Blackberry Basil Coconut Ice Cream #recipe #giveaway by Kim Davis

 

KIM DAVIS: Since August is my birthday month (I've been known to celebrate all month long!) I started thinking back about my childhood birthday celebrations. The one thing they all had in common--besides having tons of aunts, uncles, and cousins around with a copious amount of yummy food--was homemade ice cream served alongside the cake. I don't remember anything about the cakes but the ice cream, on the other hand, was my favorite no matter the flavor. Slow-churned in one of those old-fashioned wooden ice cream tubs with ice chunks and rock salt, I'd impatiently wait for the first taste of the creamy concoction. 

Several times my parents made a blackberry ice cream using buttermilk as the base, which provided a tangy zing to the frozen dessert. I loved it! Unfortunately, the recipe didn't pass down to myself or my sisters, and my online searches have yielded nothing that resembles what I remember. Instead, I stumbled across a recipe that used canned coconut milk and coconut cream, which made it possible for my husband to share in the dessert. I tinkered with flavors and ended up making the blackberry ice cream twice: once with brown sugar and once with granulated sugar. Flavor-wise, the brown sugar gave it a richer flavor but the color of the ice cream was more similar to chocolate instead of berry. Either way, I now have a blackberry ice cream recipe that satisfies my craving for something cold and sweet during the hot summer months!  

Be sure to scroll all the way down to find out how to enter for a chance to win a copy of Sprinkles of Suspicion! Contest is open to everyone.

Blackberry Basil Coconut Ice Cream

 
 
Ingredients
 
2-1/2 cups (about 12.5 ounces) blackberries, washed and drained
1 (13.5 oz) can unsweetened coconut milk
1 (13.5 oz) can unsweetened coconut cream
3/4 cup granulated sugar (or substitute brown sugar)
1/3 cup fresh basil
2 tablespoons light corn syrup
1 tablespoon coconut oil
1 tablespoon vodka (optional, but helps keep ice cream soft)

I forgot to take a photo with the granulated sugar

 
Instructions

Heat the coconut cream, coconut milk, sugar, basil, corn syrup, and coconut oil in a medium-sized saucepan over medium heat. Stir frequently. Once the mixture comes to a simmer, remove from heat and allow it to cool for 20 minutes.

While the coconut mixture cooks, purée the blackberries in a high-speed blender until completely smooth.* If you don’t have a high-speed blender, strain the seeds from the purée using a fine-mesh sieve. Keep the puréed blackberries in the blender and set aside.

Once the coconut mixture has steeped, remove the basil leaves. Discard all but a few leaves of the cooked basil.

Add the reserved basil leaves to the blender. Purée at high speed until completely smooth. Add the coconut mixture and vodka, then blend on low until combined.

Place the blackberry ice cream base in the refrigerator for 4 hours or overnight to chill thoroughly. You can keep it in the blender jar if desired.

Once the blackberry mixture is chilled, add it to your prepared ice cream maker, following the manufacturer’s instructions.

Churn until the mixture reaches soft-serve consistency, about 20 to 30 minutes, then transfer to an airtight container and cover with plastic wrap before adding the lid. Freeze for 2 hours before serving.

Notes

Be sure to use full-fat coconut milk.

*Even with a high-speed blender, there will still be some small parts of seeds left. They didn’t impede the enjoyment of the ice cream, but if you want completely smooth ice cream, strain the blackberries once puréed.
 

Made with brown sugar

💕 Click here for a free printable PDF of the recipe!💕

Books available at most online retailers

 

Amazon * Barnes & Noble * Kobo * Apple

 

Cupcake Catering Mysteries * Essentials of Murder* Essentials of Death

 

About the Author:

Kim Davis writes the Aromatherapy Apothecary cozy mystery series, and the award-winning Cupcake Catering cozy mystery series. She has also written several children’s nature articles published in a variety of magazines. Kim Davis is a member of Sisters in Crime, Mystery Writers of America, and Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators.

She lives in Southern California with her husband and rambunctious mini Goldendoodle, Missy, who has become an inspiration for several plotlines. When she’s not spending time with her granddaughters or chasing Missy around, she can be found either writing on her next book, working on blogs, or in the kitchen baking up yummy treats to share.

