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Halloween Chocolate Rice Krispie Spiders

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Chocolate Rice Krispie Spiders are easy-to-make, no-bake treats, perfect for Halloween. 

If you’re planning a get together to celebrate Halloween, why not make an edible chocolate spider – the perfect center piece for any festive Halloween table.

You can make a simple chocolate spider, or get creative and decorate your spider’s back.

In Ireland, rice krispie buns are a favorite childhood treat.

These are simple cakes made with melted chocolate and rice cereal.

I started thinking about how easy these Irish birthday party treats are to make, and thought why not use this simple recipe to create something special for Halloween.

M&M’s make great eyes.

I got carried away and gave this spider three eyes. Why not have a little fun?

Or specialty edible, candy eyes are perfect for spiders that seem to be watching you from the plate.

I use Cadburys Chocolate Fingers to create hinged spider legs.

Legal Notice: The links below for Chocolate Fingers are affiliate links, which means I will earn a commission should you choose to make a purchase through one of these links.

Chocolate finger biscuits can be purchased in the United States in Walmart, or Meijers grocery stores. They’re also available from World Market, or can be purchased online from Amazon or Food Ireland.

Chocolate fingers were first created way back in 1897 and are still a favorite in Ireland and England to this very day. They’re wonderful for cake decorating.

If you can’t find chocolate fingers then you could use Kit Kat sticks as an alternative.

And so, let’s get started with a little tutorial on how to make Chocolate Rice Krispie Spiders.

 

Ingredients For Chocolate Rice Krispie Spiders:

 

4 cups of rice cereal
8 ounces of chocolate chips to make the spider bodies
4 ounces of chocolate chips for decorating
4 candy eyes or M&M’s for eyes
18 chocolate fingers
M&M’s or Irish Smarties for decorating (optional)

I used a small dessert bowl to create the spider’s body and an ice cream scoop for the head. These are lined with saran wrap so that the chocolate covered cereal won’t stick to the sides as it sets.

The amount of cereal and chocolate required depends on the size of the bowls and scoops that you use.

You can figure out the amount of cereal you need for one spider by filling the bowl you are going to use for the body with rice cereal, plus one ice cream scoop of cereal for the head. Then measure the total cereal using cup measurements.

Work out how much chocolate you will need by using this ratio:

1 cup of rice cereal to 2 ounces of chocolate chips.

If you’re going to make two spiders, then measure the amount of rice cereal required to fill two of your bowls, plus two ice cream scoops.  If you are unsure about your maths, err on the side of too much chocolate, rather than too little chocolate.

Once you know the amount of chocolate and rice cereal you need, then you’re ready to start creating your spiders.

Melt the chocolate chips in a heat proof bowl over a saucepan of boiled water, or bain marie.

Pour the melted chocolate over the rice cereal in a large bowl.

Protect your fingers with oven gloves as you handle the hot bowl of melted chocolate.

Use a spatula to scrape all the melted chocolate out of the bowl.
Use a spatula to mix the melted chocolate and rice cereal together.

Be gentle as you combine the ingredients. If you stir too violently the rice cereal will crumble and your spiders will not have cereal air pockets.

You need to blend the chocolate and cereal thoroughly to ensure all of the rice krispies are fully coated in chocolate. Scoop down into the bottom of the bowl to mix the cereal hiding way down there.

Fill the saran wrap covered bowls and scoops with the chocolate covered rice crispie cereal, keeping the upper surface flat.

Cover with saran wrap and allow to cool completely to set.

Prepare the legs by cutting the curved ends off the weight bearing sides of 16 chocolate fingers on a slightly inward diagonal.  

This means both ends of the outer leg limbs need to be cut and one side of the inner limb.

Melt the additional chocolate over a bain marie. Spread some melted chocolate on a plate underneath the body and head of the spider to help hold it in place.

Dip the weight bearing ends of the chocolate fingers in melted chocolate to help stabilize them after you place them in a hinged position on the two sides of the spider’s body. 

Eight legs are required for each spider.

Cut the last two chocolate fingers in two and use them to make two pincers for each spider’s head.

