cream — Blog — Jaclyn Sarah Hanns

Summer isn't summer without a few calluses and dirt under your fingernails! I love the summertime, but it definitely takes its toll on my skin. Sun exposure and digging around in garden dirt and sandy beaches have left my hands and feet so dry. But in my book, these are signs of a really great summer!

My very favorite product is Burt's Bees Almond Milk Hand Creme, and one tiny jar, though expensive, lasts me months at a time. All it takes is a tiny amount to fully nourish and moisturize my hands after doing the dishes or working in the yard. So I used up the last of my jar today, and after looking at what it's made of, I realized I could make it myself! Using almost all the same ingredients (those I could pronounce anyway,) I whipped up a jar of essentially the same wonderful cream for a fraction of the cost. Love it when that happens!

This recipe made about 6 ounces of cream, so I filled a quarter pint mason jar for home as well as a 2 ounce baby food jar to keep in my purse! It should last me a while. Once I prepared my ingredients, it was a breeze to whip together. I decided to use Peace & Calming instead of grapefruit because it is my favorite! It's a blend of orange, tangerine, patchouli, ylang ylang, and blue tansy and it is so great for, well, peace and calming. I use it on my kids at nap time and bedtime and they love the scent, so I thought using it on my own hands would be a nice way to nurture my skin AND those babes any time of day.

You'll need:

1/2 C raw shea butter

1/4 C sweet almond oil

2 Tb beeswax, chopped

1 Ml vitamin e oil

1 Tsp aloe vera (I just trimmed a little off a few aloe leaves on my plant, sliced them and scraped the pure oil out! Store-bought aloe is easier, but this is just what I had on hand. Love my little aloe plant!)

20 drops essential oil (I used Peace & Calming)

Directions:

In a double boiler, add shea butter, almond oil, beeswax, vitamin e and aloe vera together and stir until all ingredients are completely melted (about 5-10 minutes simmering.) Remove from heat and let cool for another 5-10 minutes, then add essential oils and stir.

Pour into desired containers (glass is best when using therapeutic grade oils) and let sit for a few hours, until it has completely settled and hardened. Use a minimal amount and massage deeply into skin. Peace & Calming is great to apply on your feet before bed to release tension and promote deep sleep. Even better when it's added to this awesome moisturizer!

Ice cream sandwiches have always been one of my favorite summertime treats since childhood. The combination of freshly baked cookies and creamy ice cream just can't be beat! Tyler took Lumen on an evening stroll last week to the convenience store and she proudly marched up the front porch staircase with an ice cream cookie sandwich in hand. When she took her first bite, she started giggling. I think it instantly became her new favorite dessert. Every night for the past week now, she's ever-so-sweetly asked Tyler if they can walk to get another ice cream sandwich. So, I was inspired to make a homemade version! I don't have an ice cream maker, so I didn't think it could be done until I came across some no-churn recipes that sounded pretty good. So I gave it a whirl, and lo and behold, my homemade ice cream dreams came true with very little effort! So here you have it,

Salted Honey Ice Cream on Browned Butter Oatmeal Cookie Sandwiches

I dreamed up this little combination while craving something salty and sweet. Having grabbed a jar of local honey from the farmers market last week, sea salt + honey sounded too good to pass up. I've also had a craving for oatmeal cookies, so this was my opportunity to finally make them! I decided to brown the butter to give it a nice nutty sweetness, and it made a world of difference! Oatmeal cookies are great. But browned butter oatmeal cookies? Even better. Shoot!

First, make your ice cream. You'll need to freeze it for about 6 hours. I whipped it up the night before and stuck it in the freezer so I wasn't tempted to eat it before it was completely set...

Salted Honey Ice Cream:

16 ounces heavy cream

14 ounces sweetened condensed milk

1/4 C honey

1/2 tsp sea salt

Directions:

Pour the heavy cream into a stand mixer (or large bowl using a hand mixer) and begin mixing it on low speed, gradually changing up to high speed until stiff peaks form (about 2-3 minutes). Then gently fold in your condensed milk, honey and sea salt using a wooden spoon or rubber spatula until all ingredients are incorporated. Be careful not to whip it up too much, as it will liquify easily. Quickly pour mixture into an airtight freezer-safe container and freeze for six hours.

Browned Butter Oatmeal Cookies:

1 1/2 sticks butter

1/2 C brown sugar, packed

1/4 C granulated sugar

1 egg

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

1 C flour

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/4 tsp nutmeg

1 1/2 C rolled oats

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375F. Place parchment paper on two cookie sheets and set aside.

In a small saucepan, melt butter and bring to a boil, then simmer and stir until it's browned, about 2-3 minutes. Set aside to let cool. Add sugars to a stand mixer. In a separate small bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, salt and spices and set aside. Once butter has cooled, slowly drizzle it into the mixer (using a paddle attachment on low speed.) Once butter and sugars are combined, add your egg and vanilla and whip together until all liquid ingredients are well-mixed. Pour dry ingredients in and beat until incorporated, then add your oats and mix until just combined. Drop cookie dough* onto parchment lined (or ungreased) cookie sheets. Bake for 8-10 minutes, or until edges turn golden brown.

*I wanted larger cookies, so I made 6 balls of dough (about 3 Tb each) and gently flattened, making sure they were spaced 2-3 inches apart. This made 3 giant sandwiches, but if you're entertaining or want 6 normal-sized sandwiches, make a dozen cookies! The larger cookies took about 13 minutes to bake through.

Once cookies have completely cooled, prepare your sandwich assembly by placing them upside-down on separate squares of saran wrap. You'll have to work quickly, as ice cream melts quickly! Take your ice cream from the freezer and scoop it on each sandwich base, cover, gently press together and immediately wrap and place back in freezer. Let sandwiches freeze for about 30 minutes to let the cookies harden and ice cream set again. Serve and enjoy!