Click here to sign up here for Kim’s newsletter: Newsletter

Connect with Kim: Facebook, Pinterest, Instagram, Bluesky, Bookbub, Goodreads, TikTok, and website

 

G I V E A W A Y   T I M E !!!

I'm giving away a copy of Sprinkles of Suspicion!

Comment below and include your email (yourname at yourserver dot com) for a chance to win a copy of Sprinkles of Suspicion. (Contest ends 11:59pm on Wednesday, August 12, 2026. Print is limited to US residents and all others will receive an ebook copy.)

Readers, do you have a favorite birthday dessert either from your childhood or as an adult?

GUEST Ellen Byron Artichoke Omelet #recipe #giveaway

 

VMBURNS: Today, I'm thrilled to have award-winning author, Ellen Byron in the kitchen. Ellen is sharing information about her upcoming release, a recipe, and a giveaway! 

Welcome, Ellen!

ELLEN BYRON: When it comes to choosing recipes from my personal vintage cookbook collection to update for inclusion my Vintage Cookbook Mysteries, I’ve learned that sometimes the easiest recipes are the best. Case in point, this artichoke omelet recipe from a 1950s cookbook, which you’ll find in my latest book, A Murderer’s Guide to Mardi Gras, Vintage Cookbook Mystery #5.

Artichoke Omelet

INGREDIENTS

• 1 T. vegetable oil
• 1 T. butter
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 1/4  onion, minced
• 1 tsp. parsley, minced
• 3 artichoke hearts, cooked and chopped
• 3 eggs
• ¼ tsp. salt
• 1/8 tsp. pepper

INSTRUCTIONS

Combine the vegetable oil and butter in a heavy skillet.

 

Once the butter has melted, add the garlic, onion, and parsley. Sauté until tender.

 

Add the artichoke hearts and cook until well-heated.

 

Beat the eggs slightly, adding the salt and pepper. 

Pour into the skillet with the other ingredients and cook until the eggs are done. Don’t worry if you can’t quite make an omelet. This dish taste perfectly delicious as scrambled eggs!

 

Serve at once.

 

Servings: 2 —or one if you’re really hungry!

READERS: What do you like in your omelets? Let me know in the comments below. One lucky person will win a copy of Wined and Dined in New Orleans, the 2nd book in the Vintage Cookbook Mystery Series. 

A MURDERER'S GUIDE TO MARDI GRAS

It's cozy. It's culinary. It's Mardi Gras madness! It's the fifth book in this fabulous mystery series with a vintage flair from USA Today-bestselling and Agatha Award–winning author Ellen Byron.

Step 1: join a killer krewe

It’s carnival season in New Orleans, and Ricki James-Diaz and her friends from Bon Vee are dressing up for Mardi Gras. They’ve joined the notorious krewe of Chew to support Ricki’s chef boyfriend, Virgil, who is to be crowned this year’s king. It’s all fun, throws, and over-the-top outfits until the krewe’s captain is found strangled with his own medallion.

Step 2: survive the festivities

The prime suspect is Ricki’s friend, the deceased’s wife who discovered he was cheating on her. It seems a straightforward case, but Ricki isn’t so sure. The krewe’s leader had many enemies including his mistress, his krewe co-founder who he ousted, and his college friend whose girlfriend he stole. One thing’s clear, Ricki’s at the center of yet another murder investigation. And if she’s not careful, her first Mardi Gras could also be her last . . .

BUY LINK

Ellen is a bestselling author, Anthony nominee, and recipient of multiple Agatha and Lefty awards for her Cajun Country Mysteries, Vintage Cookbook Mysteries,  Catering Hall Mysteries (as Maria DiRico), and Golden Motel Mysteries. She is also an award-winning playwright and non-award-winning writer of TV hits like Wings, Just Shoot Me, and Fairly OddParents, but considers her most impressive achievement working as a cater-waiter for Martha Stewart. Visit her at http://www.ellenbyron.com/.

Sekanjabin – Persian Mint, Honey, Vinegar Syrup #recipe from Molly MacRae

  

Sekanjabin is a traditional Persian syrup with roots in medieval medicine. Back in those days it was used to calm fevers, asthma, and digestive issues. These days it’s more often mixed with water and served over ice for a cool, delicious, sweet and sour summer drink. You might think of it as a distant cousin to lemonade—lemonade with a lovely difference.

