Coconut Snowmen

Photo: flickr user Gill Rickson

Ingredients

pint best-quality vanilla ice cream

2 pkts shredded coconut - (7 oz ea)

Orange food coloring

1 tablespoon marzipan - (¼ oz)

40 Sen Sen licorice candies

4 marshmallows

4 chocolate wafers

Sifted confectioners' sugar

Preparation

To make these snowmen, you will need three ice-cream scoops: one small, one medium, and one large. In place of the Sen Sen candies, shoestring licorice cut into small pieces can also be used for the buttons, eyes, and mouth.

Line a baking pan that fits in your freezer with parchment paper. Using the three scoops, make four ice-cream balls in each size, and place them on the prepared baking pan. Place the pan in the freezer, and let the ice cream harden for 15 minutes.

Remove the ice-cream balls from the freezer, and roll them in coconut. Return to pan, then return pan to freezer. Add orange food coloring to marzipan until it is the color of carrots. Shape marzipan into small carrot shapes, using a paring knife to make ridges. Remove one small ice-cream ball from the freezer, and make a face using Sen Sen for the eyes and mouth and marzipan carrots for the nose. Return to freezer until ready to serve. Repeat for the remaining small balls.

Remove a medium-size ice-cream ball from the freezer, and place Sen Sen in a row down the front to create buttons. Repeat with remaining medium-size balls. Remove large ice-cream balls from freezer, and stack a medium-size and a small-size ball on top of each large one to create snowmen. Lightly press balls together to adhere. Return snowmen to freezer.

Make the top hats: Roast marshmallows on skewers over a gas burner (or place marshmallows on a baking sheet under the broiler, and cook until browned, rotating every few seconds). Place each toasted marshmallow on a chocolate wafer, and dust with sifted confectioners' sugar. Place the hats on the snowmen just before serving.

This recipe yields 4 servings.