When I heard Fritzi of Movies Silently had this cool idea for an Ice Cream Social themed blogathon, serving up some sweet treats to kick off the summer, I was on board. Surf board, that is. According to Fritzi, the idea is to review a movie, post an article or share a recipe that has a sunny plot or has the power to cheer you up when you’re feeling down. She also encouraged us to write an article sharing happy movie memories, classic movie humor, and/or share an ice cream/frozen dessert/summer sweet recipe based on a star or film.

So when I noticed that William Asher’s BEACH PARTY (1963) was in the Roger Corman guest programmer line-up of AIP films this week on Turner Classic Movies, all those childhood memories flashed before me of cooling down hot summer days at my grandparents’ lake house by watching beach party and surfer flicks as ice cream and Bombpops melted down my sticky hands. Seemed appropriate to this blogathon to share a sweet treat or two, inspired by Frankie and Annette, along with all the kookiest surfer kids (plus cameos of September screen legends) in those silly, nonsensical films.

[For an overview of the cultural influences of all five of the American International Pictures’ “Beach Party”movies, including BEACH PARTY (1963), click HERE.]

When I think of Annette Funicello, three things pop in my head: her Disney Mousketeer days, her “beach party” roles, singing with her helmet of hair-sprayed do and perfectly tailored bikinis, and Skippy peanut butter ads. Let’s serve up an ice cream sandwich with creamy peanut butter that even Annette would approve…

Peanutty Ice-Cream Sandwiches:

Ingredients:

2/3 cup butter or margarine
2 cups quick-cooking oats, uncooked
3/4 cup firmly packed dark brown sugar
1/2 cup finely chopped dry-roasted peanuts
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup chunky peanut butter
3 cups vanilla ice cream, softened
1 cup coarsely chopped dry-roasted peanuts
Preparation
Prep: 20 Minutes
Cook: 5 Minutes
Bake: 11 Minutes
Freeze: 1 Hour, 30 Minutes

Melt butter in a Dutch oven over medium heat. Remove from heat, and stir in oats and next 7 ingredients. Drop oat mixture by tablespoonfuls 3 inches apart onto a parchment paper-lined baking sheet. Spread each dollop of cookie batter to form a 3-inch circle.

Bake at 350° for 9 to 11 minutes or until edges are golden. Remove from pan, and cool completely on a wire rack.

Swirl peanut butter into softened ice cream. Freeze 30 minutes. Scoop ice cream evenly on flat sides of half of cookies; top with remaining cookies, flat sides down. Roll sides of sandwiches in coarsely chopped peanuts. Place in plastic or wax paper sandwich bags, and freeze at least 1 hour.

Note: Do not substitute a greased baking sheet for parchment paper. Cookies will slide and tear.

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For a yummy treat to cool down Annette (“Dolores” in BEACH PARTY) after chasing charming Bob Cummings (“Professor Robert Orwell Sutwell”) sporting his Tiki hat as she attempts to make Frankie (aka “Frankie”) jealous, this cool dessert should do the trick…

RASBERRY ICE BOX CAKE:

Ingredients
24 graham crackers, crushed
1/3 cup butter
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
1 (6 ounce) package raspberry flavored Jell-O(R) mix
1 cup boiling water
 15 ounces frozen raspberries
20 large marshmallows
1/3 cup milk
1 cup heavy whipping cream, whipped
Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
Mix graham cracker wafer crumbs, butter and brown sugar until well combined. Set aside 1/4 cup of this mixture for a topping and press the remainder into one 9×13 inch pan.
Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 10 minutes. Set aside to cool.
Dissolve raspberry gelatin in the boiling water and add the frozen raspberries, stirring until melted. Chill until partially set and spread on wafer base.
Melt marshmallows with the milk. When cool, fold in whipped cream and spread on top of raspberry mixture. Sprinkle with remaining crumbs. Chill for 3-4 hours before serving.

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*This post was my contribution to Movies Silently’s Classic Movie Ice Cream Social (a blogathon of cheer!), taking place May 20-23, 2016. There’s a sweet list of scrumptious bloggers on the menu of participants so scoop ’em out!