Super Sundae {Toasted Coconut Caramel Sundae}

After a busy week -- and Saturday -- no matter how much laundry there is to do on Sunday, it is ALWAYS a fun day for our family.  The day always includes Mass, a big meal, and a treat (nap, movie, decadent snack).  Today was no different, and we enjoyed this yummy sundae.  Here's what you need:

Toasted coconut (more detailed instructions follow)
Bottled caramel sauce
Ice cream (we used chocolate and vanilla -- Blue Bell's The Great Divide!).
Canned whipped cream
Spanish redskin peanuts
Marachino cherries  

As you can see, there is a mix of brand and store names; if the store brand is as good as the brand name and costs substantially less, I buy it.

To toast the coconut, place the desired amount of sweetened, shredded coconut on a baking pan.  Bake in a preheated oven at 350 degrees.  After 5 minutes, stir the coconut and return to the oven.  After 5 more minutes, stir the coconut again and return to the oven.  The coconut will be close to being toasted around 15 minutes; watch it closely at this point.  You may need to stir it one more time at 15 minutes and return it to the oven for a few more minutes.  When the coconut is toasted to desired color, remove from the oven and cool.  I like to pour it on paper towels to cool.  Once it is cool, it is ready to use as a garnish.

Everything is better with toasted coconut -- and butter....and bacon....someday I will find a way to include all three in a dish!

Give the peanuts a rough chop -- they do not need to be finely chopped.  If you are unable to find Spanish nuts, regular salted cocktail peanuts work just as well.

For the sundaes, place about a tablespoon of caramel sauce in the bottom of the dish. 

Now place a scoop of ice cream on top of the caramel sauce.

Add more caramel sauce, followed by toasted coconut and a sprinkling of peanuts.  Be generous!

One more scoop of ice cream, followed by more caramel sauce, toasted coconut and peanuts and a nice dollop of whipped cream.

It wouldn't be a sundae without a cherry on top would it?

This one was pretty messy, so I put it on a salad plate to catch the drips.  The sundae dish is actually a martini glass from Crate and Barrel.   Really, any dish will do -- even a small cereal bowl is great.  The plate is French Countryside by Mikasa.

Here's the chocolate version.  Yum!  Happy Sundae Sunday!

Postnote:  I was researching a spelling as I was finishing this post, and noticed the Google logo today included a picture of a sundae. Turns out, today is the 119th anniversary of the first documented ice cream sundae!  How weird is that?