You can use additional M&M’s, or Smarties if you’re in Ireland, to decorate your spider’s back.  Just use the melted chocolate to hold the decorative candy in place.

And that’s how simple these edible spiders are to make.

If you would like the printable version of this recipe, here it is…

Print
Halloween Chocolate Rice Krispie Spiders

Prep Time: 2 hours

Yield: 2 spiders

Halloween Chocolate Rice Krispie Spiders

Edible chocolate rice cereal spiders are perfect sweet treats for Halloween celebrations and make cute, spooky center pieces for any Halloween festive table.

Ingredients

  • 4 cups of rice cereal
  • 8 ounces of chocolate chips to make the spider bodies
  • 4 ounces of chocolate chips for decorating
  • 4 candy eyes or M&M’s for eyes
  • 18 chocolate fingers
  • M&M’s for decorating (optional)

Instructions

  1. Line two small dessert bowls and two ice cream scoops with plastic saran wrap, leaving extra plastic wrap for covering over the edges.
  2. Melt the chocolate chips in a heat proof bowl over a saucepan of boiled water, or bain marie.
  3. Pour the melted chocolate over the rice cereal in a large bowl.
  4. Use a spatula to mix the melted chocolate and rice cereal together.
  5. Fill the saran wrap covered bowls and scoops with the chocolate covered rice crispie cereal.
  6. Cover with saran wrap and allow to cool completely to set.
  7. Prepare the legs by cutting the curved ends off the weight bearing sides of the chocolate fingers on a slight inward diagonal. This means both ends of the outer leg limbs need to be cut and one side of the inner leg limb.
  8. Melt the additional chocolate over a bain marie.
  9. Spread some melted chocolate on a plate underneath the body and head of the spider to help hold it in place.
  10. Dip the weight bearing ends of the chocolate fingers in melted chocolate to help stabilize them after you place them in a hinged position on the two sides of the spider’s body. Place four legs on each side of a spider's body.
  11. Use melted chocolate to fix the candy eyes in place.
  12. Cut the last chocolate fingers in two and make two pincers for each spider’s head.
  13. If desired decorate the spider's back using melted chocolate and candy.
  14. Allow to cool completely to set before serving.
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Happy Halloween to all.

Slán agus beannacht,
(Goodbye and blessings)

Irish American Mom

Here are some other Halloween posts, with an Irish twist, which you might enjoy.


Top Ten Reasons Why I Love Halloween In America

Colcannon – A Traditional Irish Halloween Dish

www.vintagerio.com

Irish Halloween Superstitions Foretelling Romance, Love and Marriage

Irish Rice Krispie Buns

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Rice Krispie Buns are part of every Irish childhood.  These little chocolate crispie treats are the centerpieces of Irish birthday parties, and a staple at school fund raising cake sales.  They’re easy-to-make, no-bake Irish children’s favorites.

Now when I first moved stateside I was surprised to discover American Rice Krispie Treats are something entirely different.

The American variety is an extremely sweet, sticky, marshmallow and rice cereal square. Not a morsel of chocolate to be found.

In Ireland, America’s beloved Rice Krispie Treats are now available to be purchased as ‘Squares Bars’ made by Kelloggs. But they’ll never replace our Irish Rice Krispie Buns.

These are a simple, but delicious mixture of melted chocolate and rice cereal, shaped in a muffin pan and given the title ‘bun.’  No batter or dough required for these famous buns.

Check out how to make them in this short video.  You’ll also find the printable recipe at the end of this post.


Rice Krispie Buns could not be easier to make. Melted chocolate mixed with rice cereal, that’s all that is required, and if you want to make them a little bit fancy, you can add a candy on top. Milk chocolate rather than dark chocolate is usually chosen, especially for children.

When I was a little girl in Dublin in the 1970’s there were no chocolate chips to be bought. Slabs of cooking chocoate were sold in supermarkets. Or if you were really posh, you could melt bars of dairy milk chocolate.

Times have changed in Ireland and chocolate chips are easily found in grocery stores. They’re sold in 4 ounce bags not the larger bags sold in America.

