Hidden Gem: Jilly's Cupcakes has a new ice cream bar!

You watched them dominate "Cupcake Wars" on the Food Network and have seen them featured in numerous national publications ever since! Unless you are local and have been living under a rock since 2007, you have indulged in one of their ridiculously decadent goodies...

...at one time or another. 

Jilly's Cupcakes, at Delmar and McKnight, has gotten sweeter just in time for summer by adding ice cream to their repertoire. Word on the street has been that they have managed to transform their popular cupcake flavors, such as Bee Sting, 24-Karat Cake, and Space Monkey, into ice cream ON homemade waffles cones made from cupcake batter.

I know.

The Nenonen family dropped by the new Jilly's Ice Cream Bar over the weekend to check it out...

Gooey Butter Brownie Batter Ice cream on a Red Velvet Cupcake Waffle cone. 

 

Enough said. 

 

Leave your diet at home for the afternoon and just do it, St. Louis.

Nitty Gritty:

Jilly's Ice Cream Bar

8509 Delmar Boulevard
St. Louis, MO 63124

314.993.JILLY (5455)

Mon - Thu: 11:00 am - 9:00 pm
Fri - Sat: 11:00 am - 10:00 pm
Sun: 11:00 am - 9:00 pm

Connect with the new Jilly's Ice Cream Bar ...

Web: http://jillyscupcakebar.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jillysicecream

Twitter: https://twitter.com/jillysicecream

 

Check out my other "Hidden Gems" HERE.

Hidden Gem Alert:Cowan's

If you find yourself in Washington, Missouri for the day (like I did when showing properties on the "wine road" the other day)... ...make sure you visit Cowan's Restaurant for some small town goodness and a piece of their notorious pie! If you don't have time to dine, pick up a pie to go. The board changes numerous times as you dine, as pies sell out and are pulled out of the oven...



Cowan's will also bake you a special order pie for the road, either while you dine or via the phone. NOTE: You can also make special requests, like your pie be made with Splenda.

Learn more:

In the kitchen...

Every year around this time, without fail I seem to commit to several baking projects for the boys' school and/or the community?! Anyhoo, years ago I stumbled upon Ina Garten's kosher macaroon recipe and fell in love. Over recent years, I have adapted it into a super simple and yummy Spring/Easter goodie.

Enjoy, enjoy...

Coconut Macaroon

Birds Nest Spring Cookies

INGREDIENTS:

14 ounces sweetened shredded coconut
14 ounces sweetened condensed milk
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 extra-large egg whites, at room temperature
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1 bag of Whoppers Mini Robin Eggs


DIRECTIONS:

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.

Combine the coconut, condensed milk, and vanilla in a large bowl. Whip the egg whites and salt on high speed in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment until they make medium-firm peaks. Carefully fold the egg whites into the coconut mixture. I add a light brown professional food coloring to my mixture, to make my nests a nice golden color, though it is not necessary!

Drop the batter onto sheet pans lined with parchment paper using approximately 2 teaspoons. Then press an indentation into the center of each cookie with your thumb. Bake for 20 minutes, until golden brown. RIGHT out of the oven, press 3 robin eggs into the center of each cookie. Cool and serve.