Toasted Snowballs

This dessert was thrown together to mollify a sweet tooth - known internally to those of us who love him as he who must have candy. His craving for peanut brittle was urging a road trip that warred with common sense given the weather of the night. This sweet, neat treat kept him home. Since then I've kept a supply of this crumbly topping at the ready. It takes an ordinary scoop of ice cream to new levels and makes the simple special. Do try it!

Toasted Snowballs

Ingredients:
1 quart vanilla (preferably French vanilla) ice cream
8 tablespoons (1 4-oz. stick) unsalted butter
1/4 cup light or golden brown sugar
2 cups uncooked old fashioned oatmeal
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup corn syrup

Directions:
1) Scoop ice cream into six balls. Place on a cookie sheet and freeze again until solid.
2) Melt butter in a large nonstick skillet. Stir in sugar and cook until mixture begins to bubble. Add oatmeal and salt; cook, stirring, over medium heat for ten minutes or until oatmeal is a deep golden brown. Remove from heat. Stir in corn syrup. Rinse a cookie sheet with cold water; shake off excess water but do not dry pan. Scrape oat mixture onto pan and smooth into a thin layer with a wooden spoon. Allow to cool. Break into coarse crumbs and put in a 1-gallon zip lock bag.
3) When ready to serve, add ice cream balls, one at a time, to bag and shake to coat with oatmeal topping. Transfer to dessert plates or bowls. Garnish with mint if desired. Yield: 6 servings.