The key to good rice krispie buns is getting the ratio of chocolate to cereal correct. Too little chocolate and the rice krispies will shine through, yielding a light colored bun.

Here is the ratio I like:

2 cups of rice cereal to 4 ounces of chocolate chips.

That translates to 6 cups of rice cereal for an 11.9 ounce bag of chocolate chips, as sold in America. Now that will yield around 36 rice krispie buns.

I usually use 4 cups of cereal to 8 ounces of chocolate or roughly 2/3’s of a bag of chocolate chips to make about 24 buns.

I don’t bother weighing the chocolate chips but eyeball two-thirds of a bag. You can’t go wrong with a little extra chocolate.

Place muffin case liners in two trays.

You don’t necessarily need to use a muffin tray and can simply fill the liners with the mixture.  However, I find the metal tray helps the buns to maintain their shape as they harden and become firm.

Melt the chocolate chips in a heat proof bowl over a saucepan of boiled water, otherwise known as a bain marie.

Pour the melted chocolate over the rice cereal in a large bowl.

Protect your fingers with oven gloves as you handle the hot bowl of melted chocolate.

Use a spatula to scrape all the melted chocolate out of the bowl.

Use a spatula to mix the melted chocolate and rice cereal together.

Be gentle as you combine the ingredients. If you stir too violently the rice cereal will crumble and your buns will lack their distinctive cereal air pockets.

You need to blend the chocolate and cereal thoroughly to ensure all of the rice krispies are fully coated in chocolate. Scoop down into the bottom of the bowl to mix the cereal hiding way down there.

Spoon the mixture into the lined muffin cases.

The number of buns yielded by this recipe depends on how much you fill each muffin compartment.

Top each bun with a Smartie, if you’re in Ireland, or an M&M if you’re in America.

Set the buns aside to cool and allow the chocolate to harden again.

And that’s all there is to it.  Ireland’s favorite children’s treat are beyond easy to make, but will never lose their appeal.

Here’s the printable recipe:

Print
Irish Rice Krispie Buns

Irish Rice Krispie Buns

Ingredients

  • 4 cups of rice cereal
  • 8 ounces of milk chocolate chips
  • 24 coated chocolate candies like M&M's.

Instructions

  1. Place muffin case liners in two trays.
  2. Melt the chocolate chips in a heat proof bowl over a saucepan of boiled water, or bain marie.
  3. Pour the melted chocolate over the rice cereal in a large bowl.
  4. Use a spatula to mix the melted chocolate and rice cereal together to fully coat the cereal in chocolate.
  5. Spoon the mixture into the lined muffin cases.
  6. Top each bun with a candy.
  7. Set the buns aside to cool completely before serving.
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When some Irish mother’s hear there is a cake sale or bake sale at their child’s school they slave for hours over a hot stove baking their finest confectioneries.

Little do they know, the treats that sell out first and are in highest demand are these no-fuss, easy peasy rice krispie buns.

What’s a cake sale without rice krispie buns.

At Halloween I love to get creative and I use this basic Irish rice krispie bun recipe to create chocolate spiders. These make a lovely center piece for Halloween get togethers. Here’s how I make my Chocolate Rice Krispie Spiders for Halloween.

For those of you who were born in Ireland, I hope this post brought back happy memories of childhood birthday parties, and for all my Irish American readers I hope you enjoyed this little tutorial about Irish Rice Krispie Treats.

 

Slán agus beannacht,
(Goodbye and blessings)

 

Irish American Mom

Five Farms Irish Cream Liqueur At The Milwaukee and Kansas City Irish Festivals

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Five Farms, the makers of a a new Irish cream liqueur are thrilled to announce their partnerships with two of the largest Irish festivals in the world, Kansas City Irish Fest and Milwaukee Irish Fest.

I love to support Irish businesses and help spread the word about their products whenever I can, so when the good folks at Five Farms contacted me to let me know about their plans for expansion throughout the United States, I thought you too might be interested.

 

Introducing Five Farms Irish Cream Liqueur From County Cork:

 

Five Farms is the highest-scoring Irish cream in history and will be the exclusive Irish cream at both of these celebrated Irish festivals this summer.

