair of zebra striped sunnies {seriously, just add sunshine & you've got summer fun!}
- 4 plastic cream bowls, perfect for porch sittin' or outdoor entertaining
- 1 KitchenAid ice cream scoop
- 1 Tovolo Slide Pop maker set
- 1 Tovolo Ice Cream mold set
- 2 Smuckers New Simple Delights gourmet ice cream toppings

A huge thank you to Joy Cone who provided their delightful cones to our bloggers and were kind enough to give us some goodies for our prize pack, too! I mean, ice cream and cones go together like wine and cheese... PB & J... Prince William and Princess Kate. You get the picture.

Included in the prizes is the absolutely gorgeous cookbook, Ruby Violet's Ice Cream Dreams: Ice Cream, Sorbets, Bombes and More. 

It is filled to the brim with recipes for all sorts of frozen delights & some major drool-worthy photography. Many thanks to our friends at Hardie Grant for contributing this beauty!

The best part is that submitting an entry is simple -- just scroll down to the Rafflecopter widget below. Entering is as easy as "liking" our contributors on Facebook, which you'll want to do anyway because they're awesome!

You can also join us for more ice cream ogling on our Ice Cream Social Pinterest board... more ideas than you'll know what to do with!

Ok, so now that you know what Ice Cream Social is all about, let's get to the good part: the ice cream!

It's no secret that I could eat ice cream for breakfast {though, sadly, I don't. I talk a big game.}. I mean, milk, eggs, cream... it's practically a breakfast food already, right? So, when I was dreaming up a creative ice cream recipe to share for this anything-but-ordinary week, it was practically decided for me.

Waffle Ice Cream. No, no... Buttered Blueberry Waffle Ice Cream. Yes, I put breakfast food in my ice cream. Because, why not?

People use waffle cones all the time. So the combo just seemed natural to me. Here's the kicker: What do you top of your waffles and pancakes with? Maple syrup and butter. Duh. So I had to find a way to incorporate both of those flavors without making it gross. {Although some of you might be grossed out already. I'm ok with that. Give me a break, I'm pregnant.}

This ice cream is made up of a creamy, buttery {thanks to butter extract} vanilla bean-speckled base decked out with real waffle pieces. Like the kind you put into the toaster {or make from scratch if you've got a waffle maker}. And the maple syrup? It joins the party in the form of a Maple Caramel Sauce that can either be swirled into the ice cream or poured over the top. Add a Blueberry Sauce ribbon to the mix and you've got yourself breakfast in a cone {and a serious sugar high}.

It's a little weird, I know. But I couldn't very well kick off the ice creamy festivities with plain vanilla, could I? {Even though, honestly, that's one of my absolute favorite flavors.}

So, indulge in ice cream for breakfast. Or breakfast for dessert. Whatever floats your boat. I won't tell you what to do... except make sure you stick around this week for more outrageous recipes. Bust out the stretch pants, you're gonna need 'em!

And don't forget to enter to win our prize pack! A winner will be announced on Tuesday, July 15. Good luck and happy scooping!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Buttered Blueberry Waffle Ice Cream with Maple Caramel Swirl
Ice Cream adapted from Chow, Maple Caramel adapted from Oprah.com

For Ice Cream Base:
2 cups heavy cream
1 cup milk {I used 2%}
⅔ cup sugar
6 egg yolks
½ teaspoon vanilla bean paste {or 1 teaspoon vanilla extract}
⅛ teaspoon butter extract {did you know there was a such thing?!}

1. In a saucepan, stir together cream, milk and sugar over medium-high heat. Stir until the sugar is dissolved and the mixture is steaming. Reduce heat to medium.

2. In a medium bowl, whisk together eggs until smooth. Add a ladle full of the hot cream mixture to the eggs, whisking constantly -- this will bring your eggs to a higher temperature so they don't scramble when you add them to the saucepan.

3. Pour the egg and cream mixture to the saucepan, whisking constantly. Cook, stirring, for about 6-8 minutes or until the mixture has thickened {it should coat the back of a spoon and be thick enough to not run back together when a line is drawn down the middle}. Remove from heat.

4. Pour the mixture through a fine mesh strainer into a bowl to ensure there are no cooked pieces of egg. Whisk in vanilla bean paste and butter extract.

5. Cover and refrigerate until cold -- overnight is best, but not necessary if you're short on time.

6.  Pour cold mixture into the bowl of an ice cream maker and churn according to manufacturer's instructions.

For Assembly:
3 Waffles, toasted and cut into small squares{I used Van's Gluten Free Blueberry Waffles}

1. When the ice cream has reached soft serve consistency, gently stir in the toasted waffle pieces. Scoop a third of ice cream mixture into a freezer-safe container.
2. Spoon blueberry sauce over ice cream.
3. Scoop another third of the ice cream over the blueberry layer. Drizzle with maple caramel sauce.
4. Scoop the final third of the ice cream over top of the caramel layer.
5. Seal container and freeze for 2-3 hours or until ice cream has hardened enough to scoop.

Serve in Joy Cone waffle cones for extra waffley goodness!

For Blueberry Sauce:
1 cup frozen blueberries {or fresh}
¼ cup sugar
Scant tablespoon fresh lemon juice

1. In a small saucepan, combine blueberries, sugar and lemon juice. Cook over medium-high heat until the mixture comes to a boil.

2. Reduce heat slightly and allow the mixture to simmer, mashing down some of the berries to release their juices. Cook until slightly thickened, about 3-4 minutes.

Transfer to a small heat-safe bowl and allow to cool completely until ready to use.

For Maple Caramel Sauce:*
1 stick {8 tablespoons} butter
1 cup brown sugar
½ cup maple syrup
Pinch of salt

1. In a small saucepan, melt butter over medium heat. Whisk in brown sugar and cook until the sugar has dissolved.

2. Add maple syrup and salt and whisk to combine. Cook for another 2 minutes until the mixture is bubbly and slightly thickened.

Transfer to a small heat-safe bowl and allow to cool completely until ready to use.
*This will make more sauce than you need for the ice cream. Simply pour the remainder into an airtight jar and refrigerate for use over ice cream, pancakes, etc.