The traditional drink calls for grated cucumber in each glass. I didn’t have a cucumber the day I made my sekanjabin but will definitely try that next time. I did use the undiluted syrup as a sauce over grilled zucchini, cabbage, and pineapple. It was superb! And next time I make it I might even try it over a bit of vanilla ice cream.

You’ll find a free, downloadable, printable pdf of the recipe below the cooking directions.

Sekanjabin

Ingredients

1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons cider vinegar, divided

1/2 cup honey

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt (Kosher less salty than table salt. If you don’t have kosher salt, use slightly less table salt.)

1 1/2 cups lightly packed fresh mint leaves

 

Directions

In a small saucepan over medium, combine honey, salt, and 1/2 cup of the vinegar. Simmer until large bubbles appear and the mixture reduces to about 1/2 cup, 7 to 10 minutes.

Off the heat, add the mint, pushing it into the syrup. Let cool to room temperature. Strain into a bowl, pressing the leaves. Stir in the remaining 2 tablespoons of vinegar.

Cool. You can keep your sekanjabin in the refrigerator for up to 1 month.

The recipe doesn’t say what to do with the mint leaves after you press them. I chopped them up and sprinkled them on the grilled zucchini, cabbage, and pineapple after spooning on the syrup.

 

click here for a free, downloadable, printable pdf of this recipe

 

 

Out now!

All Shell Breaks Loose

Book 3 in the Haunted Shell Shop Mysteries!

 

On North Carolina’s Ocracoke Island, Maureen Nash sells exquisite seashells to locals and tourists—with Bonny the shop cat and the ghost of a Welsh pirate for company. And when needed, she steps in to help the police solve a murder . . .

Dr. Irving Allred is boasting around town that he’s about to get his hands on an authentic haunted sword. But minutes after Maureen hears the story, a woman walks into the Moon Shell, sword in hand. She found it while walking her bulldog on the beach—and its blade is stained with what looks like blood. Looks like it’s time to call the sheriff’s department.

Allred is furious that his prize is now in police custody—and even more agitated that an unknown buyer was trying to outbid him. He’s convinced the sword will lead him straight to the ghosts he’s been hunting. He’s not the only one on the Outer Banks who’s been searching for spirits, though. An odd visitor also showed up at Maureen’s shop claiming the ability to sense them . . . though somehow she didn’t seem to notice Maureen’s spectral friend hanging about.

When a man who’d been camping nearby is found cut down along the shore, Maureen starts providing some unofficial assistance to Captain Rob Tate by digging into the island’s maritime history. But it’s not the only mystery she’s facing—because the shop’s resident ghost is seeing ghosts himself . . .

 

 

Happy reading!

 

The Boston Globe says Molly MacRae writes “murder with a dose of drollery.” She’s the author of the award-winning, national bestselling Haunted Yarn Shop Mysteries, the Haunted Shell Shop Mysteries, and the Highland Bookshop Mysteries. As Margaret Welch, she writes books for Annie’s Fiction. Her short stories have appeared in Alfred Hitchcock Mystery Magazine and she’s a winner of the Sherwood Anderson Award for Short Fiction. Visit Molly on Facebook and Pinterest and connect with her on Instagram or Bluesky.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Muffins with Carrot, Oats, and Walnuts as Served at Victoria-On-Sea from Vicki Delany

In the Tea by The Sea series, not only does pastry-chef Lily Roberts work hard in Tea by the Sea, her Cape Cod afternoon tea room, but she also makes the breakfasts at Victoria-on-Sea, her grandmother’s B&B.

Muffins are always popular at the B&B and Lily can easily whip up extra batches when she has time and freeze them until needed.  Sometimes the extra baking comes in handy when the police pay a call.

This recipe is one of the ones included in the latest book in the series, Bubble, Bubble Tea & Trouble.

Walnuts can be omitted if you’re baking for someone who might be allergic.

Muffins with Carrot, Oats, and Walnuts

Makes 12 muffins

Ingredients

•  1 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
•  1 cup quick-cooking rolled oats
•  1/2 cup packed brown sugar
•  1 tablespoon baking powder
•  1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
•  1/4 teaspoon salt
•  1 cup milk
•  1 egg
•  1/4 cup vegetable oil
•  1 teaspoon vanilla
•  1 large or 2 small carrots , grated
•  1/2 cup chopped walnuts

Method

1.       Preheat oven to 375°F 

2.       In large bowl, whisk together flour, rolled oats, brown sugar, baking powder, cinnamon and salt.

3.       In separate bowl, whisk together milk, egg, oil and vanilla; pour over dry ingredients. Sprinkle with carrot, and walnuts; stir just until dry ingredients are moistened. Spoon into 12 paper-lined or greased muffin cups.