Five Farms is a single-batch Irish cream liqueur from County Cork, Ireland, that derives its name from the five family-owned farms in the region that provide the product’s rich dairy cream.

 

It contains ten-year-old, triple-distilled Irish whiskey, providing an intensity of whiskey flavor that sets it apart from every Irish cream in the world.

Five Farms contains 10% Irish Whiskey while most brands use less than 1%. This difference is significant, especially if you are a fan of Irish Cream.

Five Farms is a true farm-to-table product, crafted from single batches of fresh cream that are combined with Irish Whiskey within 48 hours to become authentic Irish Cream Liqueur.

Five Farms is made with rich, smooth and sweet Irish dairy cream. The mild climate and abundant rainfall in County Cork make it the ideal place for raising dairy cattle on fertile farms of lush green fields. These happy cows spend their days basking in the fresh sea air and grazing on sweet, succulent green grass. Ireland’s cows produce the highest quality milk and cream which is very evident to the taste buds when sipping this delicious drink.

County Cork is also home to the centuries-old tradition of distilling authentic Irish Whiskey. Premium triple-distilled Irish Whiskey has a smoothness and complexity that add depth to the sweetness of this Irish Cream.

Five Farms sent me a lovely gift set of their Single Batch Irish Cream Liqueur.  The moment I opened the box, I fell in love with their quirky milk churn bottle, plus it came with two perfectly sized glasses for sipping Irish cream.

This gift box is beautifully designed, and after falling in love with the presentation, I was equally bowled over by the flavor of this delicious liqueur. It’s rich and creamy, with a satisfying whiskey flavor. 

This liqueur has a lovely nutty brown color. This Irish cream is luxuriously smooth, and then the best part of all, is the boozy warmth of the Irish whiskey balanced to perfection with notes of caramel.

I definitely give it two thumbs up, and my husband quickly raised his glass for a top up after enjoying his first taste of this distinctive Irish cream.

 

Five Farms At The Kansas City Irish Fest:

 

Five Farms is imported to the United States by Holladay Distillery in Weston, MO, the oldest business in the Kansas City area.

The brand launched in Missouri in December and was immediately embraced by the local Irish community.

“Five Farms has been enormously popular with our guests,” said Nancy Wormington, Executive Director, Kansas City Irish Center. “The product itself is superior, but supporting family-owned farms in Ireland as well as a local Kansas City business is also right in line with our mission.”

A partnership with Kansas City Irish Fest was a natural extension of this relationship.

“We’re always excited to introduce new products to our guests, especially when they have a connection to Ireland and Kansas City! It’s absolutely a winning combination for our festival,” said Keli O’Neill Wenzel, Executive Director, Kansas City Irish Fest.

This celebration of Celtic pride brings the soul of Ireland to the heart of the Midwest with the best blend of Irish music, education, and “great craic.”

The Kansas City Irish Fest is scheduled from August 31st to September 2nd, 2018.  Tickets are available on the Kansas City Irish Fest website.

 

Five Farms At The Milwaukee Irish Fest:

 

Five Farms launched in Wisconsin in February and has been equally well-received there. The state is home to Milwaukee Irish Fest, the world’s largest celebration of Celtic music and culture.

Now in its 38th year, this four-day festival will showcase more than 100 entertainment acts on Milwaukee’s lakefront.

“Milwaukee Irish Fest is excited to launch our partnership with Five Farms and exclusively provide it on the festival grounds,” said Mike Mitchell, Executive Director, Celtic MKE.

“Many of our staff tried this Irish cream and were unanimously impressed with the flavor. We look forward to sharing it with over 100,000 guests at this year’s Milwaukee Irish Fest.”

Milwaukee Irish Fest takes place August 16 – 19, 2018 and tickets are available at the Milwaukee Irish Fest website.

 

Distribution Throughout The United States By 2019:

 

The brand has enjoyed a successful early launch in Missouri and Wisconsin, and was awarded the Chairman’s Trophy at the 2018 Ultimate Spirits Challenge with a score of 97, the highest score ever awarded to an Irish Cream at this prestigious competition.

