Brandy Alexander Ice Cream

It's the start of Mother's Day weekend. Yep, you heard me right. . .weekend. We will be celebrating both Saturday and Sunday, first with my hubby's family at my in-law's house on Saturday, and then on Sunday with my family - at our house. I've been thinking a lot about food and gifts this week since I'm hosting on Sunday. I'm always up for a good party and when I'm the host, my party planner hat goes on and I'm in "GO" mode.

For dessert this year, I wanted something light. Something decadent. Something I knew my mom, my sister and I would truly enjoy - Brandy Alexander Ice Cream. If you've ever visited Wisconsin and had the pleasure of dining at one of our MANY supper clubs, you would understand our appreciation of after-dinner drinks. After-dinner drinks are just part of our Midwestern culture and have been a tradition in restaurants around here as long as I can remember.

Today I've taken one of my family's favorite after-dinner drinks and made it into ice cream. A Brandy Alexander is actually an ice cream drink, but you normally don't "freeze" it.  This ice cream is SUPER simple to make (NO MACHINE NEEDED) and the flavor is out-of-this world. I'm going to show you how to make your own and I can guarantee you'll be coming back for more. Immediately after I made the first batch, I knew I needed to make another. Heavenly!

Start by adding chilled heavy whipping cream to a bowl and beat the mixture on low speed, gradually increasing the speed of the beaters. I used a hand mixer and beat the cream until stiff peaks started to form.

I gradually added sweetened condensed milk and a bit of nutmeg.

Here comes the real flavor. If I haven't already mentioned this ice cream is for adults. . .this ice cream is for adults. Specifically moms on Mother's Day. Add a bit of brandy. If you don't feel like measuring, then don't. Just make sure the men are around to watch the children. Kidding!

Add  a bit of Crème de Cacao.

Mix it all in and pour into a pan. Loaf pans work great!

Swirl in some Hershey's Chocolate Syrup to taste. You could probably use fudge in this step as well - you know the kind you can buy in a jar. If you're really fancy, make your own. I'm not that fancy - that's why my parents named me Sara and not Nancy. No, I have not been drinking. I may or may not have sampled the ice cream, however.

And no, I didn't measure the chocolate - who measures chocolate? You just pour. When you're done pouring, put the ice cream in the freezer overnight.

When you wake up, you'll have this. Sprinkle a little more nutmeg on the top. If your name is Nancy and you're very fancy, you could even add some filbert nuts, often found on a traditional Brandy Alexander.

I think my family is going to love this. Oh, and don't worry. I plan to make some ice cream for the kids, too. Did you know that once you have the heavy whipping cream and sweetened condensed milk combo mastered, you really can make any ice cream concoction you like? Yep. That's the truth.

Happy Mother's Day WEEKEND to all you hard-working moms out there. This weekend, treat yourself. If you've never had a Brandy Alexander, this is your chance - in ice cream form. You will fall in love. I'm thinking this Mother's Day Weekend is going to be one of the best ever! Enjoy!