4.       Bake in centre of oven for about 20 minutes Let cool in pan on rack for 5 minutes. Transfer to racks; let cool.

Follow Vicki at www.vickidelany.com, on Facebook at www.facebook.com/evagatesauthor. You can sign up to receive Vicki’s quarterly newsletter at Vicki Delany – Canadian Author of Mystery Novels and Suspense Novels » Contact. She’s on Bluesky at @vickidelany.bsky.social

Now Available: Bubble, Bubble Tea & Trouble, the Seventh Tea by the Sea mystery from Kensington Publishing.

 Coming September 6: 'Tis the Season to be Scary, A Year-Round Christmas mystery 

 

Jim’s Baked Jalapeño Poppers by Lucy Burdette

 LUCY BURDETTE: last year as part of our Friends of the Key West Library season, we threw a benefactor party that featured New York Times food critic, Sam Sifton. 

He made ceviche for the audience which we all got to taste. Other board members brought hors d’oeuvres. A new member, Sharon, offered her husband‘s jalapeño poppers. I adore poppers, and these were so good, that I probably ate six of them. (Don’t tell the others!)

Sharon's husband Jim was good enough to share the recipe which I made recently. It’s terrific because it does not involve any frying. He used low-fat versions of the cheese, the mayonnaise, and the cream cheese. I did not! I meant to spray the tops of the peppers as suggested, but I was in a hurry to get to a party and I forgot. They turned out amazing anyway.

Just be careful while seeding the peppers—don’t touch your face, especially your eyes. If you’re very sensitive, wear gloves. Otherwise, wash your hands after you work on the peppers! Don’t worry about them being too hot to eat as they mellow while baked.

For my party, I made 17 large jalapeños and doubled the ingredients. This was the perfect amount for a group of 12. We have one gluten-free friend, and for him I skipped the step of dipping the peppers in Panko crumbs. Those turned out fine as well.

Ingredients

Olive oil cooking spray, divided

1 cup shredded Mexican style blend cheese

1/2 cup whipped cream cheese spread

2 Tbsp mayonnaise

1/4 C minced green onion

10 Jalapeño pepper(s)

Panko bread crumbs

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350ºF. Coat a large baking sheet with cooking spray.

2. In a medium bowl, combine the cheddar cheese, cream cheese, green onion and mayonnaise; mix well and set aside. Halve the peppers lengthwise and remove the seeds. Fill the peppers with the cheese mixture. 

3. Dip each pepper into bread crumbs

4. Transfer the peppers to the prepared baking sheet and coat with cooking spray. Bake until the filling is bubbly and the outside begins to brown, about 30-35 minutes. Serve hot, but room temperature works as well!

Note: If you’re making these for a party, you can make the filling ahead of time, then fill, dredge, and bake the peppers the day of your gathering. (Top three photos courtesy of Nick Doll Photography.)

What's your favorite hors d'oeuvre to bring to a party?

 A DELICIOUS DECEPTION can be found at a bookstore near you!

A Delicious Deception has a slightly different tone than some of the earlier books, with more emphasis on family, but I loved it just as much as the rest of the series. Ms. Burdette has created characters who have grown in such natural, believable ways. She delivers an excellent mystery while also weaving in a major, emotional turning point in their lives. There is drama, murder, secrets, late-pregnancy feelings and hormones, a sick father-in-law, home renovations, a fun baby shower, and friends and family ready to tackle whatever comes their way. And in the end, a beautiful baby! Escape with Dollycas

This cozy mystery expertly balances personal stakes with a fast-paced plot in a consistent Burdette fashion. It’s a suspenseful, heart-filled addition to the series that proves Hayley is just as effective at solving crimes as she is at critiquing menus. Netgalley reviewer

Book 15 in the Key West series, paperback edition of THE MANGO MURDERS, is in bookstores now!

USA Today bestselling author Lucy Burdette writes the Key West food critic mystery series including A POISONOUS PALATE and A CLUE IN THE CRUMBS. Join her mailing list right here.