“The response to this brand has been remarkable,” said Mick Harris, president of Holladay Distillery. “Both retailers and consumers have been excited by the authenticity, the quality, and the taste of Five Farms. Demand is high and we’re working hard to get it into as many hands as possible.”

Five Farms Irish Cream Liqueur has announced the next nine states in its rollout plan. Starting in June 2018 the product is shipping to:

Iowa
Oregon
Washington

 

Five Farms will then start shipping to these six states by the end of July:

 

Alabama
California
Maryland
Massachusetts
New York
North Carolina

 

Additional states will launch in August and September, with availability in 30 total states by October and full national distribution by early 2019.

But in the meantime, if you’re going to be around Milwaukee or Kansas City, you can stop by the Irish Festivals to taste a little of this delicious Irish Cream Liqueur.

And if you like to create delicious desserts with Irish Cream Liqueur, then I highly recommend Five Farms.  This distinctive mellow whiskey blend is perfect for Irish Cream Cheesecakes, or any dessert creations that call for an Irish Cream liqueur.

I developed a delicious Berry Irish Cream Mousse recipe using Five Farms.  The mellow whiskey of Five Farms Irish Cream blended magnificently with this no-egg, cream based berry mousse.  It’s a perfect summertime, no bake, easy dessert.

Wishing the Irish families whose five farms in West Cork, Ireland supply the cream for this Irish Cream Liqueur, every success with their new business venture.

 

Slán agus beannacht,

(Goodbye and blessings)

 

Irish American Mom

Note:  Five Farms Irish Cream Liqueur – 17% alcohol by volume – Product of Ireland – Imported by Holladay Distillery, Weston, MO

Disclosure Notice:  I received a free gift box of Five Farms Irish Cream liqueur to try and I used it to create a Berry Irish Cream Mousse.  I did not receive any sponsorship payment for this post. The views expressed are my own.

Berry Irish Cream Mousse

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Easy desserts are perfect for summer entertaining. This Berry Irish Cream Mousse is an excellent make-ahead dessert with a delicious taste of Irish Cream Liqueur blended through the berries and cream.

Irish cream is a world renowned whiskey and cream liqueur blend that has gained enormous popularity over the past few decades.

Baileys is the most famous of all the brands on the market. However, for today’s recipe I used a new brand of Irish Cream Liqueur from Five Farms in County Cork.

This is smooth, creamy, deliciousness in a glass with a perfect hit of whiskey in every sip.

The good folks at Five Farms sent me a bottle of their wonderful liqueur to try and it was so smooth and creamy I thought it would be the perfect addition to a summertime berry mousse.

Five Farms Irish Cream has a distinctively smooth and creamy base, with mellow whiskey in every sip. It’s subtly sweet with hints of lightly toasted caramel and warming vanilla.

Let me just tell you, I love this Irish Cream, and I really mean that.  It is truly delicious if, like me, you’re a lover of Irish Cream.

And take a quick peek at the lovely gift set I received from Five Farms featuring their adorable milk churn bottle.  Their presentation gift set is beautifully designed and a perfect gift for anyone who loves to share a little taste of Ireland.

This year, 2018, Five Farms has been named the official Irish Cream of the Milwaukee and Kansas City Irish Festivals.  You can read all about these popular August Irish Festivals and how Five Farms will be available at both, by checking out my post Five Farms Irish Cream Liqueur At The Milwaukee and Kansas City Irish Festivals.

You’ll find all the details about where you can purchase Five Farms in the United States, plus their roll out plan to go nationwide by 2019.

And so, let’s move on and make some Berry Irish Cream Mousse. Please note, this is an adult only dessert since it contains alcohol.

 

Ingredients for Berry Irish Cream Mousse:

 

This mousse recipe is an egg-free mousse, using heavy whipping cream and gelatine to create this lightly textured, airy dessert.

I had trouble finding pasteurized eggs in my local grocery store, so I decided to keep this recipe simple for summer cooking and only use heavy whipping cream to create this taste of summer with an Irish kick.

