Samoa Ice Cream Sauce

After having a fabulous time at the Girl Scouts' Cookie Bake-Off Benefit last week and enjoying Samoa-flavored coffee and also buying some Samoa cookies to take home, I have been practically dreaming of the luscious combination of caramel, chocolate, and coconut.

And so, it's hardly surprising that after talking about ice cream sauces with Craig recently - telling him that I make really lovely caramel and hot fudge varieties - I would have an epiphany: combine these two flavors, add some coconut milk, and make a liquid variation on one of my favorite cookies.

The only thing better would be to pour this over Edy's Samoa ice cream, and then crumble a couple of the cookies over the top!

Samoa Ice Cream Sauce

• 2/3 cup brown sugar
• 1/3 cup light corn syrup
• 1/4 cup coconut milk
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1/3 cup half-and-half
• 1/4 cup semisweet chocolate chips

Bring brown sugar, corn syrup, and coconut milk to a boil over medium-high heat in a 1-quart saucepan; stir constantly and cook for 5 minutes - mixture will foam up. Remove from heat, then stir in butter and vanilla. Stir in half-and-half and chocolate chips until smooth. Return sauce to a boil, and cook for 3 minutes without stirring. Pour into a jar, and let the sauce cool for awhile before serving; if it's too hot, it will burn you and it will simply melt the ice cream instead of turning into a chewy, fudgy sauce when it's poured over the cold substance.

Makes not quite 1-1/2 cups.

Drambuie Butterscotch Sauce

I made a simple but rich sauce recently, because I wanted something more enticing than just plain ol' ice cream.  Since it wasn't accompanying anything - cake, pie, etc. - the ice cream needed a little bit of dressing up.

I didn't have any chocolate in the house, for some inconceivable reason; but I was in the mood for a change from that routine anyway.  Butterscotch was calling to me ... fairly loudly, too.  I had brown sugar, butter, vanilla, and half-and-half.  I even had corn syrup - not an ingredient I want in my peanut butter or any other of the myriad foods it sneaks into, but one which contributes to the right consistency in this recipe.  I was all set.

And then I had a flash of brilliance: Drambuie, a liqueur made with whiskey, honey, and spices.  A little splash of Drambuie would make this such a sophisticated treat!

Put the ingredients in a saucepan, boil, chill - that's it!  So this sauce is ideal if you get short notice about company coming over, or if you just have a craving for something a little special.

This sauce didn't even need the ice cream ... just a spoon is all that's required.

Drambuie Butterscotch Sauce

• 2/3 cup brown sugar
• 1/3 cup light corn syrup
• 1/4 cup Drambuie
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1/4 cup half-and-half

Bring sugar, corn syrup, and Drambuie to a boil over medium-high heat in a small saucepan; stir constantly and cook for 5 minutes; mixture will foam up.  Remove from heat, then stir in butter and vanilla.  Stir in half-and-half; mixture will clump a bit, then everything will combine and smooth out.

Place into a jar, cover, and refrigerate until cold; the sauce will thicken.  Can be warmed up slightly to serve over ice cream, cake, fruit ... whatever strikes your fancy.

Makes about 1 cup.