Strawberry Sorbet in Almond Butterscotch Cookie Cups
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Do you have friends who text you recipes that cause you to at once drop everything, head to the store, and obliterate any cooking plans you had on the horizon?
Many of you do this to me. (Thank you.) My friend Michelle does so as well. She’s pointed me to so many good recipes over the years, most notably to Ruth Reichl’s roasted balsamic-eggplant sandwiches and most recently to David Lebovitz’s strawberry sorbet.
The recipe comes from The Perfect Scoop, which I’ve owned and loved for years. Every summer, I open it to find new inspiration, something I’ve missed in previous years, but somehow this one has escaped me, which is such a shame because, like homemade 3-ingredient real frozen yogurt, it’s so simple: toss strawberries with sugar, let them sit for an hour, purée with fresh lemon juice and sea salt, chill, churn, freeze.
I worried the sorbet would taste great on day one or immediately after churning, but then harden to a block of ice crystals the next day, which has been my experience with homemade ice creams and sorbets in the past. This didn’t happen. The longest I’ve stored this particular sorbet has been three days, and as long as it sits at room temperature for a good chunk of time — sometimes for as long as 20 minutes — before serving, it scoops up beautifully, with a texture as smooth and as creamy as when freshly churned.
Hooray!
This sorbet tastes like pure summer to me, and what I’ve loved about it the few times I’ve made it is that it’s found purpose for past-prime strawberries, which would have otherwise ended up in the freezer destined for a smoothie somewhere down the line. Not a terrible way to salvage the local berries, but when their season is so fleeting, and when they taste SO good, it’s nice to put them to use in a recipe in which they really shine. This one fits the bill. (As does this one.)
Almond Butterscotch Cookie Cups + A Lesson!
First: the lesson.
I made these almond-butterscotch cookie cups, another recipe from The Perfect Scoop, a million years ago to serve with this crème fraîche sorbet, then didn’t make them for years. While flipping through the TPS most recently, I saw a recipe for lemon-poppyseed cookie cups that I thought would pair so nicely with the strawberry sorbet.
I mixed up the batter, dropped it onto a parchment-lined baking sheet, baked them for 10 minutes, and then … disaster! I couldn’t get the cookies to release from the parchment paper. I chalked it up to the recipe being a flop. But when I attempted to make these almond-butterscotch cookie cups — tried and true! — to replace the others, and they too stuck to the paper, I realized I was mistaken.
It was the parchment paper! My recent bread experiments had been sticking as well.
I started over using a different brand of parchment paper and had no issue, which makes me want to revisit the lemon poppyseed cookie cup recipe immediately, because doesn’t that sound so good: strawberry sorbet + lemon poppyseed cookies?
I will keep you posted.
In sum:
- Almond butterscotch cookie cups are easy to make.
- They look fancy — so lacy and delicate — but they require no skill. They are delicious, too.
- Parchment or a silicon baking mat is essential.
- Not all parchment paper is created equally.
- This is such a festive summer dessert.
I hope you’ll give it a go.
Here’s the play-by-play: Hull 1 -1.5 lbs. strawberries.
These weighed about 1.25 lbs. post hulling.
Toss with sugar until the sugar …
… becomes liquidy. Let sit for 1 hour, stirring occasionally.
Transfer mixture to a food processor.
Purée until smooth, then add fresh lemon and sea salt.
Transfer to a storage container (love these … so versatile) and chill until cold, at least one hour.
Churn in an ice cream maker. (I have the Kitchen Aid ice cream maker attachment.) Then freeze for at least another hour before serving.
Bring to room temperature before serving … this may take as long as 20 minutes.
You can serve it straight up, or …
… make these almond butterscotch-cookie cups.
So festive.
And delicious.
Strawberry Sorbet in Almond Butterscotch Cookie Cups
- Total Time: 6 hours
- Yield: 1 quart
Description
From David Lebovitz’s The Perfect Scoop
A few notes:
- Recipe calls for a pound of strawberries. I think you can definitely use a range here. Most recently, I weighed my strawberries post hulling, it was about 1.25 lbs., so I likely started with something closer to 1.5 lbs.
- I like to use about a tablespoon of fresh lemon juice, but add to taste.
- I like to a few big pinches of sea salt — add to taste.
- Almond Butterscotch Cookie Cup recipe is below.
- I think the key with so many homemade ice creams and sorbets is allowing them to come to room temperature for a good chunk of time before serving. Don’t be afraid to let this sorbet sit for 20 minutes (checking often, depending on where you live) before serving.
Ingredients
1 – 1.5 lbs. strawberries, washed, hulled, and chopped
3/4 c. sugar
1 to 3 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
Pinch of sea salt, such as Maldon
Instructions
- Combine sugar with chopped strawberries and stir until sugar begins to dissolve. Allow to stand for about an hour, covered, stirring frequently. Blend strawberries in your blender or food processor until smooth. Add lemon juice and salt to taste (see notes above), blend again, and adjust with more salt or lemon to taste. Transfer to a storage container, and chill for at least an hour or until cold.
- Freeze according to your ice cream manufacturer’s instructions. Transfer to a storage vessel and freeze again for 1 – 2 more hours.
- Before serving, let sit at room temperature for 10 minutes or until it begins to soften. I find this can take as long as 20 minutes. I like to stir/swoosh the sorbet with a back of a spoon to help soften it before serving.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Category: Ice Cream
- Method: Freeze
- Cuisine: American
Almond-Butterscotch Cookie Cups
- Total Time: 40 minutes
- Yield: 12 cookie cups
Description
From David Lebovitz’s The Perfect Scoop
I recently made these with maple syrup as opposed to corn syrup, and it worked beautifully, so I’ve adjusted the recipe accordingly.