Here are the ingredient details…

  • 8 ounces of fresh raspberries (plus an extra 4 ounces for decorating)
  • 8 ounces of fresh blackberries (plus an extra 4 ounces for decorating)
  • 1/3 to 1/2 cup of sugar (use the extra sugar if the berries are a little sour)
  • 2 and 1/2 teaspoons of gelatine (one packet)
  • 1/4 cup of boiling water
  • 1/3 cup of Irish Cream Liqueur
  • 2 cups of heavy whipping cream (plus 1 cup for decorating)

 

Directions for Berry Irish Cream Mousse:

 

This is a simple, no-bake, raspberry and blackberry mousse.

These photo directions are easy to follow and a fool-proof way to make an impressive dessert for entertaining.

Taste the berries first to determine how sweet they are.  Blackberries can be a little tart and it’s important to ensure the blended berry flavor base for this mousse is adequately sweet.  I usually only use 1/3 cup of sugar, but I tend to like less sweet desserts than most Americans, having grown up in Ireland.

I would recommend using 1/2 cup of sugar if you like your desserts extra sweet.

Next place the raspberries and blackberries, together with the sugar into a blender and blitz for 2 to 3 minutes in spurts, as your blender requires for correct operation.

It takes a few spritzes before the berries start breaking down.  I try to avoid adding water to this blitzing step, since extra liquid creates a watery base and can affect the final texture of the mousse.

The berry syrup is ready when the fruit is blended smooth, except for the seeds.  If you have a very strong blender like a Vitamix you could probably blend the berries completely smooth, seeds and all.  However, my old reliable is not up to the job of blitzing berry seeds. You can take care of this problem by passing the syrup through a very fine sieve.

Pass the syrup through a very fine sieve or cheesecloth to remove seeds and any lumps. Discard the seeds.  Collect the berry syrup in a large bowl.

Next it’s time to melt the gelatine.  Add the boiling water to a heat-proof bowl or pitcher.  Sprinkle the gelatine on top and whisk it through the boiling water until completely dissolved. 

Add the melted gelatine to the sieved berry syrup. 

Next, add the Irish Cream Liqueur and mix the berry base until all the ingredients are completely blended.

In a separate bowl beat the heavy whipping cream until thick and soft peaks form.  

Do not over whip the cream or you’ll make butter.

Add the whipped cream to the berry base and use a spatula to gently blend the cream and berries together. 

This takes a gentle touch and patience to create a smooth blend.

As you work the cream through the berry syrup make sure you scrape the base of the bowl with the spatula to fully combine the heavier syrup which falls to the bottom of the bowl.

Use a spoon to add the mousse to glass serving dishes.  I like to use stemless wine glasses for presentation.

Smooth the top of each mousse. 

This recipe yields six good sized servings.  The stemless wineglasses should be about 1/2 full with mousse.

Now I can never fill the glasses without hitting the edges and sides.  Be sure to clean the mousse off the sides of the glass with paper towel before refrigerating.  Alternatively you can use a piping bag to fill the glasses with mousse.

Place the glasses in the refrigerator for about 2 hours to set.

Finally, it’s time to beat the last cup of heavy whipping cream.  As before, don’t overbeat it.  I like the topping cream to still be at a pouring consistency to achieve a lovely, even, smooth cream layer on top of each mousse.

I don’t add sugar to the whipped cream, but if you like a hint of sweetness in your cream, then whip the cream with two tablespoons of confectioner’s sugar.

Divide the whipped cream between each serving of mousse.  Decorate with the additional berries.  

A sprig of mint is another lovely touch for presentation, but this time I had no fresh mint on hand.

And there you have it.  My recipe for Berry Irish Cream Mousse using Five Farms Irish Cream Liqueur, raspberries, blackberries and heavy whipping cream.

Here’s the printable recipe.

Print
Berry Irish Cream Mousse

Prep Time: 2 hours, 30 minutes

Yield: 6 servings

Serving Size: 1 glass of mousse

Berry Irish Cream Mousse

An easy summertime no bake dessert, combining berries and Irish Cream Liqueur for a smooth and creamy mousse.

