Ice cream is delicious. It's a fact of life. There are so many different flavors and so many ways to eat it; it's understandable why people enjoy it so much. One of my favorite ways to eat ice cream is in a sundae. Creating the perfect sundae can be a challenge; you have to have a good base, the right amount of ice cream, and some amazing toppings. I, as an ice cream connoisseur, have devised a flawless (well almost flawless) plan to create the perfect sundae. (Please note I'm not actually an ice cream connoisseur and the results of your sundae depend entirely on you.)

Start with the perfect base:

The perfect sundae begins with a scrumptious base. You can use anything you'd like really. Waffle bowls, cookies and pie are all great bases. I prefer using warm, chewy, chocolaty brownies! Here's a tasty brownie recipe!

Chewy Chocolaty Brownies

Prep time: 25 minutes
Cook time: 25 minutes

Servings: 10
Calories per serving: 327

Ingredients:
1 2/3 cups granulated sugar
3/4 cup baking cocoa
1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
2 tablespoons water
3/4 cup butter or 3/4 cup margarine, melted
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
chocolate chips, if desired
nuts, if desired


Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350°.
2. Grease 13 x 9-inch baking pan.
3. Combine dry ingredients in large mixer bowl; stir.
4. Add wet ingredients and stir well.
5. Spread into prepared baking pan.
6. Bake for 18 to 25 minutes or until wooden pick inserted in center comes out slightly sticky.
7. Enjoy!

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Find the right balance of ice cream:

Now that you've picked a base it's time to decide on what flavor and how much ice cream you want. You could make a small sundae with one scoop of ice cream or make it as big as you want. That's the beauty of building your own sundae; you get to choose. There are a lot of good ice cream flavors out there, pick yours by deciding what kind of sundae you want to create. Personally I think vanilla is a good choice because it's good plain and it tastes good with lots of different toppings. If you don't want to use ice cream purchased from the store, try this ice cream recipe.

Vanilla Bean Ice Cream

Total Time 9 hours 30 minutes A fabulous recipe for rich and creamy vanilla ice cream, speckled with real vanilla bean.

Yield: 1 quart
Servings: 5
Calories per serving: 454

Ingredients:
1 cup whole milk
3/4 cup granulated sugar
2 cups heavy cream, divided
1 pinch of salt
1 vanilla bean, split in half lengthwise
6 egg yolk
3/4 teaspoon vanilla extract


Directions:

1. Warm the milk, sugar, 1 cup of the heavy cream and the salt in a medium saucepan over low heat, stirring until the sugar is dissolved. Scrape the seeds from the vanilla bean into the milk mixture and add the bean to the mixture as well. Cover, remove from the heat and let steep at room temperature for 30 minutes.
2. Pour the remaining 1 cup heavy cream into a large bowl and place a fine-mesh sieve on top. Whisk the egg yolks in a medium bowl. Slowly pour the warmed milk mixture into the egg yolks, whisking constantly. Scrape the mixture back into the saucepan.
3. Place the saucepan over medium heat and stir constantly with a rubber spatula, being sure to scrape the bottom of the pan as you stir, until the mixture thickens and coats the back of the spatula, a few minutes. The mixture should register 170 to 175 degrees F on an instant-read digital thermometer.
4. Pour the custard through the fine-mesh sieve and stir it into the cream. Place the vanilla bean into the custard, stir in the vanilla extract, and place the bowl over an ice bath. Stir occasionally, until the mixture is cool. Cover and transfer the custard to the refrigerator until completely chilled, at least 8 hours or overnight.
5. When ready to churn the ice cream, remove the vanilla bean from the custard and freeze the mixture in your ice cream maker according to the manufacturer's instructions. Transfer to a freezer-safe container and store in the freezer.

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Top it off and enjoy:

The last step in creating your perfect sundae is topping it all off. You've got the base, the ice cream and now you need to decide what you want to put on top. There are so many options like sprinkles, nuts, whipped cream, cookie pieces etc. anything goes. I've had sundaes with gummy bears on them. You can add warm chocolate sauce, caramel, melted marshmallows or all three. If you aren't sure what you want to add check out some of these awesome ideas.

Lavender Tuiles

Servings: 5
Calories per serving: 217

Ingredients:
3/4 cup sugar
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
4 egg whites, lightly beaten
1/4 cup dried lavender
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
3 tablespoons flour


Directions:

1. Heat oven to 350°. In a large bowl, whisk together sugar, salt, and egg whites until smooth. Add lavender, butter, and flour, and mix until evenly combined.
2. Drop tablespoonfuls of batter onto a silicone mat-lined baking sheet, and using an offset spatula, spread batter into very thin rounds, about 4" in diameter. Bake until golden brown at edges, about 10 minutes. Using the offset spatula, quickly slide rounds off baking sheet while still hot and onto a rolling pin or handle of a wooden spoon to set into a curved shape. Let cool completely and then remove from rolling pin; repeat with remaining batter.

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Lavender Earl Grey Caramel

Lavender and Earl Grey tea lend this caramel sauce a citrusy, floral note-serve it warm on top of ice cream, or add it to french toast for an extra-indulgent brunch treat.

Yield: About 2 cups

Servings: 5
Calories per serving: 512

Ingredients:
2 tablespoons dried lavender
2 Earl Grey tea bags
3 cups sugar
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, cubed and chilled


Directions:

Place lavender and tea bags in a bowl; pour 1 cup boiling water over and let cool to room temperature. Strain into a 2-qt. saucepan and add sugar; bring to a simmer over medium-high heat. Cook, without stirring, until amber colored, about 20 minutes. Remove from heat and whisk in butter. Let cool slightly before serving.

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Wet Nuts

Yield: 1 cup

Servings: 5
Calories per serving: 344

Ingredients:
1/2 cup light corn syrup
1/2 cup maple syrup
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
pinch of kosher salt
1 cup roughly chopped, lightly toasted walnuts


Directions:

Bring light corn syrup, maple syrup, vanilla extract, and kosher salt to a boil in a 2-qt. saucepan. Stir in walnuts, and cook until walnuts are warmed through, about 3 minutes. Let cool and transfer to a glass jar with a lid. Store in the refrigerator for up to 1 month.

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