Ingredients
- 4 tablespoons butter, unsalted or salted
- 1/4 cup maple syrup
- 1/4 cup packed light brown sugar
- 1/2 cup sliced almonds
- 6 tablespoons (60 g) flour
- pinch sea salt, such as Maldon
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Have ready 4 teacups or custard cups or small bowls.
- Melt the butter in a small saucepan with the maple syrup and brown sugar. Stir in the almonds, flour, and salt.
- Drop 4 slightly rounded tablespoons of batter (don’t be tempted to use more batter), evenly spaced, on the baking sheet. Bake the cookies for 9 to 12 minutes, until they’re golden brown. Let rest for 30 to 45 seconds, then lift each cookie off the baking sheet with a flexible metal spatula and flip it into your teacup or bowl. (If the cookies get too firm to shape, return the pan to the oven for 30 seconds to soften them.) Let the baking sheet cool, then repeat with the remaining batter.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Category: Cookie
- Method: Oven
- Cuisine: American
This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure policy.
17 Comments on “Strawberry Sorbet in Almond Butterscotch Cookie Cups”
The sorbet and cookie cups sound just perfect for these hot summer days and a great make-ahead for summer entertaining. AND, the fact that they are easy is wonderful! Soooo, which brand of parchment did you find works well with the cookie cups?
Hi Ruth! It was this If You Care parchment paper that worked like a dream, and I am sure there are others that work well, too. Part of me even wonders if I got a bad batch of the other brand I was using … so odd to me!
Hope you give these a go! I find them to be so much fun.
Thanks so much, Alexandra! I am currently using up a box of parchment that I purchased at Sam’s Club….their Daily Chef brand. So far I have not had issues with it, but……… I am always on the look-out for products that are affordable and work well. It is always so disappointing when a product doesn’t do what it is suppose to do! I know that some bakers swear by the pre-cut parchment b/c of its convenience. Again, thanks so much for your reply.
.
I do love the cut rectangle parchment sheets for convenient … but I’m going to have to find a new brand 🙂 Great to know re Sam’s club brand. And, of course, happy to help when I can 🙂 🙂 🙂
Looks beautiful and delicious! If I can’t use up all the cookie cups on the day they’re made, how long do you think they’ll keep?
Good question! Hmmmm. I would definitely store them in an airtight container. And I don’t think they’ll last much more than a day or two unfortunately, especially if it’s humid out. If you are able to, I would suggest storing the batter in the fridge and baking off only what you need for the moment. The beauty of this batter is that it can keep for a long time in the fridge — there’s no baking soda or powder or other leavening, no eggs, etc.
Agree with Ali on this based on my experience. Started baking something daily 3 yrs ago and have tried a number of parchment papers. The best is If You Care brand in brown package. Best by far including in high heat baking like baguettes and sourdough breads.
I’ve used King Arthur Flour parchment sheets for many years without any sticking problems. I get their newsletter, so I know when they’re on sale. I recommend the half sheet pan size and the rounds. Can’t wait to try these after the heat wave passes.
I have heard great things about KAF’s parchment paper. I’ll give it a go. Thanks!!
I buy my parchment from Webstaurant restautant supply. It’s a lot cheaper that way – $53 for 1000 full sheet pan leaves. (since a full sheet pan doesn’t fit in my oven, that’s 2000 half sheets). I’ve never had a problem with sticking, but I might give the parchment a light coating of pan spray just to be sure.
Great tip! I’ll check them out. I’ve purchased things online through them before, and love their stuff. Thanks!
Hi Ali, A couple of random notes. I use 1/2 sheet cut parchment sheets bought from a local restaurant supply store brand name unknown. It works pretty well for most things but your sourdough ciabatta rolls and sometimes the regular ciabatta bread sticks. I did try using a very light coating of baking spray and this helped.
On another note, I don’t know if it’s something on my end or not, but many of your recipes in the last few days come through with all the pictures and steps but when it comes to the actual recipe it will list ingredients but the directions are listed one letter to a line for a very very long scroll. Not too easy to read especially with doughy fingers involved. Just thought you might want to know about it.
I’m such a fan of everything you do and most of my save library is all your recipes. You’ve made me a pretty good bread baker and my family loves it!
Hi Carolyn! Thanks so much for letting me know about the issue with the recipe box! That is not OK. I will let my tech people know.
Bummer about the sticking! I do find that certain brands are more reliably nonstick than others. Thanks so much for writing and sharing your notes, and thank you for your kind words, too 🙂 🙂 🙂
I made both the sorbet and the butterscotch cups. What a perfect combination! I added a sprig of mint when serving it. Sorbet was superb! I undercooked the first batch of butterscotch and overcooked the second! But both tasted great. Also, I used a no-name brand for parchment and had no issues.
Wonderful to hear all of this, Sarah! Yes, getting the timing down for the cookie cups is tricky… glad they tasted great nonetheless. Mint sounds lovely 🙂
I made the cups, not the sorbet. I did not have almonds on hand, and I made them with almond flour, so they are gluten free! Notes: they spread quite a bit when baking, so I had to give them the full 45 seconds to set, and then quickly cut with the blade of the spatula and remove from the parchment. I laid them over the bottom of an upturned small finger-type bowl – anything larger and they fell apart. Not sure it will work to lay them inside the cup, as they are very, very thin. They are fine without the almonds and taste awesome!
Great to hear! Thanks so much for writing and sharing all of your notes 🙂 🙂 🙂