Ingredients

  • 12 ounces of fresh raspberries (8 oz for mousse plus an extra 4 ounces for decorating)
  • 12 ounces of fresh blackberries (8 oz for mousse plus an extra 4 ounces for decorating)
  • 1/3 to 1/2 cup of sugar (use the extra sugar if the berries are a little sour)
  • 2 and 1/2 teaspoons of gelatine (one packet)
  • 1/4 cup of boiling water
  • 1/3 cup of Irish Cream Liqueur
  • 3 cups of heavy whipping cream (2 cups for mousse plus 1 cup for decorating)

Instructions

  1. Place the raspberries and blackberries, together with the sugar into a blender and blitz for 2 to 3 minutes.
  2. Pass the berry syrup through a very fine sieve to remove the seeds and collect the syrup in a large mixing bowl. Discard the seeds.
  3. Add the boiling water to a heat proof bowl. Sprinkle the gelatine on top of the water then stir to blend completely.
  4. Add the melted gelatine and Irish Cream Liqueur to the berry syrup and mix together.
  5. In a separate bowl, beat the heavy whipping cream until stiff peaks form.
  6. Blend the cream and berry syrup mixture together. Use gentle, smooth strokes of a spatula to blend completely.
  7. Use a spoon to drop the mousse into six stemless wine glasses.
  8. Smooth the top of each mousse. Clean any excess mousse from the rim or sides of the glasses using a paper towel. Place the glasses in the refrigerator for about 2 hours to set the mousse.
  9. When ready to serve, whip one cup of heavy cream until thick, but still pourable.
  10. Divide the cream over the top of each mousse.
  11. Decorate with additional berries and serve immediately.
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Many thanks to the folks at Five Farms for sharing their delicious Irish Cream with me and for introducing it to the United States.

 

 

Slán agus beannacht,

(Goodbye and blessings)

 

Irish American Mom

 

Note:  Five Farms Irish Cream Liqueur – 17% alcohol by volume – Product of Ireland – Imported by Holladay Distillery, Weston, MO

Disclosure Notice:  I received a free gift box of Five Farms Irish Cream liqueur to try and I used it to create this Berry Irish Cream Mousse.  I did not receive any sponsorship payment for this post. The views expressed are my own.

Ice Cream Sandwiches

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An ice cream sandwich consists of a slice of ice cream between two rectangular wafers and is a favorite summertime treat in Ireland. 

The ice cream layer for these little slabs of summer is sliced from a pint block of ice cream.

Now here comes the golden Irish nugget for this blog post.

Believe it or not, blocks of ice cream were first created in Ireland way back in the 1930’s.  

Who knew the ice cream block was an Irish creation?   

 

A Little Irish Ice Cream History:

 

Way back in the 1920’s in Ireland, ice cream was a pricey, luxurious treat, few were lucky enough to sample. 

As my granny would say …. “‘Twas far from ice cream your ancestors were reared.”

Ice cream was only available in Italian parlors or large Woolworths stores in Dublin, Cork and Belfast.

But everything changed in the 1930’s when the Hughes Brothers of Hazelbrook Farm in Rathfarnham built an ice cream factory to use up their excess milk. Ireland’s famous HB ice cream brand was born, and continues to this very day.

Image Credit

However, the Hughes brothers could produce far more ice cream than the few shops capable of selling this frozen treat were able to handle. Now, the electricity grid was under construction in Ireland right at this time and the shrewd Hughes brothers targeted the expanding Dublin suburbs to promote their growing business.

They agreed to purchase state-of-the art American fridges for retailers if they agreed to only stock HB ice cream in their new freezers. They also purchased cold storage trucks to transport the ice cream to the shops.

To maximize storage and make this whole process as efficient as possible, they created the block of ice cream.  Perfectly regular rectangles were designed for stacking with no empty air pockets between the blocks. Ice cream was soon shipped in truck fulls all around Dublin.

Women could purchase an ice cream block, wrap it in newspaper to keep it cool and bring it home as a special creamy treat for all the family.

 

Ice Cream Sandwiches:

 

Now! Not everyone could afford a whole block of ice cream, so it was time for shrewd shop keepers to come up with a solution for selling single servings of ice cream.  The ice cream sandwich was quickly embraced.

A block of ice cream and thin rectangular wafers were the two simple ingredients required.  Soon children around Dublin were enjoying cool wafers of sandwiched ice cream.  For those with a little bit of money, an after-Mass ice cream sandwich on a Sunday became a status symbol.

These treats were still very popular in Ireland in the 1970’s. In Dublin these sandwiches were often called “ice cream sliders.”

I remember paying about 3 or 4 pence for a slider back when I was a chisler in Dublin and I enjoyed many an ice cream sandwich after mass or a trip to the beach.  Of course, by the 1970’s the 99 ice cream cone had grown in popularity so there was a little bit of competition for the trusty slider.  But 99 ice cream cones are a topic for another day.

Some shopkeepers even had a special slicer for creating perfectly equal ice cream portions out of each block of ice cream.

 

Ice Cream Sandwiches At Home:

 

But the best and tastiest ice cream sandwiches were the ones our mothers made.  Irish mammies know exactly how thick a good ice cream sandwich should be.

Who remembers ice cream wafer sandwiches like our Irish mammies used to make?

If you were born in Ireland in the 1960’s or 1970’s you’ll immediately think of ice cream when you hear the question ….

 

Will you have that in a bowl or in a wafer?

 

Irish ice cream sandwiches differ from their American cousins, in that plain and crispy vanilla wafers are used, not the thick and soft chocolate variety preferred in the USA.

American Style Ice Cream Sandwich – Ice Berger in Ireland

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Ever so simple, but tantalizingly delicious, ice cream sandwiches continue to be a summer time favorite. I fondly remember the joy when my mother would appear at the front door on a hot summer evening with a plate of ice cream sandwiches for every kid playing on the street.

In the summer months she always seemed to have a block of HB ice cream at the ready, and an endless supply of crispy vanilla wafers. I have no idea where she hid those little treats, because if I had known her secret hiding place, there might have been a severe wafer shortage whenever an ice cream sandwich was on the menu.

But if my mom inevitably ran into a “no wafer” scenario, two Rich Tea or Marietta biscuits were called into action to sandwich that slice of ice cream.

 

The Art Of Eating An Ice Cream Sandwich:

 

Eating an ice cream sandwich was an art form skillfully learned over years of childhood practice.

My technique involved licking around the sides of the ice cream, taking care not to scrape my tongue on the sharp edges of the wafers. As the ice cream reduced in size, a gentle squeeze of the wafers pushed more ice cream out to the edges.

Once the wafers started to meet it was time to take a bite.  I liked to eat all the ice cream before the wafers went soggy. Ice cream sandwich eating was pretty intense work to avoid a soggy scenario, especially if you were lucky enough to get an extra thick slice of vanilla goodness between your two wafers.

Now my mother tended to be a vanilla ice cream wafer sandwich maker, but some of my friends’ moms preferred raspberry ripple or Neapolitan ice cream blocks.

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Remember Daniel Day Lewis as Christy Brown in the film “My Left Foot” asking his mam for “neapolitan” when she was off to pick up a block of ice cream.

 

Ice Cream Sandwiches – An Irish Treat:

 

But no matter which flavor your family preferred, I think one thing everyone can agree upon is that you can’t beat a good ice cream on a sunny summer’s day.

 

And ice cream sandwiches were, and still are, one of the very best ice cream treats in the whole wide world, especially for anyone born and raised in Ireland.

I hope everyone has a wonderful summer.

 

Slán agus beannacht,

(Goodbye and blessings)

 

Irish American Mom

 

Disclosure Notice:  This is an affiliate link below which means I will earn a small commission should you choose to make a purchase through this link.

I learned all about the history of the ice cream block in a little book of Irish history and stories called “From Clerys Clock to Wanderly Wagon – Irish History You Weren’t Taught At School” by Damian Corless. Here’s a link if you would like to check it out.

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Previously Featured On Irish American Mom

https://www.irishamericanmom.com/2014/06/03/the-beaches-of-ards-friary-county-donegal
https://www.irishamericanmom.com/2011/11/21/irish-shepherds-pie-with-guinness/

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